This author appeared at the 2009 festival. Please view the list of authors appearing at this year's festival or see our suggestions for similar authors below.
 Cecilia Thompson
In the rugged High Chihuahua Desert of West Texas, Marfa lies in the northeast corner of PresidioCounty, 60 miles from the Mexico border. Originally established as a water stop for the Galveston, Harrisburg, and San Antonio Railroad in 1883, it soon became the county seat and heart of a thriving commercial center built around ranching. Marfa's Fort D. A. Russell, first known as CampAlbert and later CampMarfa, has been home to numerous military units from the early 1900s through the end of World War II. This military presence, combined with the development of the famous Highland Hereford that propelled local cattle ranching to a nationally recognized level, provided the economic and social base for the community well into the 1950s. Marfa's proximity to Mexico contributes tremendously to a remarkable blend of cultures, and today the once remote frontier town has established itself as a sophisticated arts and cultural mecca. Historians Cecilia Thompson and Louise S. O'Connor's Marfa traces the town's colorful history from its founding through its current, unique status as a world-renowned art community. Thompson received a Ph.d in Theater Arts and Allied Fields from the University of Iowa. She has taught and directed theater productions in several universities as well as community theater and summer stock productions. Thompson is currently researching and writing Volume III of History of Marfa and Presidio County, co-authored by Louise S O'Connor.
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