Internationally known author Kim Edwards gave a reading of her newest book, “Secrets Of A Fire King,” yesterday in the Umphrey Lee Ballroom.
Edwards is an associate professor of English at the University of Kentucky and is most often associated with her New York Times best-selling book, “The Memory Keeper’s Daughter.” The book is a compelling drama concerning the effects of people with mental disabilities in the late 1960s to the present.
Edwards’ other book, “Secrets,” was the main subject of yesterday’s reading, since three new stories have been added to it before its second printing. “Secrets” has won multiple awards including the Whiting Award and the Nelson Algren Award.
Dean and Director of Central University Libraries Gillian McCombs began the afternoon luncheon with a few quick words about the Friends of SMU Libraries, the group responsible for managing programs and readings such as Edwards’. While introducing Edwards, McCombs commented that it was good for people to come to the libraries and its functions more often.
“I’m from England, and when I moved to America, I came to love the word ‘visit,’ because it is such a Texan word to use, isn’t it?” McCombs said.
Edwards then began to read passages from her second book, “Memory,” while describing the process that went into making the book. ‘Memory’ is about the after effects of a family who sent its mentally retarded child to an institution and how it impacted the next few decades.
Writing “Memory” first began with an idea suggested by her pastor in Kentucky after the first edition of “Secrets” had become a bestseller. The original idea was about a man in his 40s who had a brother with Down syndrome who died in an institution, and the man never discovered his existence until after the death.
For three years, Edwards didn’t consider writing the story until she attended a workshop for Down syndrome patients who wanted to express themselves through words and pictures. She said it left a deep impression on her, causing her to do a lot of research on Down syndrome and the children affected by it.
After reading a passage from “Memory,” Edwards began to discuss the differences between countries and their cultures, and how this affected the creation of “Secrets.” Much of “Secrets” was written in Southeast Asia, where Edwards lived and worked in various areas for a few years. She said that “Secrets” was more or less an unintentional project, and she would have never written it if she hadn’t spent time outside of American society.
While living in Southeast Asia, Edwards collected ideas for short stories and wrote them as they came to her. The stories were eventually collected in 1997 and published to widespread acclaim, and in 2007 the collection was reprinted with three new stories added.
During the question-and-answer session that followed the readings from “Secrets,” a member of the audience asked Edwards what her next book was going to be about and how far along it was.
“No, I can’t speak about what is being written now, can’t say anything at this point,” Edwards said. “I’m still in the process of discovering it and can’t expose it now.”
