Joyce Carol Oates to receive award, speak to students
Author Joyce Carol Oates has written 37 novels, 25 collections of short stories, seven books of poetry, four books of plays.
By SARAH GERMANI
Contributing Writer
Joyce Carol Oates will become this year’s recipient of the Janet Weis Fellow in Contemporary Letters. Oates is an award-winning author who will accept this award as well as speak to the students, faculty and community members at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Weis Center for the Performing Arts.
The Fellowship was created in 2002 in order to distinguish great achievement in fiction writing. The award was formed in honor of Janet Weis, who was known to be an author, civic leader and philanthropist. The Degenstein Foundation provided a grant in order to make this award possible.
Oates has written 37 novels, 25 collections of short stories, seven books of poetry, four books of plays and much more. Her most famous works include “A Garden of Earthly Delights,” “Black Water,” “You Must Remember This” and “We Were the Mulvaneys.” Throughout her writing she expresses experiences and emotions relevant and characteristic of her time.
“It seems like students don’t have time to read for pleasure,” Elizabeth Regan ’10 said. “Having a speaker like [Oates] might excite people about reading.”
Oates has a reputation for excellence and has been considered by some to be one of the greatest writers of this time period.
“It would be a great opportunity to hear an author speak who is so popular and influential at this time,” Laura Eckman ’10 said. “It’s important to have an author students can relate to.”
Other honors and awards Oates has received include a three-time nomination for the Nobel Prize in Literature. She received a Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the 2005 Prix Femina, a literary award for best novel published in France, Oprah book of the Month and many more.
Oates’ dedication and passion for writing began early on as a child. She constantly trained herself to write and evolved as a writer, drawing from her experiences from childhood to her life in Detroit to her teaching.
She describes herself as living in moderation with a consistent enjoyment of her work.
The Celestial Timepiece, a Web site dedicated to Oates and her work, gives a portrayal of the success and accomplishment Oates has achieved.
According to the site, http://jco.usfca.edu, “The dramatic trajectory of Oates’ career, especially her amazing rise from an economically strained childhood to her current position as one of the world’s most eminent authors, suggests a feminist, literary version of the mythic pursuit and achievement of the American dream.”
