The Author

Bobby Hawthorne is a popular instructor at journalism workshops and seminars for high school students nationwide. He has been published in every national scholastic press association periodical and is the author of The Radical Write, a textbook on reporting and writing for student publications that is used nationwide. He is also the author of Longhorn Football: An Illustrated History, and Home Field, both published by the University of Texas Press.

In 2005, he retired from the University Interscholastic League, an organization that coordinates extracurricular activities for all Texas public schools where he served as director of academics and director of journalism. In 2009, he wrote, designed and produced a 200-page history of the UIL as part of its centennial anniversary.

Hawthorne has won a number of awards from associations you’ve most likely have never heard of. Not one came with a cash prize. They include the Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s Gold Key and James Paschal Awards, the National Scholastic Press Association’s Pioneer Award, and the Texas (UIL) Interscholastic League Press Conference’s Edith Fox King Award, given for distinguished service to Texas scholastic journalism.  

In 1991, he was named a lifetime member by the Texas Association of Journalism Educators, and in 2000 received TAJE’s Trailblazer Award. In 2007, he received from the CSPA its Charles R. O’Malley Award for Overall Excellence in Teaching, an honor that recognizes “a sustained record of outstanding teaching.” In November, 2007, he received the Carl Towley Award, the Journalism Education Association’s highest honor. In 2023, he received JEA’s “Friend of Journalism Award.”

He is a regular writer for Texas School Business magazine, which is published by the Texas Association of School Administrators. He also writes for a several Austin-based magazines. His blog is titled, "Endless Rain into a Paper Cup," and you can find him on Facebook. In 2023, he published his first novel, “Debbie Number Three,” which is available on Amazon.com. He is currently working on a second novel as well as a collection of his magazine pieces.