Tuesday, Oct. 21, Kathleen J. Waites visited campus with her debut novel, “The Faithful Ones,” for the final Literature in Person event of the semester held in the Fine Art Gallery.
Waites, a Philadelphia native, recently retired after nearly three decades of teaching at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
She is from a very large, Irish Catholic family, which aided her in writing her novel. Waites reflected on how her family history influenced the process of writing her book.
“I understand the tenor, the way they behave, what they care about and that sort of thing,” Waites said. “I think I oftentimes find myself falling back on family stuff that I’ve learned growing up in my writing.”
The event was attended by many, including students, faculty, locals and even former Literature in Person speaker and author, Philip Sterling.
Waites reflected on her experience at the event, noting the audience’s participation and interest in her reading and conversation surrounding her novel.
“The audience was very receptive,” Waites said. “They were very curious, and they seemed enthusiastic about the topic, and especially the reading that I did.”
Waites read the prologue of her novel, as well as a few pages from different sections, talked about the true story behind her writing and how she decided to write the story.
“It’s a family story, that as I mentioned before, kind of intersects with a very important national scandal,” Waites said. “It kind of sheds light on an epic, a very important moment in American history that most people are not familiar with.”
For Waites, writing “The Faithful Ones” meant much more than just putting her work out into the world. It was a way to help people learn about an important time in history and honor a family story.
“I hope it will enlighten people about families and how secrets in families can unwittingly do damage,” Waites said. “Also, I think I want people to come away with it knowing that history is important, and that we need to understand the present and move forward in the future.”
Carrie Weis, the director of the Fine Art Gallery on campus, was one of many to attend and spoke about what drew her to the event.
“I love to support Deirdre and Literature in Person,” Weis said. “And even though I haven’t met some of these authors that she’s brought in, there’s always something that I find really interesting and engaging.”
Weis also recalled what she found interesting about attending the Literature in Person event.
“This really touched me,” Weis said. “I had no idea what this book was about at all, and I have a family member that actually died in a mental institution here in Michigan.”
Deirdre Fagan, professor, coordinator of Creative Writing, coordinator of Literature in Person, assistant chair and advisor to the English Society, has been hosting Literature in Person events since her first year as a professor at Ferris.
Fagan talked a little bit about how she got to know Waites and chose her to be one of the speakers for Literature in Person.
“I actually, for a very brief time, worked at the same university that she’s now retired from, and my husband was her colleague,” Fagan said. “I was looking for somebody who could speak to creative nonfiction, and so she just seemed to be the perfect fit.”
Additionally, Fagan discussed her thoughts on the Literature in Person event, including what she found interesting as an attendee.
“People were really engaged,” Fagan said. “I think what is interesting about this book is how it blends fiction and nonfiction, as historical novels tend to do, and that it’s based on a true story.”
For more information about the Literature in Person Reading Series, check out the Ferris Literature in Person website.