Ron Powers

Ron Powers is an award-winning author, journalist, and playwright based in Middlebury, Vermont. He is widely known for his work as a non-fiction writer, and has written books on a wide range of topics, from the Vietnam War to his hometown of Hannibal, Missouri. He has won awards such as the National Book Award, the Pulitzer Prize and the American Book Award.

Ron Powers was born in 1947 in Hannibal, Missouri, a small town on the banks of the Mississippi River. He attended a local high school, and then went on to college at the University of Missouri-Columbia and then Harvard University. From there, he started his career in journalism. His first book was a collection of essays, The Last American Troubadour: Part One (1972). He then went on to write biographies of renowned figures such as Eddie Rickenbacker, John Steinbeck, and Mark Twain.

Through his books, Powers has explored and documented the lives of various important figures. His 1994 book Mark Twain: A Life, received many awards and was made into a TV miniseries. He was also awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2001 for his work, Flags of Our Fathers, which documented the World War II Battle of Iwo Jima.

Powers has also worked as a playwright. His play Snow Falls in Manhattan, which was based off of his non-fiction book Homer Goes to heaven, was originally performed at the Gate Theatre in London before receiving a production at the Off-Broadway Playwrights Horizons.

In addition to his writing career, Powers has served as a professor and served on the board of directors for the National Endowment for the Arts. He was also the first writer in residence for the U.S. Department of State.

Powers has published numerous books and articles, giving readers a glimpse into the lives of key figures from history. His books have been published around the world, in almost every language. He has consistently been praised for his writing, which combines accurate documentation with an engaging and personal narrative.

Overall, Ron Powers has had a successful career as an author, journalist, and playwright. His work has explored and documented the lives of noteworthy figures such as Eddie Rickenbacker, John Steinbeck, and Mark Twain. He has won numerous awards, including the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, and his plays have been performed in both London and New York City.