Remembering: Joan Williams' Uncollected Pieces illustrates again that
rediscovering an admired author--especially through his or her later
works--is every bit as engaging as discovering a new literary voice.
Joan Williams, an accomplished and prize-winning southern novelist,
published a number of short stories and nonfiction pieces in the later
years of her life; a life complicated early on by the influential men
with whom she was involved, namely American author William Faulkner and
independent publisher Seymour Lawrence.
For years these literary gems were scattered and virtually unattainable
to readers. Remembering: Joan Williams' Uncollected Pieces unites the
formerly published but never collected material. The book's title piece,
"Remembering," features a 1981 essay on Byronic Mississippi-born poet,
Frank Stanford--known to Joan from his infancy until his tragic
suicide--whose collected poems What About This (2015) appeared
thirty-seven years posthumously.
Skillful, nuanced, and altogether approachable, these mature efforts by
a seasoned writer will surprise and reward. Remembering is a lovely
testament to the craft of writing and Joan Williams' indelible style.