JCO: Joyce Carol Oates at Chicago Humanities Festival

Sunday I had the pleasure of attending a conversation with Joyce Carol
Oates at the Chicago Humanities Festival, where she was presented with
the Chicago Tribune Literary Prize. It was held at the Chicago Symphany
and was a sold out event, with more than 1000 attending.

She was introduced by Ann Marie Lipinski, editor of the Chicago Tribune,
as being "a writer with very deep roots in American literary and
intellectual traditions." Ms Lipinski described her as having "a great
eye for contemporary culture. She's joyfully readable -- reading her is
fun and exciting -- and she's got this very unusual range, from
profoundly violent and somber to laugh-out-loud funny."

Ms. Oates then spoke briefly to the crowd before sitting down with Julia
Keller, a Chicago Tribune cultural critic, for a lively conversation.
They discussed the process of writing, which Ms. Oates described as a
process like "hacking through a dense jungle with a machete, getting
lost and having to double back" to find another entry point and hack
your way in again. She also described it as a nightmare where the stairs
get smaller with every step, and the steps are covered with wet moss.

Ms. Oates described her work process, and her work ethic, which she
believes came from growing up in a farming community. She did not dwell
on any particular work, but touched on many of them. It was a delight to
hear her speak of her work.

After the formal presentation, there was book signing. It was a
seemingly unending line of people wanting to have a bit of her
attention. She was gracious as she signed my copy of Missing Mom and my
daughter's copy of Freaky Green Eyes (my daughter has been reading the
young adult novels lately), but she seemed quite harried, glancing at
the long line still to come, as she spoke a few distracted words.

I was very pleased to have had the opportunity to listen to her speak
and to share the experience with my fourteen year old daughter.

Sincerely,
Jane

Tone Clusters: The Joyce Carol Oates discussion group

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RE: JCO: Joyce Carol Oates at Chicago Humanities Festival

Sounds wonderful Jane. I'm glad you both had the opportunity to hear her speak. She gives such a lively and interesting conversation given the right interviewer.

eric

Tone Clusters: The Joyce Carol Oates discussion group

To send a message to the group, email jco@usfca.edu
To unsubscribe, email majordomo@usfca.edu: unsubscribe jco

Celestial Timepiece: A Joyce Carol Oates Home Page