Billie Letts

Billie Dean Letts (née Gipson; May 30, 1938 – August 2, 2014) was an American novelist and educator. She was a professor at Southeastern Oklahoma State University.

Billie Letts
Born	Billie Dean Gipson May 30, 1938 Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died	August 2, 2014 (aged 76) Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
Occupation	Novelist, educator
Spouse(s)	Dennis Letts ​ ​ (m. 1958; died 2008)​
Children	3, including Tracy Letts

Biography

Letts was born as Billie Dean Gipson[1] in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the daughter of Virginia M. (née Barnes), a secretary, and William C. Gipson.[2]

She married Dennis Letts, a professor and actor, in 1958.[1] The couple had three children: Dana, Tracy (a playwright), and Shawn (a jazz musician/composer).[3][4] Dennis Letts served as editor for his wife's novels.[1][5] He died of lung cancer in Tulsa on February 22, 2008, aged 73.[1][5]

Letts died in a Tulsa hospital from pneumonia on August 2, 2014, aged 76. She had recently been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.[6][7]

Novels

• Where the Heart Is (1995)
• The Honk and Holler Opening Soon (1998)
• Shoot the Moon (2004)
• Made in the U.S.A. (2008)

Awards and honors

• 1994 Walker Percy Award[8]
• 1996 Oklahoma Book Award[9]
• 1998 Oprah's Book Club – Best Novel nominee – Where the Heart Is

References

1. "TV and film actor Dennis Letts dies". Tulsa World. 2008-02-24. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
2. "Letts, Billie 1938–". highbeam.com. Archived from the original on 11 June 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
3. Letts family information Archived April 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, twbookmark.com; accessed August 13, 2014.
4. Excerpt from Playbill Archived March 30, 2008, at the Wayback Machine; accessed August 13, 2014.
5. "Dennis Letts, 73, a Professor Who Became Broadway Actor, Dies". New York Times. Associated Press. 2008-02-25. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
6. Obituary for Billie Letts, nytimes.com, August 5, 2014; accessed August 13, 2014.
7. Dee Duren. "Best-Selling Oklahoma Author Billie Letts Dies". NewsOn6.com. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
8. "Billie Letts". www.fantasticfiction.co.uk.
9. "Interview With Billie Letts".

External links

• Author interview: Billie Letts at Hachette Book Group USA
• Interview With Billie Letts (July 2004)