Letters for Emily author to speak to USF freshmen
Author
of the bestseller Letters for Emily will speak
to students at the University of St. Francis in
Joliet on Friday, Sept. 19. Letters for Emily,
a story that celebrates goodness, hope, love and
life, has touched readers throughout North America.
The
public is invited to this free lecture by author
Camron Wright, though seating is limited and reservations
are required. The lecture is at 9 a.m. in the
Moser Performing Arts Center. For reservations
or information, call (815) 740-3404.
Wright
will speak to members of USF’s freshman class.
His book is required reading in their Core I studies,
which helps orient students to college life and
skills, as well as in discovering self.
Letters
for Emily opens in the final stages of character
Harry Whitney’s life. Harry is dying and
has Alzheimer’s disease, so he knows his
"good" time is limited. He decides to
complete a book of poems as a final gift to Emily,
his favorite granddaughter, a gift to remind her
of the grandfather he really was. At first his
book is dismissed as ramblings of a senile old
man, but then through his writings, Harry’s
past is uncovered—how he won and lost his
great love; the years he spent struggling to raise
two children as a single father; and the lessons
and wisdom he gathered throughout his life. Ultimately,
it is not what the family discovers about Harry
that is most important but what they learn about
themselves, says the author.
Letters
for Emily is inspired by the life of author Camron
Wright’s grandfather, Harry. Like the novel’s
character Harry Whitney, Wright’s grandfather
also wrote poems to his family. "After his
death, it was the hidden wisdom in his poems that
inspired the story behind Letters for Emily,"
said Wright.
The
author’s first published work is the result,
he says, of a "midlife crisis." About
to turn 40, Wright came home one afternoon and
announced that he was thinking about writing a
book." One day an idea for a book struck
me so powerfully that I drove straight home and
began to write," he said.
Wright
lives with his wife and four children near Salt
Lake City, Utah. He holds a bachelor’s degree
in business management from Brigham Young University,
and has owned several successful retail stores
as well as worked in the fashion industry.
The University of St. Francis is at 500 Wilcox St. in Joliet. USF serves more than 4,300 students nationwide, including 1,800 at its Joliet campus. The university offers more than 60 areas of undergraduate study in arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. Graduate programs are offered in health care, business and education.