Ashland University Professor Receives Honor

1/29/13 ASHLAND, Ohio – Matt Tullis, an Ashland University assistant professor of journalism and digital media and a resident of West Salem, had his story, “Feet of Clay, Heart of Iron,” selected as one of “102 Spectacular Nonfiction Stories from 2012.”

The list is compiled by Conor Friedersdorf, a writer at “The Atlantic,” and is published on Byliner.com.

Tullis, who also serves as adviser to “The Collegian,” wrote the story for SBNation Longform, a national website dedicated to literary sports journalism. The story profiles Brian Simmons, a gritty horseshoe pitcher, as he attempts to repeat as world champion.

Friedersdorf’s list has been compiled for five years now and is increasingly well-respected and well-read. To see the entire list, go to:
http://byliner.com/spotlights/102-spectacular-nonfiction-articles-2012

To read “Feet of Clay, Heart of Iron,”go to:
http://www.sbnation.com/longform/2012/10/17/3512680/feet-of-clay-heart-o...

Tullis joined the Ashland University faculty in 2008. He has 10 years’ experience as a newspaper reporter, most recently at the Columbus Dispatch. He contributes to Cleveland Magazine and Inside Business Magazine, and has been published in Creative Nonfiction Magazine, SB Nation Longform, Waccamaw Literary Journal and Elysian Fields Quarterly. Tullis has a bachelor of arts in journalism/English from Ashland University and an MFA in creative writing, with a focus on creative nonfiction, from the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Ashland University, ranked in the top 200 colleges and universities in U.S. News and World Report’s National Universities category for 2013, is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong, applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students.