About the Author: Amity Gaige
Name
Amity Gaige
Current Home
Amherst, MA
Place of Birth
Charlotte, NC
Education
BA Brown University,
MFA University of Iowa
Why did you choose to come to Amherst?
Many illustrious writers have taught at Amherst College as visiting writers over the years. Because of this history, and because of the extraordinary students and colleagues at Amherst, the position is ideal. A privilege.
Research Interests?
I am primarily a novelist. I also write personal essays, book reviews, and short stories.
Awards and Prizes
Fellowships at MacDowell and Yaddo Colonies, a Fulbright Fellowship, a Baltic Writing Residency Fellowship, the "5 Under 35" Award for Emerging Writers given by the National Book Foundation, and several best book awards for my second novel, The Folded World
Favorite Book
To The Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf
Favorite Author
I might have to say Woolf again
Tips for aspiring writers?
Do it not only for personal solace or expression, but also because you care about words, and because you steadfastly believe in their power Tell us a bit about your path to becoming an author: I started writing quite early, at six or seven. I took it quite seriously, even as a child. So I acted like a writer before I thought to call myself one. My parents' support was key. They did not push me into it, but never once condescended to me. As I grew into an "adult writer," I sought out teachers and mentors who knew about the literary life. Writing was a deep consolation and a pleasure. It got harder as my standards got higher, of course. There were years of struggle and artistic confusion. But to this day I feel deeply satisfied by the act of writing, and blessed to have it in my life.
Amity Gaige’s essays, articles, and stories have appeared in various publications, including the Yale Review, Los Angeles Times, O Magazine, The Literary Review, and in a 2009 collection of essays, Feed Me (Random House). She is the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship, a McDowell Colony Fellowship, and a Baltic Writing Residency Fellowship, and is currently the Visiting Writer at Amherst College. She lives in Amherst, Massachusetts, with her family.