秘密研究所

The Unfailing Return of Tom Franklin

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Posted on August 22, 2016

Alice Jackson

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When Tom Franklin鈥檚 father died earlier this year, the New York Times best-selling writer returned to the 秘密研究所 campus to write the eulogy.

鈥淚 sat in the breezeway between the Humanities buildings, thinking and writing what I wanted to say about him,鈥� Franklin said. 鈥淚t seemed the place to do it since I鈥檇 spent so much time there getting my bachelor and master degrees in English.鈥�

Before Franklin became published and praised for his writing, he 鈥渢ook eight or nine years鈥� to earn his bachelor of arts degree with a major in English from South in 1990. All around him were memories of studying writing with Jim White, long-time former chair of English, and Dr. Sue Brannan Walker, who followed White as chair of English and was also Poet Laureate of Alabama.

鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 seem too long ago since I鈥檇 studied there, but that day I didn鈥檛 see a single person I knew,鈥� Franklin said.

Passing students would have been impressed with Franklin鈥檚 writing credentials.

He is a recipient of the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship, awarded for exceptional creative ability in the arts. The title story of his first book, a collection of short stories, 鈥淧oachers,鈥� won the Edgar Award for Best Mystery Short Story from the Mystery Writers of America. His novel 鈥淐rooked Letter, Crooked Letter,鈥� won the Crime Writers鈥� Association Gold Dagger Award, the Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Other critically acclaimed novels include 鈥淗ell at the Breech,鈥� set in the rural community of Mitcham Beat near Franklin鈥檚 hometown of Dickinson in Clarke County, Ala.; 鈥淪monk,鈥� a novel about a murdering rapist; and 鈥淭he Tilted World,鈥� a novel co-written with his wife, acclaimed poet Beth Ann Fennelly.

Franklin is known for both darkness and humor in his stories, trademarks lauded by literary critics and loved by his fans. 

鈥淚鈥檓 a very happy person and very lucky with my life, my wife and my children, but when I鈥檓 writing I find conflict interesting, and it goes to dark places for me. I鈥檓 interested in the shadowy part of humans,鈥� Franklin said. 鈥淚f I try to write against the dark, it feels false.鈥� 

Last month, Akashic Books released 鈥淢ississippi Noir,鈥� an assortment of crime stories from many of America鈥檚 best writers and edited by Franklin.

Franklin admits he entered South because 鈥渋t was the closest school鈥� after his family moved to Mobile. He took a variety of courses other than writing, and failing grades his freshman year led to his dad cutting off his college tuition.

鈥淎ny knowledge at all is beautiful and crucial for a writer, but I鈥檓 a little angry with myself that I didn鈥檛 pay closer attention to those classes, but I was so young,鈥� Franklin recalled. 

Faced with an uncertain future, he was absolutely certain he didn鈥檛 want to enter the family business.

鈥淢y dad had an automotive repair shop, and he tried real hard to bring me into it. I once took out a transmission, worked on it, then put it back in, but I had extra parts, and I just threw them away,鈥� Franklin explained. 鈥淎fter that, he told me I was 鈥榤echanically disinclined,鈥� and he put me in the office.鈥�

Franklin, who wrote his first original story around age 10, borrowed story ideas from 鈥淪tar Trek鈥� and 鈥淪tar Wars.鈥� He, a brother and a cousin would create costumes, act out stories and take photos, getting them developed at the local drugstore. Then, they attached dialogue captions to create 鈥減hoto novels.鈥�

鈥淚f I鈥檇 had a video camera then, I think I would have gone into film making rather than writing books,鈥� he declared. 鈥淲riting books is solitary work, but filmmaking requires people working together creatively.鈥�

When Franklin returned to South, he worked a variety of jobs to pay tuition and to support himself, including as a heavy equipment operator in a sandblasting grit factory, and a construction inspector in a chemical plant and at hazardous waste clean-up sites.

His favorite job was in the morgue of a local hospital.

