Interview with Michelle Boisseau, February 28, 1993

Interview Summary

Boisseau summarizes her family origins, describing her parents and grandparents. She mentions her first attempts at poetry and other creative writing. Boisseau attended Ohio University on a creative writing scholarship, and wrote her doctoral dissertation about the family that is falling apart, symbolized by a house that is crumbling down. Boisseau loves to teach creative writing, which she believes writers should teach. Beattie and Boisseau discuss reading others' work, and the influence of other writing on an author. Boisseau mentions her current work, how she edits her work, and first readers of her work. Because she is not from Kentucky, she does not feel a great sense of Kentucky in her writing and says that she does not have the heritage of reading Kentucky fiction writers.

Interview Keyword

Michelle Boisseau Linda Beattie Oral history Essays Ohio River Textbooks Battle of the Crater

Interview LC Subject

Authors, American--Kentucky Intellectual life Literature Boisseau, Michelle, 1955- Beattie, Linda Oral history Persephone (Greek deity) Vanderbilt University Keene, Carolyn. Nancy Drew mystery stories Taylor-Hall, Mary Ann Tolstoy, Leo, graf, 1828-1910. Ana Karenina

Interview Rights

All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.

Interview Usage

Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.