Joyce Carol Oates is one of the today’s most respected writers. In her life, she’s written stories, essays, poems, and she’s even spent a great amount of time as a teacher. Her works are some of the most respected in the literary world. Joyce has won numerous awards after establishing herself in the early 1960s.

Born on June 16, 1938 in Lockport, NY, she grew up in Millport with her middle-class family and she became interested in reading at a very young age. Her favorite book was Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. She began writing at 14 and worked at her high school newspaper. After she graduated in 1956, she received a scholarship to Syracuse University. She graduated as valedictorian of her class in 1960 and received an M.A. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1971.

Oates’ first published novel was With Shuddering Fall, which was published in 1964. Two years later, she published a short story dedicated to Bob Dylan, entitled Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? That story was adapted in the 1985 film Smooth Talk and it was one of her more famous works.

Her 1969 novel them won her a prestigious National Book Award. Since then, she has averaged publishing two books per year, some of them even venturing into the gothic and horror genres. Violence is often a common presence in all of her books.

Oates began working as a teacher as well. She taught briefly in Texas before moving to Detroit in 1962 where she began teaching at the University of Detroit. She also taught in Canada in 1968. Then, in 1978, she received an offer from Princeton and began teaching at Princeton University. In that year, she also published All the Good People I’ve Left Behind, a collection of stories. In 1996, Oates published We Were the Mulvaneys and it became a best-seller, fueled by its selection in Oprah’s Book Club in 2001. The following years, she published more books under different pseudonyms. Oates’ works always garner a lot of praise and she’s often rumored to be on the verge of winning all types of awards. Oates is still a teacher at Princeton University, where she’s on staff in the Program in Creative Writing.

For additional resources on Joyce Carol Oates visit the following site:

• Joyce Carol Oates Homepage: Information about Oates’ life and works.
• Joyce Carol Oates: Provides information about Oates, especially her books.
• Academy of Achievements: Oates: A look at her most important achievements.
• Joyce Carol Oates: A brief biography of Oates.
• Joyce Carol Oates Page: Provides information and links to other sites about Oates.
• Biography: A short biography of Oates’ life.
• Paper Inventory: Archive of the papers she wrote while at Syracuse University.
• Great Books: Discusses some of Oates’ books.
• Life and Works: Provides information on her life and works.
• Joyce Carol Oates: Discusses her time as a faculty member at Princeton.
• Paper on Arthur Miller: Digital copy of a paper Oates wrote about Arthur Miller.
• REA Award Page: Award page about Oates.
• Short Story: One of Oates’ short stories.
• Interview: A good interview with Oates.
• Art of Fiction: Oates: (PDF Document) An elaborate discussion about Oates and her works.
• VQR Page: Touches on more Oates’ works.
• Titanic: Provides information on some of Oates’ works.
• Published Works: Extensive list of Oates’ published works.
• Biography: Very detailed biography of Oates’ life.
• American Book Review: Some information about Oates.

The works of Joyce Carol Oates are some of the most influential in American history. These writings continue to inspire and be imitated. Often these writings are printed at home for use in school assignments. Be sure and stock up on inkjet and toner cartridges.