Author and alumna Anita Shreve talks at Tisch

One of her novels, The Pilot's Wife, was an Oprah's Book Club selection. Both The Pilot's Wife and The Weight of Water have been made into movies. But such success has not jaded bestselling author and University alumna Anita Shreve: upon returning to the University from which she graduated in 1968, Shreve was visibly excited.

"[Returning to] campus is really an indulgence for me," Shreve told the crowd of approximately 140 people that had gathered to hear her speak in the Tisch Library's Hirsch Reading Room on Tuesday. "I got to give my husband a tour, 'Oh, that's Metcalf, my dorm, and that's where we ate!'"

Shreve's talk, which was sponsored by the Friends of Tufts Libraries, went far beyond introductory reminisces. It gave those in attendance a glimpse into Shreve's writing process as well as the chance to ask her about her books and experiences. The talk also provided its attendees with a bonus: previews of two novels which have yet to be released.

Prior to Shreve's introduction, Tisch Library Director JoAnn Michalak presented senior Alethea Barbaro with the second Maxine Newberg Gordon Book Prize. Like the award's namesake, a Tufts alumna who died of breast cancer in 1999, Barbaro is a math major who also possesses a love of literature and reading.

After honoring Barbaro, Michalak welcomed Shreve on behalf of the Friends of Tufts Libraries and the Tufts community. Shreve took to the podium, telling the audience how happy she was to return to Tufts for only the second time since her graduation.

As snow began to fall outside the windows behind her, Shreve then read an excerpt from a work in progress appropriately titled Light on Snow. "This is its first airing," she told her audience before reading the material, which involves a furniture maker who, during a winter walk in the woods, finds an abandoned newborn. Light on Snow will be published in approximately one year.

Warning the attendees that the narrator's voice would be "slightly pedantic and fussy," Shreve then read the beginning of her upcoming novel All He Ever Wanted, which will be released on Apr. 15. Shreve described the novel, which takes place in 1933, as centered upon an aging college professor who is "reflecting back on an unforgivable act that he committed years ago."

Shreve then opened the floor for questions, which the mostly female audience eagerly supplied. First, Shreve was asked whether her commercial success has led her to write her novels with Hollywood in mind.

Shreve responded with a strong no, saying that writing requires that you "put everyone -- your family, your editor, Hollywood, even your readers -- out of your head." She went on to describe writing as "ultimately a selfish act...you do it for yourself."

Many of Shreve's novels take place in the past, prompting one audience member to ask her what research methods she used. "I research on a need-to-know basis," Shreve said, noting "the stories come first, the characters come first." She added that she had to do as much research for novels set in the present as those set in the past, citing what she described as the author's duty to provide accurate "layers of reality" for the reader.

Shreve also detailed her writing routine. "I write in the mornings, usually from eight to 12:30 p.m., but not every day," she said, adding that traveling and touring provide her with breaks.

As far as technology goes, Shreve's writing habits are a mix of the old-fashioned and the modern. She writes her draft by hand, transfers it to the computer, and then prints it out to edit by hand. (In a reference that drew more chuckles from alumni than from students, Shreve recalled working on the drafts of her first books using carbon paper.)

After the question session ended, Shreve set up shop at a table in the Tisch lobby and signed her novels for a lengthy line of readers.

Those in attendance expressed satisfaction with both Shreve's visit and the presentation of the Gordon Prize. Alumnae Diane Homer, Margie Ford, and Betsy Gross (who was Gordon's roommate) attended the event to honor the memory of their friend as well as to hear Shreve speak.

Mary Ellen Stanton, mother of a Tufts student, had only read two of Shreve's books prior to attending the talk. At its conclusion, however, Stanton said that she was now "really motivated to read more of them."

Freshman Jackie Stone was also impressed by Shreve. "I personally have enjoyed her books because they're centered around the New England area, so I can identify them," Stone said.

Karen Harvey-Wilkes, an attendee who graduated from Tufts in 1976, had a unique perspective on Shreve's talk. "[Shreve] was my twelfth-grade English teacher," said Wilkes, who last saw the author five years ago. "She used to read to us a lot -- her voice is the same as it was 30 years ago," Wilkes said.

Though Shreve told attendees that "[she's] never been accused of having happy endings" in her novels, she certainly provided one for those who attended her talk. "She was fantastic," Stanton said.