Ron YatesRon Yates has been learning to write for most of his life. He produced good essays in high school, but his adolescent energies were largely devoted to drag racing, drinking beer, and trying to stay out of trouble. Although encouraged by his English tachers to pursue higher education, Yates, after graduating high school in lackluster fashion, spent time languishing in factory jobs. An aching back, the remembered encouragement of former teachers, and the urgings of caring friends prompted him to explore other options. His enduring love of reading and nascent knack for writing guided him to a degree in English and a career teaching high school. He went on to earn an MA in English from the University of West Georgia and, years later, an MFA in creative writing from Queens University of Charlotte. Yates lives near Mt. Cheaha, on the shore of beautiful Lake Wedowee in Alabama. He has published stories in a variety of journals including Wilderness House Literary Review, Hemingway Shorts, KYSO Flash, Still: the Journal, The Writing Disorder, The Oddville Press, and Prime Number Magazine. He has a son and daughter and is married to his sweetheart, Carol Yates. Read More Read Less