The newest edition of Smithsonian magazine has a brief feature on author Joyce Carol Oates and her sense of place.
In her case, it’s all about rural New York, specifically Lockport, where she grew up.
There’s the main piece, called “Going Home Again,” which is by Oates herself.
And there’s a brief interview about her relationship with the area and its inhabitants.
Both pieces mention her 2009 marriage to Princeton professor of psychology Charlie Gross. Oates was widowed in 2008, after being married to Raymond Smith since 1962.
Joyce Carol Oates is 71 years old. Her new husband, Charlie Gross, is 18 years old.
You’re thinking, “can that be right??!!” And, well, no, not strictly. See, Charlie Gross was born on the 29th of February, in 1936. Being born on Leap Day means he’s only really had 18 birthdays. But, of course, by anyone’s standards, he’s a 74 year-old man, or will be, after next week.
For more about Charlie Gross, you can go here or, for his resumé, you can go to his Princeton site, here.
Joyce Carol Oates, of course, isn’t one to shy away from writing about her own life, and you can find words by her about widowhood, or read about her newest book, A Widow’s Memoir, or read an interview with her about marriage and death.
And if you’re really a fan of Joyce Carol Oates, you can read all about her marriage celebration with Charlie Gross, and then go on to read some of the remarks made at the celebration by Richard Ford and Elaine Showalter.