Southeast: Region Six

Baxter, Charles

May 19,1947—

Place of Birth: Minneapolis, MN

Place of Principal Residence: Ann Arbor, MI

Biography
Charles Baxter was born to John and Mary Baxter in Minneapolis, MN on May 19, 1947.  His Father died when he was a baby and his mother remarried a wealthy attorney, on whose posh home Baxter spent much of his childhood in isolation.  Baxter earned his BA at Macalester College and his PhD in 1974 at University of Buffalo.  During his years as a student, Baxter experimented with poetry before moving on to fiction.  It took several years for Baxter to adjust himself to the customary literary criticism.  Baxter temporarily gave up fiction for academic writing when editors and readers spurned his first three books.  But after working for a time with short stories, he slowly built up an impressive repertoire of novels.  Baxter was a Professor of Writing at the University of Minnesota from 1974 – 1988, and is now the Creative Writing director at University of Michigan.  He currently lives in Ann Arbor, MI with his wife Martha, and has one son, Daniel.

Selected Works

Novels:

• First Light (1987)
• Shadow Play (1993)
• Feast of Love (2000)
• Saul and Patsy (2003)

Poems:

• “Imaginary Paintings” (1999)
• “The South Dakota Guidebook” (1974)
• “Chameleon” (1970)

Short Story/Essay Collections:

• Harmony of the World (1984)
• Through the Safety Net  (1985)
• Gryphon  (1985)
• A Relative Stranger  (1990)
• Believers (1997)
• Burning Down the House: Essays on Fiction  (1997)

Awards

• 1982 Lawrence Foundation Award
• 1983 National Endowment for the Arts Grant
• 1984 Michigan Council for the Arts Grant
• 1985-86 Guggenheim Fellowship
• 1991 Lawrence Foundation Award
• 1991 Arts Foundation of Michigan Award
• 1992-95 Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Foundation Fellowship
• 1993 Michigan Author of the Year Award
• The 1994 Cohen Award for the best essay published in Ploughshares
• The 1994 Daniel A. Pollack-Harvard Review award to Shadow Play
• The 1994 Gettysburg Review nonfiction prose award for
• 1995 Ohio University Spring Literary Festival Honoree
• The 1997 Award in Literature, American Academy of Arts and Letters
• 2000 National Book Award (Finalist) for The Feast of Love

Critical Reception
For Saul and Patsy

“Much like the episodic nature of his other works, including Feast of Love, Baxter weaves much more of a philosophical tale than a plot-driven one. But it is a tale worth telling, and well worth reading. As an author, Baxter possesses a unique gift of making real life rather interesting without sensationalizing it. Therein lies Saul and Patsy’s success, as a book with an indelible culminating effect - providing a genuine revelation for both the characters within and, quite likely, for the reader as well.”
    - MostlyFiction

For The Soul Thief

“The final twist to the tale is anticlimactic. Yes, writers are the most unrepentant soul thieves of all. They lift details from the lives of others with light-fingered ease. But when the story is well-told, no one notices or cares. It’s only when the theft is clumsy and the story misshapen that people can spot the crime. In this case, Baxter has been caught red-handed.
    - New York Daily News

“Pros: Baxter’s ethereal writing and witty mockery of academic intelligentsia reinforce his decidedly creepy story of identity theft. This novel strongly recalls Patricia Highsmith’s sordid tales about the sociopathic Tom Ripley. 
Cons: An unconvincing confrontation in the book’s final half belies the emotional depth charges of the first act, and a last-minute twist undermines the book’s cohesion.         
Final word: An intriguing opening act and a pair of deeply flawed characters heighten this fractured cautionary tale about the dangers of becoming persona non grata.”
        - Rocky Mountain News

Relevance of Place to Author’s Work
Although Baxter’s received his PhD from University of Buffalo and currently resides in Minneapolis, his writing reflects his native Midwest, often in the semi-rural, imaginary town of Five Oaks, Michigan. Baxter has created tales about the mostly small-town, small-time lives of teachers, salesmen, students, dropouts, and even an astrophysicist.

