Richard Ford is regarded as one of the finest novelists and short story writers of his generation. His breakthrough novel, The Sportswriter (1986) was a critical and commercial success, displaying Ford's comedic sensibility while examining the contradictions and inconsistencies of contemporary American life. The novel won a PEN/Faulkner citation for fiction in 1987 and Time magazine named it one of the five best books of 1986. One year later Ford demonstrated his command of the short story with the critically acclaimed collection Rock Springs (1987).

"The Sportswriter'. . .established a glittering reputation. The stories in Rock Springs confirm it." - Time Magazine

"Rock Springs should confirm [Ford's] emergence as one of the most compelling and eloquent storytellers of his generation." - Michiko Kakutani, New York Times

Independence Day (1996), the sequel to The Sportswriter brought additional praise for Ford's work as it became the first novel ever to win both the Pulitzer Prize and the PEN/Faulkner award.

"the confirmation of a talent as strong and varied as American fiction has to offer." - Elizabeth Hardwick, New York Review of Books

Ford's most recent work is A Multitude of Sins (2001), a collection of short stories that explore love and intimacy and the ways in which people often fail to meet the challenges of relationships. Julie Myerson in The Guardian described the stories as "startling and unabashed. . .Ford's sheer mastery of the form is jaw-dropping."

In addition Ford's works include the story collection Women With Men (1997), and novels, Wildlife (1990), The Ultimate Good Luck (1981), and a Piece of My Heart (1976). In 2001 Ford won the PEN/Malamud Award for excellence in short fiction.

Richard Ford was also a guest at the New York State Writers Institute on December 3, 2002.