Author Kincaid to give next President

Author Kincaid to give next President’s lecture

Author and former New Yorker writer Jamaica Kincaid will be the next speaker in the President’s Lecture Series, giving the Dominique de Menil Lecture at 8 p.m. March 3.

Kincaid was born in 1949 as Elaine Potter Richardson in St. John’s, Antigua. She maintained a close relationship with her mother until the age of 9, when the first of her three brothers was born. The growing size of the family brought about a “keener sense of their poverty” and enhanced Kincaid’s growing sense of isolation from her mother and her environment.

At age 17, Kincaid left Antigua for New York. After working for three years as an au pair and taking night classes at community college, she won a full scholarship to Franconia College in New Hampshire. However, feeling “too old to be a student,” she dropped out of school, returned to New York and secured a job writing interviews for a teenage girls’ magazine.

Soon after, Kincaid’s work in the Village Voice and Ingenue drew the attention of New Yorker editor William Shawn. She became a staff writer for the magazine in 1976 and a featured columnist for the highly visible “Talk of the Town” section. In 1978, Kincaid’s first piece of fiction was published, later becoming part of her first book, “At the Bottom of the River,” published in 1983. This short story collection, composed of a series of lyrical vignettes, focuses on the growing consciousness of a young girl in the Caribbean.

In 1985, Kincaid published her first novel, “Annie John,” a story that many critics consider an expansion and refinement of the ideas presented in her first book. In “Annie John,” Kincaid draws upon the angst, isolation and wonder of her own childhood to craft a touching narrative about the tenuous nature of mother-daughter relationships.

Much of Kincaid’s writing is intimately inspired by the tensions of her youth. Her writing is compelling because it captures complex emotions and exposes divisive issues in a deceptively simple style. In 2004, Kincaid was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She is the author of 10 books and the recipient of multiple distinguished awards. Her most recent book, “Among Flowers: A Walk in the Himalaya,” was published earlier this year. Kincaid is a visiting professor of creative writing at Harvard University.

The President’s Lecture Series has long been a distinguished element of Rice’s academic community and embodies William Marsh Rice’s commitment to contribute educational opportunity to the broader society. Sponsored by the Office of the President, the series brings stimulating speakers who foster understanding about a wide range of topics in the sciences, humanities, engineering, social sciences, architecture, music and public policy.

The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, call 713-348-5585 or visit <www.rice.edu/pls>.