Today in the Recital Hall, award-winning novelist and Buffalo-native, Joyce Carol Oates, will be hosting a question and answer forum at 2 p.m. The well-known, seventy-seven year old novelist has published over 100 books in just about every genre including novels, memoirs, plays, poetry, and short stories and in styles such as horror, gothic, mystery, and family saga. Dean Linda Mills Woolsey said, “Her work is vast and various.”
The event was made possible by a partnership with the David A. Library of Wellsville. Houghton alumni, Nic Gunning, currently works at the library. He reached out to Oates, explaining that someone of her stature coming in and talking to the library’s patrons and community would be a rare and warmly welcomed experience. When Oates’ lecture in Wellsville was confirmed (which commences tonight at 7 p.m.) Gunning approached Mills Woolsey about the possibility of having Oates speak at Houghton as well, resulting in today’s forum.
Mills Woolsey, a longtime reader and lover of Oates’ work, hopes students will catch a glimpse of Oates’ passion for the craft of writing and come to understand her work in ways that enables them to be good readers of contemporary writers. She went on, saying, “I also hope this will deepen students’ appreciation for creative work that takes on challenging subjects.”
It is one of the aims of the Houghton English and Writing programs to balance the refining of the craft with opportunities to interact with those currently succeeding in the field. For many years the English and Writing department has invited writers to come to the college for students to learn from and speak with.
Senior English major, Hope McKeever, feels the department is excelling in this objective. In the past year especially, she and many others in the program have been inspired and encouraged by the guidance and readings of visiting authors.
Speaking to an artist about their work offers students a fullness of experience that one does not encounter through a work alone. The authors typically studied by students often tend be deceased, it all feels rather secondhand. Professor of English, Stephen Woolsey compares it to the difference of being told about music and actually hearing a musician play. Luckily, there are still many great writers who are alive and willing to come visit Houghton.
McKeever notes out of all the short stories she read in high school the one that sticks out the most is “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Oates, a retelling of the pied piper which examines ideals of beauty and innocence. “She can draw you into a story unlike anyone I’ve ever read,” said Mckeever, “That is something I would love to emulate in my own work.”
Along with excellence, Oates exemplifies hard work and determination. The sheer volume of Oates’ literary contributions is overwhelming. She has published two or three books every year for the past forty years. She was once seen in an airport sitting on top of a bag-stacked luggage cart writing as her husband pushed the cart along. Her tenacity and productivity is an inspiration to Houghton students.
Mills Woolsey, who finds Oates’ novels disturbing and deeply moving, spoke to the unifying factor of her body of work., “The thread that runs through…is a willingness to look at dark, violent and painful experience with an honest eye, while at the same time often managing to convey a sort of tough-minded hope through the strength of her characters.”
Oates’ stories are cerebral and copious. Her characters, honest and compelling. Her work, captivating, creepy, charming, and hauntingly beautiful all at the same time.