鈥淚 worked in receiving, and no one wanted to go in the morgue, but I loved doing it because you learned all kinds of stuff. Plus, when it was quiet, I could read and study,鈥� Franklin said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been lucky with some crazy jobs. I didn鈥檛 drink alcohol in those days, and I couldn鈥檛 find a girlfriend because I was always working or writing.鈥�

His first writing break, along with his final decision to become a writer, came in an English class at South during the visit of a local magazine editor. The editor encouraged students to submit their stories, and he would publish the best one. 

鈥淚鈥檇 written a really bad story called 鈥楻ed Christmas鈥� that I submitted. The editor called me to his office, told me I was 鈥榓 hell of a writer,鈥� then proceeded to edit every line of the story, telling me what I鈥檇 done wrong. Still, they published it and paid me $100,鈥� Franklin said. 鈥淭oday, I teach that story to my creative writing class, telling them 鈥榟ere鈥檚 how not to do it,鈥� and they like it because it shows there鈥檚 hope for their writing.鈥�

Franklin completed his master鈥檚 degree at South 鈥渋n 鈥�94 or 鈥�95.鈥� He can鈥檛 remember the exact year 鈥渂ecause I never walked at graduation or anything. I never liked pomp or circumstance. Just told them to mail me the diploma.鈥�

Soon, the young writer had a growing list of credits, including a year teaching at Selma University, where he wrote his master鈥檚 thesis, a collection of short stories called 鈥淒on鈥檛 Touch the Ground鈥� and a short story, 鈥淩ugs, Chairs and Tables,鈥� which won the Playboy College Fiction Contest. 鈥淭hey sent me a check for $250, and I paid my light bill with it,鈥� Franklin said.

The summer after receiving his master鈥檚 degree, he returned to work in the office of his dad鈥檚 business, but by August he moved to Arkansas to begin work on a master of fine arts degree in creative writing.

鈥淎rkansas would take another four years, and I鈥檇 just spent my 20s working my tail off. I鈥檇 worked hard both academically and physically, but an MFA in creative writing would make me able to teach, make money and write,鈥� Franklin said. 鈥淚t was military demanding. If you didn鈥檛 do good work, they made you drop out of the program. I had that incredible attention to language because at South, Jim White was so focused on the specificity and clarity of language, but at Arkansas they were all about prose, structure and plot.鈥�

In the same program, he met future wife Beth Ann Fennelly, and they married in 1998. After they completed the program, Fennelly received a fellowship at the University of Wisconsin, and Franklin returned to South as a visiting assistant professor. A year later, he received the Philip Roth Residence in Creative Writing at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania.

In 2001, Franklin became the John Grisham Writer-in-Residence at the University of Mississippi, and the next year Fennelly was hired there as a faculty member. After Franklin spent the following year teaching at Sewanee in Tennessee, he returned to Ole Miss where he is now an associate professor in the MFA program.

鈥淚n no way is it hard being married to someone in a related field. Beth Ann and I go to the same events, we like the same people and go to the same conferences,鈥� Franklin said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also easy if I鈥檓 trying to work on something, and I鈥檓 on fire. She鈥檒l give me space, or give me counsel, and I do the same for her.鈥�

Until recently, Fennelly was also Franklin鈥檚 boss. However, she stepped down as director of the MFA program to resume teaching and to focus more on her writing. Recently, she was named Poet Laureate of Mississippi.

Later this month, the entire family, including two boys and a girl, is heading to Berlin until December. That鈥檚 because Franklin is a recipient of a Berlin Prize Fellowship at the American Academy of Berlin. While there, he will work on his next novel.

鈥淲e鈥檙e all excited about Berlin, and this fellowship is open across the board to all kinds of scholars besides writers,鈥� Franklin said. 鈥淚 have trouble writing here because there鈥檚 so many distractions, and I鈥檒l have time to write there.鈥�

Next March, the USA Visiting Writers Series, sponsored by the Stokes Center for Creative Writing, will bring both Franklin and Fennelly to South to lecture and discuss their writing.

鈥淭he campus has grown so much since I was there,鈥� Franklin said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e really looking forward to being there on campus together.鈥�

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