Bloss, Joan

Dec. 9, 1928   –

Place of Birth: New York, NY

Place of Principle Residence: Ann Arbor, MI

Biography:
Joan Blos, a New York City native, was born on December 9, 1928 to Max (a psychiatrist) and Charlotte (teacher) Winsor, both of whom influenced her professional pursuits. Joan’s love for libraries was inherited from her parents, who took her on frequent trips to it and read out loud to her.  Joan attended Vassar College during 1946 – 1949 and got her B.A. in physiology, a decision she contributed to her father.  After graduation she worked as a college classroom assistant in a special nursery for disturbed by very young children.  It was there she discovered her love for teaching children.  Blos went for a year to New York City College to get a master’s degree in psychology, but did not complete the program.  Instead she became a doctoral candidate at Yale and also worked as a research assistant in Yale’s Child Study Center where she was employed in the pediatric play program where she interacted with child patients.  Blos later attributed this experience to sparking an interest in children’s literature. At Yale she also met her husband, Peter Blos.  Three years later she decided academic psychology wasn’t a good fit and moved back to New York City with her husband.  Blos reregistered for an M.A. at the City College of New York City and also worked part-time at the Bank Street College of Education, an organization focused on a progressive view of education, in the Publications division.  Here she began writing, reviewing, and teaching.  In 1970 Blos left New York City for Michigan.  She published her first book, “It’s Spring,” She Said and has since released a plethora of other books as well as a stage play. 

Selected Works:

     
• In the City (1964)
     
• Just Think (1971)
     
• A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl’s Journal, 1830 – 1838 (1979)
     
• Martin’s Hats (1984)
     
• The Grandpa Days (1989)
     
• On Very Best Valentine’s Day (1989)
     
• Brooklyn Doesn’t Rhyme (1994)
     
• Hungry Little Boy (1995)
     
• Hello Shoes! (1999)

Awards:

• 1980 Newbery Medal for A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl’s Journal
• American Book Award (Children’s Fiction) for A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl’s Journal
     
• 1987 Globe-Horn Book Honor Award for Old Henry
     
• Booklist Editor’s choice for Old Henry
     
• Honorary Doctorate from Bank Street College of Education in NYC

Critical Reception:
Blos’ novel A Gather of Days: A New England Girl’s Journal, 1830-32 received rave reviews.  Kirkus Reviews wrote the book was “carefully researched and convincingly delivered.”  The St. Louis Post-Dispatch commented that the “careful tuning of psychological nuances to historical elements…gives the story its powerful immediacy.  A Gathering of Days not only gives the reader a close look at the early 1800s, it offers… a deeply moving human experience.”  The Toronto Globe and Mail described Blos’ book Brothers of the Heart: A Story of the Old Northwest, 1837 – 1838 as “more powerful and more stirring than its award-winning predecessor.”  St. James Guide to Children’s Writers wrote Blos’ “language, with its rhythms and lilt of earlier times, is remarkably spare, not replete with full-blown descriptions, yet giving the reader a strong sense of place and characterization.  Blos has accomplished the fine feat of balancing history with universal human experience, uniting the book’s past with the reader’s present.  Brothers of the Heart was rewritten as a stage play in 1999.

Relevance of Place to Author’s Work: 
Living in Ann Arbor has allowed Blos to do local research for her books, most particularly Brothers of the Heart, where she drew inspiration for her setting, as well as spending time in the Ypsilanti Historical Society and the Bentley Library.  She is actively involved in the community publishing plays for theatrical companies such as Wild Swan Theater.  Today plenty of her time is reading in the Library of the University of Michigan and writing books. 

Braun, Lilian Jackson

1916 —
Place of Birth: Massachusetts

Place of Principal Residence: North Carolina

Biography
“Lilian Jackson Braun is a hard woman to pin down.  It is generally believed that she was born in 1916, although the date still remains somewhat ambiguous with conflicting reports from publishers.  She was born in Massachusetts, but shortly after moved with her family to Michigan.  According to Braun, her mother had a huge influence on her storytelling abilities by having her talk about her day after school.  At the age of three Braun’s mother taught her how to read and write so she could keep in contact with her grandmother.  At the age of sixteen Braun graduated from high school and started writing sports poetry for the Detroit News.  In addition, she penned articles under the name Ward Jackson for the Baseball Magazine and The Sporting News.  Eventually Braun moved on to become an advertising copywriter for Detroit department stores.  As a cat lover Braun centered the plot of first book series, Cat Who, on a fictitious retired newspaper reporter, James Qwilleran, and his two Siamese cats, KoKo and Yum Yum.  Braun currently lives in North Carolina with her husband, Earl Bettinger, and her two Siamese cats..”

