After my parents passed away - in 2000 and 2003 - I felt I could take the time to think about the past and imagine what it would have been like to be my grandmother. Joyce Carol Oates feltgrandmotherimagine Change image and share on social
The - the sort of thing that I want to do is to strike a resonant chord of universality in other people, which is best done by fiction. Joyce Carol Oates chordfictionpeople Change image and share on social
I am not conscious of working especially hard, or of 'working' at all. Writing and teaching have always been, for me, so richly rewarding that I don't think of them as work in the usual sense of the word. Joyce Carol Oates conscioushardreward share on social
Where we come from in America no longer signifies. It's where we go, and what we do when we get there, that tells us who we are. Joyce Carol Oates americalongsignify Change image and share on social
Except that awards are competitive, which is a negative thing, they are wonderful for singling out deserving individuals and bringing their work to the attention of many potential readers who might otherwise have been totally unaware of them. Joyce Carol Oates attentionawardbring share on social
Like most people, I can be very easily hurt. Joyce Carol Oates easilyhurtpeople Change image and share on social
In 'We Were the Mulvaneys,' animals are almost as important as people. I wanted to show the tenderness in our relationships with cats, dogs, and horses. Especially cats. Joyce Carol Oates animalcatdog Change image and share on social
When I was very little, four or five, I did comic strip drawings, so my first novel had no words. I couldn't write and thought adult handwriting was a mysterious scribble. When I was 14, my grandmother gave me a typewriter and I started writing in a different way. Joyce Carol Oates adultcomicdrawing share on social
As a farm girl, even when I was quite young, I had my 'farm chores' - but I had time also to be alone, to explore the fields, woods and creek side. And to read. Joyce Carol Oates chorecreekexplore Change image and share on social
I think whenever we think of our hometowns, we tend to think of very specific people: with whom you rode on the school bus, who was your next door neighbor you were playing with, who your girlfriend was. It's always something very specific. Joyce Carol Oates busdoorgirlfriend share on social
