Meet a Roadrunner: John “J.R.” Helton is making storytelling a life changer

Helton

John Helton, Writing Program

Share this Story

(April 1, 2015) - Meet John Helton. His office is tucked away in a quiet corner of the Plaza Norte Building, and he loves talking about writing with his students.

You’d never know the senior lecturer in the Writing Program once worked with the likes of Matthew McConaughey and John Travolta as a Hollywood lead scenic artist. His resume includes credits such as “Dazed and Confused” and “Michael,” but what he’s most proud of is working with UTSA students over the last 14 years teaching them how writing can change their lives.

“I’ve always been a writer,” said Helton, who won a Pushcart Prize when he was just 20 years old.

Helton knows firsthand that writing plays a significant role in every student’s life – not just the English majors.

“It’s an extremely important course,” he says of the Writing Program’s rhetoric and composition class, which nearly all UTSA students pass through. “And believe it or not, doing this is more interesting than working on sets.”

Helton’s interesting life includes a friendship with Robert Crumb, a cartoonist often characterized as America’s best. Crumb illustrated all of Helton’s book covers, including his most recent, “The Jugheads,” which will be featured in the San Antonio Book Festival on April 11.

Helton also authored “Below the Line,” which chronicles his experience in the film industry, and the novel, “Drugs.”

His zeal for writing is what led him to leave the movie industry, and it’s what’s kept him at UTSA, helping students find their voice.

“First and foremost, writing teaches critical thinking skills. We’re teaching them to be good college students,” Helton said. “Writing is just like talking, but better. Students are learning to put their own thinking process to paper and find their own voice.”

Helton believes in the university’s Writing Program because his own rhetoric and composition professor was such an important part of his life. They still keep in touch.

“That course opened up this whole other world for me in college. My professor told me being a writer is the hardest thing you can do, so I knew I wanted to do it,” Helton said. “And then I found teaching. And that’s hard, too – but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

-------------------------------

Do you know someone connected with UTSA who is achieving great things? Email us at social@utsa.edu, and we will consider your submission for an upcoming installment of Meet a Roadrunner.

Read the stories of other UTSA students, faculty, staff and alumni on the Meet a Roadrunner website.

Connect online with UTSA on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

 

 

Events



Spotlight

UTSA Bold Promise CTA

UTSA’s Mission

The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.

UTSA’s Vision

To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.

UTSA’s Core Values

We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.

UTSA’S Destinations

UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .

Our Commitment to Inclusivity

The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.