Randall Ivey is a native of Upcountry South Carolina and senior instructor in English at the University of South Carolina-Union where he has seven times been named Distinguished Teacher of the Year. Besides short stories, which have received numerous prizes, he is the author of a children’s book, Jay and the Bounty of Books, an entertaining tale of the triumph of books over television. Ivey is the founder and director of the annual Upcountry Literary Festival, which has featured readings by noted writers.