Writing Into the Sunset with Annie Proulx

Working on an essay about peatlands took author Annie Proulx down unexpected side alleys. She found 140-year old marginal notations repeatedly accusing Alfred Lord Tennyson of plagiarism, butterfly collectors who could not stop, photographs of the American southern swampland by a Department of the Interior biologist who saw aspects of the natural world that no longer exist, and more.

Following a welcome and introduction from Academy president David Oxtoby, Annie Proulx (3:45) discusses her experiences with writing research before entering into conversation with Shawn Wong (26:15) which included questions from the audience.

This event, held on November 19, 2019 at the University of Washington, served as the American Academy of Arts & Sciences' 2086th Stated Meeting and the Morton L. Mandel Public Lecture.

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Annie Proulx is the author of eight books, including the novel  "The Shipping News" and the three-volume "Wyoming Stories" collection. Her many honors include a Pulitzer Prize, a National Book Award, the Irish Times International Fiction Prize, PEN/Faulkner and F. Scott Fitzgerald Awards, and a Library of Congress award. Her novel "Shipping News" and story “Brokeback Mountain” were made into films. Her most recent novel is " Barkskins," in production for a television series. She was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2014.

Shawn Wong is the author of two award-winning novels, "Homebase" and "American Knees," and the co-editor and editor of six Asian American and American multicultural literary anthologies including the pioneering anthology "Aiiieeeee! An Anthology of Asian American Writers." He is currently a Professor in the Department of English and Department of Comparative Literature, Cinema & Media at the University of Washington. He has served as Chair of the Department of English, Director of the Creative Writing Program, and Director of the University Honors Program.

David W. Oxtoby is the President of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2012.