Selected Works

• The Cat Who Saw Red
• The Cat Who Robbed a Bank
• The Cat Who Said Cheese
• Other books in The Cat Who… series

Awards

• 1987 Edgar Awards (Edgar Allan Poe Awards) Nominee for The Cat Who Saw Red
• Literary Guild, Alternate Selection for The Cat Who Came to Breakfast, The Cat Who Said Cheese
• Mystery Guild, Main Selection for The Cat Who Came to Breakfast

Critical Reception
In 1966, The New York Times labeled Braun, “the new detective of the year.” However, this new mystery author disappeared from the publishing scene for 18 years. The blame came from the thought that mystery novels were starting to concentrate on sex, violence, and inappropriate language, and Braun’s light-hearted books were not welcome in this new territory.  Finally, in 1986 the Berkley Publishing Group reintroduced Braun to the public with the publication of her original paperback, The Cat Who Saw Red. Within two years, Berkeley released four new novels in paperback and reprinted the three mysteries from the sixties. Braun’s series became an instant best seller once again. In January 2007 the twenty-ninth novel in the series, The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers, was released in hardcover by the Penguin Group.

      For The Cat Who Saw Stars:           “The Cat Who Saw Starsis Braun’s 21st Cat Who Mystery novel and she hasn’t lost her touch. Her Human characters are funny and familiar,           while the two Siamese, Koko and Yum Yum, still sparkle. Reading this book is like dropping in on old and very dear friends.”         - New York Daily News For Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers:         “Longtime fans of LJB will devour her newest cozy like cats rolling in fresh catnip, even with numerous integral plot threads underexplored or left           completely unresolved. But with so much pivotal transition going on, devotees of this series will likely look past the lack of a satisfying           conclusion and begin impatiently awaiting the 30th book in the saga for resolution….”         - Barnes & Noble

Relevance of Place to Author’s Work
Although never formally stated in the books, the towns, counties and lifestyles described in The Cat Who… series are generally accepted to be a modeled after Bad Axe, Michigan (located in the “Michigan Thumb”) where Braun lived with her husband for many years until the mid 1980’s. Many also believe that the culture and history of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan are represented in the series.  Kent Rasmussen of the Library Journal sums it up, ” The true charm of these works is the marvelous sense of place that Braun evokes.

Cantoni, Louis Joseph

May 22nd, 1919—

Place of Birth: Detroit, MI

Place of Principal Residence: Detroit, MI

Biography
Louis Cantoni was born in Detroit in 1919, to Pietro and Stella Cantoni. He travelled to the University of California in Berkeley for his undergrad degree, and then returned home to work on his M.S.W and Ph.D. In 1956, three years after graduating from the University of Michigan, Louis Cantoni took a position at Wayne State University as a Professor and Coordinator of Rehabilitation counseling. Around this time he edited two non-fiction pieces, called Preparation of Rehabilitation Counselors Through Field Instruction and Placement of the Handicapped in Competitive Employment.
During his graduate studies, Cantoni spent time working as a Social caseworker for the city of Detroit. Also, between this and his position at Wayne State University, Louis spent a few years with General Motors as a Psychological teacher and counselor. Experiences such as these likely developed his passions and focus as a writer. In 1989, after teaching more than thirty years and writing piles of poetry and textbooks, Cantoni retired from Wayne State.

