Category — In the Spotlight

Who is Francine Prose? This was the question that many people hoped would be answered when the president of the PEN American Center came to Baruch College. Although many of the attendees already knew of this distinguished author and read several of her books, and others were just curious to see what this event had to offer, everyone wanted to hear what Prose had to say. During a short reception before the actual reading, Prose spoke personally to whoever had the guts to approach her, and later answered questions from the guests. Listening to Prose speak, and hearing what others had to say about her, it is safe to say that she is a devoted and brilliant writer, as well as an open-minded and easy-going person with a great sense of humor. [Read more →]

            On October 21^st, acclaimed author and the current Sidney Harman Writer-In-Residence, Francine Prose came to Baruch College and shared a reading of one of her short stories, “Hansel and Gretel.” Although we expected to hear an excerpt from her newest novel Goldengrove, Prose wanted to read something different, after all there’s “only so much you can read on a book tour.” Afterwards there was a Q&A where Prose provided great insight into her personality and style of writing.
            In her book Reading Like a Writer, a New York Times best seller, Francine Prose writes that “a workshop can be useful, a good teacher can show you how to edit your work…but writers learn by reading the work of their predecessors” (2). Her extensive knowledge and understanding of effective language is clear as she devotes each chapter to a specific aspect of writing, “Chapter 1: Close Reading, Chapter Two: Words…” The very skills she wrote about were apparent in her descriptive and unique characters, as we learned about Lucia who “doesn’t believe in seatbelts – [a] fascist plot,” Polly’s “strange, blond, handsome” husband, Nelson, and Lucia’s gorgeous yet “doomed” daughter, Marianna.

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Everybody has, at least once, skimmed books or passages for plot, whether it was a school reading assignment or choosing a book to read. However, we never actually read between the lines, scrutinizing each and every word. In her book Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and For Those Who Want to Write Them (2006), Francine Prose provides the handy guidebook to writing and reading because ultimately, “reading morphs into writing.” She uses passages as examples from the masters of classic novels and analyzes them, showing readers the different techniques of “good writing”. [Read more →]

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            There is nothing striking about her appearance. She is a woman of modest stature with black shoulder-length hair and dark brown eyes. Yet the greatness of her spirit is apparent before she even says a single word. It has been this spectacular spirit that has propelled her to become one of the leading writers of our time – having published over 20 books of fiction, nonfiction, and short stories. The spirit of Francine Prose is full of freedom, exploration, and an admiration for the never-ending surprises of everyday life. [Read more →]

Combine charisma, wisdom, and wit, and what do you get? Author Francine Prose. Her name certainly suits her profession and her personality shows how well she can live up to the surname of Prose. At a recent by her at Baruch College, she surprised the audience by sharing one of her earlier short stories instead an excerpt from her newest novel. Through it, she describes her writing process and in it, she reveals her skillful use language. [Read more →]

Francine Prose, prolific author of more than 12 books and countless short stories, arrived at Baruch College yesterday evening for a reading of her newest novel, Goldengrove.

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source: www.baruch.cuny.edu, photo by Marion Ettlinger

It begins much like any other show.  There are introductions outlining the point of the evening, there are forgettable speeches received with light applauses, and there are refreshments devoured before the arrival of most guests.  Yet, amidst all this sits a woman with an air of confidence and self-acknowledgment, knowing full well that all these arrangements have been made in her honor.  In that crowd of dozens, it is easy to point out Francine Prose, the Fall 2008 Sidney Harman Writer-in-Residence. [Read more →]