Author Elizabeth Cox to Give Public Reading

By Alexandra Moore ’09

On Tuesday March 10th at 8 pm, Elizabeth Cox will give a reading in the Barnet room in the Montgomery Student Center on the campus of Converse College.

Cox, who is the author Slow Moon, Night Talk, and The Ragged Way People Fall Out of Love has taught writing at Duke and at MIT. She has also published poetry in The Atlantic Monthly, The Southern Review and in The O. Henry Collection. Her reading at Converse, which is free and open to the public, is made possible by the Elizabeth Boatwright Coker visiting writer series.

“Each time I start a novel, I tend to discover (rather than plan) where it will go. The fun for me is in the discovery of characters and plot. I might think that I am taking the characters down a particular road, but if I have given those characters enough life- a real pulse- then they might surprise me. The imaginative process is different and more subtle than the intellectual process. The imagination offers an experience, rather than information,” said Cox.

Cox is a native of Chattanooga, Tennessee and sets many of her books in the south. She received her MFA from University of North Carolina-Greensboro. She has been awarded the O. Henry award for Bargains in Real World. Her books tend to touch on themes such as the fragility of life and the complexity of life and love.

“We chose her because she’s a terrific fiction writer AND because she’s really engaging with students,” said Converse English Professor Susan Tekulve. “Our ultimate goal is always to bring in writers who will inspire and inform our student writers, and offer a fresh perspective. It’s exciting to have a steady stream of writers with national recognition come to campus. It just so happens that Elizabeth is nationally acclaimed, and she lives in the Spartanburg community. I think we’re very lucky to have her in Spartanburg, and I think we’re even luckier that she’s agreed to visit our campus.”