On Wednesday, October 6 at 4 p.m., author Ann McCutchan will speak about her biography on Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, The Life She Wished to Live, at the Coe Library in Room 506.
Aside from being an accomplished author, McCutchan is also a lyricist, librettist, former musician and former professor at both the University of Wyoming and the University of North Texas.
McCutchan said that The Life She Wished to Live was a project that took 7 years from start to publication.
“It was a full-time job for four or five years. It was a long project of research and writing, and most of the research I did at the University of Florida, where Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ papers are kept in archives,” McCutchan said.
The biography explores Rawlings’ life in early twentieth-century Florida and her independent, unconventional personality and beliefs. The biography also highlights her influence, works and people that she took inspiration from.
McCutchan said that she had a passion for both writing and music from a young age.
“I was, from age 10, a diary keeper. I wrote a lot that nobody saw,” McCutchan said. “The real writing started in my early 30s. My first career was as a classical musician, and I thought that would be my life.”
McCutchan lived in Austin, Texas in her early 30s and played with orchestras there as a professional clarinetist.
When an opening for a freelance classical music critic came up, she applied and began writing for the Austin American-Statesman newspaper.
“That led to more writing, magazine writing, all kinds of journalism, sometimes involving music and sometimes not,” McCutchan said. “That led to my first book, which is a biography on French flautist Marcel Moyse.”
After the completion of her first book and the beginning of her next one, McCutchan began having problems in her hands due to a genetic problem.
“I couldn’t play the clarinet as well. So, by that time, I was just writing a whole lot and I decided to go back to school and get a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in creative writing at the University of Houston,” McCutchan said.
McCutchan said that by that time, she was sure that music was no longer her career path and writing would be her life. She was awarded a postdoc in writing at Cornell, where she started her third book and taught courses in writing and creativity.
McCutchan also taught at both the University of Wyoming and the University of North Texas. She eventually left to work full-time on her biography on Rawlings.
“I’ve always, always loved to write. Even when I was 11, 12, 13, when teachers were giving tests about what you wanted to be when you grew up, music and writing were in a dead heat,” McCutchan said. “When music turned out to be not my life, writing was right there waiting for me.”
McCutchan said that individuals who are interested in pursuing careers in writing should seek out writing programs or degrees.
“I would advise writers, of any age, to check into a writing program or spend a couple of years at an MFA program. There you will find some of your colleagues and learn from your teachers and other writers,” McCutchan said. “One of my very best writing friends, it’s been 20 years since we were in school together and we speak every week.”
McCutchan said that reading and writing for a few hours every day is imperative for those who want to write as a full-time career.
“It’s important to figure out what writers you can learn from in your reading. Who are your favorite writers? What do you learn from them when you read their works? Not just the latest hit, but the classics. The books that have passed the test of time have so much to teach,” McCutchan said.
For her upcoming talk at the library, McCutchan plans to start off by introducing the audience to Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.
“In the state of Florida, everybody knows who she was, but in Wyoming, she might not be as familiar, so I will be talking about who she was, what she wrote, what her personality was like and so on,” McCutchan said.
McCutchan will also be discussing the research, work and sources that were needed to compose the biography. She plans to answer any questions the audience may have at the end of her talk.
“It wasn’t until I did all of that work that I realized how complicated and fascinating a biography could be. I hope to explain that,” McCutchan said.
McCutchan said that she hopes to see the audience relate to some of Rawlings’ interests.
“Even though my subject spent most of her time in the state of Florida, there are a lot of things she has in common with the interests of people here in Laramie,” McCutchan said. “I hope that people will see those connections. She is a universal writer, just as the best Wyoming writers are universal writers.”
For more information on Ann McCutchan and her works, visit her website here: https://www.annmccutchan.com