Selected Works

• Marriage and Community Relations (1954)
• Counseling Your Friends (1961)
• With Joy I Called to You (Poetry, 1969)
• Gradually the Dreams Change (Poetry, 1979)
• Writings of Louis J. Cantoni (1981)
• Golden Song: Fiftieth Anniversary Anthology (Poetry, 1985)
• Supervised Practice in Rehabilitation Counseling (1986)
• A Festival of Lanternes (1994)

Awards

• 1964 Award for Leadership and Service, Michigan Rehabilitation Association
• 1970 South and West Annual Poetry Award
• 1984 Outstanding Service Award, Poetry Society of Michigan
• 1990 Edwin Falkowski Memorial Award, World Poetry Society
• 1988 Award from the Michigan Rehabilitation Counseling Association
• 1989 Outstanding Service Award, Michigan State Board of Education
• 1997 Outstanding Service Award, Michigan Association for Humanistic Education and Development
• 1999 Author of the Year Award (for poetry), Edizioni Universum, Trent, Italy

Relevance of Place to Author’s Work
A portion of the Epilogue to Cantoni’s Gradually the Dreams Change goes: “His destination, when he set out, was pure poetry, although he did not recognize it. He came to cherish the gifts of sun, rain, a walk in the woods, a brightening smile. His wife radiates the clear beauty of mature women. His children, albeit circuitously, took on his values. He feels near to man and God and views death as another beginning. He has reached his destination many times and welcomes sunset as well as sunrise, conflict as well as calm. He knows now that much of his life has been pure poetry.” Surely Cantoni’s life in Detroit influenced his writing. But as the passage expresses, the poet saw beauty everywhere, in everything he did and saw and felt. Writing would have been his home no matter where he lived.

Cauffiel, Lowell

February 7, 1951—

Place of Principal Residence: Los Angeles, CA (2003) (previously Detroit, MI)

Biography
Lowell Cauffiel was born to Lowell and Ursula Cauffiel in Michigan on February 7, 1951.  He earned his BA at Wayne State University in 1974.  Cauffiel worked as a reporter with Detroit News and Detroit Monthly Magazine in the 1970-80s and then as an associate editor of Michigan magazine 1983-87.  He first began his writing career with his book Masquerade: A True Story of Seduction, Compulsion, and Murder released in 1988.  He followed this with further works of nonfiction. In the 1990s, he added true crime novels to his repertoire. In 2002, Cauffiel opened a new stage of his career as he began writing and producing crime documentaries.  Cauffiel lives in LA, CA with his wife, Deborah, and has two children, one of which is actress Jessica Cauffiel. 

Selected Works
Nonfiction:

• Dark Rage (1997)
• Marker (1997)
• Toss (1998) (with Boomer Esiason)

Novels:

• Masquerade(1988)
• Forever and Five Days (1992)
• The Bobbitt Case—You Decide (1994)
• Eye of the Beholder (1994)
• House of Secrets (1998)

Film:

• Prison Boot Camp(2002)
• Love Behind Bars (2003)

Awards

• Detroit Press Club awards for student news reporting (1974 , feature writing (1986), and magazine writing (1987-9)
• 1984 Paul Tobenkin Memorial Award special citation from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
• 1985 Standard Gravure Editorial Conference best story award
• 1985-6 United Press International feature writing awards
• 1988 finalist for Columbia University’s National Magazine award

Critical Reception
Cauffiel’s nonfiction is known for being painstakingly accurate and well researched. He incorporates this information into his books, making them realistic. He is known for a writing style that gives his nonfiction the reading appeal of fiction without sacrificing fact. He also writes true crime novels and crime documentaries.

        For Marker:           Cauffiel’s crooks are standard issue and his formulaic plot offers few surprises, but his disillusioned, morally conflicted judge carries the show           as he struggles to stay on the wagon while fighting for the ideals he used to cherish. Derivative, gear-grindingly slow in places, but strongly           evocative of the mean-spirited, morally bankrupt placelessness of Motor City and environs.               - Kirkus Reviews         For Eye Of The Beholder:             Had the author not spent so much time discussing the backgrounds of every acquaintance of the Kings, the book would have been shorter                   and, therefore, more dramatic. As it stands, however, it is an interesting, detailed account of an almost perfect murder.           - Booklist

Relevance of Place to Author’s Work
Cauffiel says that his experiences as a reporter in the streets of Detroit and playing guitar in nightclubs have contributed greatly to both the content and style of his work, especially to the sense of humor and intense action scenes found therein.

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