Oregon Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 7 (1993) Winner
Diane Simmons
ダイアン・シモンズ
Diane Simmons
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1948-01-01 （Eastern Oregon, U.S.）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Eastern Oregon (grew up) → New York City (resident/teaching) → Czech Republic (Fulbright fellowship)
Career
- Occupations
- Author, Professor, Journalist/Writer
- Active Years
- 1970-
- Affiliations
- Borough of Manhattan Community College (CUNY), City University of New York, MacDowell Colony (Fellow)
- Memberships
- PEN American Center
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Oregon (Robert D. Clark Honors College) | — | Major in European History | BA | 1960s–1970 | United States |
| City College of New York | Creative Writing | — | MA | 1981–1983 | United States |
| City University of New York (Graduate Center) | English/American Literature (PhD program) | — | PhD | 1984–1990 | United States |
University of Oregon (Robert D. Clark Honors College)
Major in European History
Degree:
BA
Period:
1960s–1970
Year of Graduation:
1970
Country:
United States
Graduated Phi Beta Kappa, attended Honors College
City College of New York
Creative Writing
Degree:
MA
Period:
1981–1983
Year of Graduation:
1983
Country:
United States
Served as an editor on Fiction Magazine while attending
City University of New York (Graduate Center)
English/American Literature (PhD program)
Degree:
PhD
Period:
1984–1990
Year of Graduation:
1990
Country:
United States
Doctoral dissertation based on a study of Jamaica Kincaid
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Oregon Book Award (Fiction) | Dreams Like Thunder | フィクション | Oregon Literary Arts | 受賞 |
| 2011 | Ohio State University Prize for Short Fiction | Little America | 短編小説集 | Ohio State University Press | 受賞 |
| 1985 | MacDowell Colony Fellowship | — | フェローシップ | MacDowell Colony | 受賞 |
| 1988 | MacDowell Colony Fellowship | — | フェローシップ | MacDowell Colony | 受賞 |
| 1994 | Melvin Dixon Award (Best Dissertation on African-American Literature) | Doctoral dissertation | 学術（博士論文） | — | 受賞 |
| 1986 | Dejur Award in Fiction (City College) | — | フィクション | City College (CUNY) | 受賞 |
| 1985 | Wolfe Award in Fiction (City College) | — | フィクション | City College (CUNY) | 受賞 |
| 1994 | Pushcart Prize (nominated) | Fareast Logistics (short story) | 短編 | Pushcart Press | ノミネート |
| 2002 | Heinz Kohut Prize | — | 研究/論文 | Kohut Memorial Fund | 受賞 |
Oregon Book Award (Fiction)
1993
Work:
Dreams Like Thunder
Category:
フィクション
Organization:
Oregon Literary Arts
Result:
受賞
Ohio State University Prize for Short Fiction
2011
Work:
Little America
Category:
短編小説集
Organization:
Ohio State University Press
Result:
受賞
MacDowell Colony Fellowship
1985
Category:
フェローシップ
Organization:
MacDowell Colony
Result:
受賞
MacDowell Colony Fellowship
1988
Category:
フェローシップ
Organization:
MacDowell Colony
Result:
受賞
Melvin Dixon Award (Best Dissertation on African-American Literature)
1994
Work:
Doctoral dissertation
Category:
学術（博士論文）
Result:
受賞
Dejur Award in Fiction (City College)
1986
Category:
フィクション
Organization:
City College (CUNY)
Result:
受賞
Wolfe Award in Fiction (City College)
1985
Category:
フィクション
Organization:
City College (CUNY)
Result:
受賞
Pushcart Prize (nominated)
1994
Work:
Fareast Logistics (short story)
Category:
短編
Organization:
Pushcart Press
Result:
ノミネート
Heinz Kohut Prize
2002
Category:
研究/論文
Organization:
Kohut Memorial Fund
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Let the Bastards Freeze in the Dark
1980 Suspense/NovelA suspense novel set in Fairbanks, Alaska, about environmental terrorists confronting the oil pipeline.
Environmental issuesEnd of the frontier
Dreams Like Thunder
1992 Novel / Family sagaDepicts farm and ranch life in the high desert of Oregon, exploring the end of the frontier and family history.
FrontierFamilyLand and memory
Little America
2011 Short story collectionA collection of short stories set in Mexico, Central America, and the American West, drawing on travel experiences and working-class narratives.
Movement and travelCultural encountersRegional identity
The Courtship of Eva Eldridge
2016 Literary nonfiction / Reported narrativeBased on some 800 letters found in an eastern Oregon attic, the book traces the life of a young farm woman whose life was changed by working in shipyards on the Oregon coast.
Local historyWomen's laborLetters and archival research
Jamaica Kincaid
1997 Scholarly/biographicalA biographical/scholarly study of Caribbean author Jamaica Kincaid, based on Simmons's doctoral dissertation.
Postcolonial studiesCaribbean literature
Bibliography
- Let the Bastards Freeze in the Dark (1980)
- Dreams Like Thunder (1992)
- Jamaica Kincaid (1997)
- The Narcissism of Empire
- Little America (short stories, 2011)
- The Courtship of Eva Eldridge (2016)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Clear, direct narrationEmbedding regional history and landscapeA style that moves between reported nonfiction and fiction
- Recurring Motifs
- End of the frontierLand and family memoryTravel and movement
Legacy
Recognized for her portrayals of the Oregon high desert and the American West, Simmons's body of work spans fiction, short stories, literary nonfiction, and scholarly studies. She has a steady academic career at CUNY and has received fellowships and notable literary awards.
Academic Societies
- PEN American Center (member)
- Listed in Directory of American Poets and Fiction Writers
Archives
- Collection of letters found in an eastern Oregon attic (basis for research)
Trivia
- Married to poet and editor Burt Kimmelman.
- First published piece was in Mother Earth News, giving instructions on how to live in a VW bus.
- Served as a Fulbright Fellow in the Czech Republic in 2018.
- Active in climate activism; arrested in a 2019 climate protest in New York City.