The press sings the praises of Wesleyan writers on a regular basis. But this weekend the notices for Kit Reed’s recent collection of stories stopped me in my tracks.
From the first paragraph of the Wall Street Journal review:
The title of Kit Reed’s selection of her own short stories, The Story Until Now (Wesleyan University Press, 442 pages, $35), reminds us that although she has been writing award-winning fiction for some 50 years, she’s still accelerating. The scope of these 35 stories is immense, their variety unmatched.
And this from a recent Vanity Fair: “The Story Until Now unleashes new and classic stories fired by a radiant imagination.”
Kit has been inspiring students and readers for decades. A resident writer at Wesleyan, she stopped teaching full-time years ago, but she still works with students and publishes stories and novels that receive critical acclaim and a devoted readership. Speaking of devotion, the labyrinth at the south-east end of the CFA (behind the anthropology house) was installed by alumni to honor Kit and Joe Reed (Professor of English and American Studies, Emeritus). Stroll the labyrinth, and if you see Kit walking by on campus with her terrier, Killer, give her a high five. Better yet, pick up a copy of The Story Until Now. I bet she’ll be willing to sign it.
UPDATE: RAVE REVIEW IN NYT BOOK REVIEW:
Thanks, Michael, and naturally I’d love to sign any Kit Reed book anyone at Wesleyan wants to hand me, with apologies in advance for my handwriting.