He is known for his writing of the Vietnam era and of West Virginia.
[2] Born in Parkersburg, West Virginia, Currey went on to serve as a Navy medical corpsman between 1968 and 1972.
He enrolled at West Virginia University after his time in the service, and stayed there until 1974.
[3] In his writings, Currey often reflects on his own experiences of military service, family, and living in West Virginia.
He has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize,[4] is an O. Henry Award winner, a PEN/Hemingway Award finalist,[5] and has served as the DH Lawrence Fellow in Literature and writer in residence at The University of New Mexico.