Debra Monroe comes to La Salle to read from her book

By James Keough & Maureen Kolodziej
Collegian Reporter & Collegian Editor
March 21, 2007

She’s a professor in Texas. She’s a mother. She’s funny. She’s smart. She’s an avid and fast reader and even more, an avid writer. Her early influences were rock and roll. She’s received awards and has been featured on Elle and Vanity magazine’s best books lists.

Debra Monroe read from her latest book in La Salle's Art Museum - Maureen Kolodziej

She’s Debra Monroe and La Salle students heard her read in person from her latest book on Thursday in La Salle’s Art Museum.

Monroe is the author of three novels and a short story collection.

“I love teaching as much as writing,” said Monroe at her book reading.“Students are my favorite human beings.”

Her debut collection, The Source of Trouble, won the Flannery O’Connor award for short fiction, and her novel Newfangled was nominated for the National Book Award. She is also a professor of Creative Writing at Texas State University – San Marcos.

Monroe visited La Salle to lecture Dr. Grauke’s ENG 357 course, which is a class that deals specifically with four contemporary writers who are still writing. These writers are Monroe, Tom Grimes, Gary Fincke and Ken Kalfus.

She is the first of these authors to come to La Salle, but all four will give readings and lectures by the end of the semester.

Monroe read from her latest work, a memoir, which is her first work of nonfiction. In his introduction, Grauke described Monroe’s writing as “compassionate.”

Like any good writer who has been writing for 20 years, she always incorporates her experiences in some way into her books. While each book gets harder for her to write, she said it is because she writes about her insecurities and things she can’t change.

“No surprise for the writer. No surprise for the reader either,”she said.

She said that she doesn’t imagine that she will ever write another book that doesn’t have motherhood in it. In the non-fiction book she read from, based on contemporary story about a woman who is divorced and wants to adopt, Monroe hits universal themes that people can identify with. Not only does she speak about external issues such as adoption and having enough time and money to fix up a house, she also talks about internal themes such as death, romantic relationships, her baby's race, sex and how men and women are stereotyped.

Following the reading, Monroe gave an extended question and answer session to Grauke’s class.

All four authors will also give private lectures to the class in addition to their public readings. These lectures represent the culmination of the semester for the students of ENG 357.

Since Monroe is a professor and has a 9-year-old now, she rarely has time to write. She does, however, manage to write in the summer.

“I can’t stop writing,” she said. “I’ve been doing it since first grade.”

Her books can be purchased at www.amazon.com.

The next author to visit La Salle is Tom Grimes, author of four books, two plays and one collection of short stories.

His writing has been named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and a “new and noteworthy paperback.” It has also won three Los Angeles Dramalogue Awards and a James Michener fellowship.

He is scheduled to speak 12:30 p.m.Thursday in the La Salle Art Museum.

keoughj1@lasalle.edu
kolodziejm1@lasalle.edu