Faith Sullivan Reading
Faith Sullivan reads from her novel entitled Gardenias, a sequel to her previous novel, Cape Ann. She begins by reading a poem by a fellow southern Minnesotan poet, Phoebe Hanson. Sullivan goes on to provide a brief synopsis of her novel: two women and a small daughter leave Minnesota to secure jobs in California during the Great Depression.
During a question and answer session, Sullivan acknowledges the women’s issues and feminist undertones that permeate the novel. She discusses the roles of women during the Great Depression, and also their allowance to secure employment outside the home during World War II. Sullivan claims that “this was a mass empowerment of women that has never been seen before in the history of our country”, and thus served as a foundation for the Feminist Movement. Sullivan also discusses the issue of violence against women and the utter lack of social services for women during the time that the novel is set.
Sullivan ends by discussing her writing process, and tells the story of the inception of Cape Ann. Sullivan had approached her husband, who is also a writer, with the idea for a novel, with the hopes that he would pen the story himself. When it became apparent that he was not interested in the story, Sullivan decided to write the story herself.
In: "Live from Prairie Lights" Audio Archive | Fiction
Authors: Faith Sullivan
Date Recorded: November 28, 2005
Works Read: Gardenias, by Faith Sullivan "My Father Mows the Grass," by Phoebe Hanson
Program: Live From Prairie Lights
Format: reading
Contributors: Introduction by host Julie Englander.
Topics: Great Depression, World War II, Minnesota, California, feminism