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AWARD WINNING NOVELIST MATTHEW SHARPE TO SPEAK AT HCC THURSDAY, MARCH 31

BY CYNTHIA LOYND

BRIDGEPORT—“Stories are one of the ways we come to understand ourselves and our language,” says Matthew Sharpe, author of NBC’s Today Show Book Club selection “The Sleeping Father.”

“ Writing has been in my life to help me figure out who I am, to form my own identity,” says Sharpe. “Writing is very empowering.”

Sharpe will be reading excerpts from “The Sleeping Father” in an appearance at Housatonic Community College Thursday, March 31. He will focus on the power of literature, the creative process and the variety of forms and styles in writing during his program.

“The Sleeping Father” (Soft Skull Press 2003) is a story about a divorced, depressed father, Bernie Schwartz, who emerges from a coma to be rehabilitated by his two teenage children. Set in Bellwether, Conn., a town similar to New Canaan where Sharpe grew up, the story depicts a contemporary American family coping with tragedy.

His son Chris and daughter Cathy, both teenagers, inherit money from their grandfather and decide to rehabilitate him on their own. With no father figure to guide them, the children search for alternatives, bringing with it a host of difficulties and opportunities.

In the novel, the American family emerges as a microcosm of larger social institutions. In focusing on the Schwartz family in crisis, Sharpe addresses the larger crisis in faith and authority in contemporary American life.

Sharpe creates the characters of Bernie, Chris and Cathy Schwartz and develops them through both symbolism and realism, through both comedic and tender moments.

Creative writing has been a part of Sharpe’s life since his first short story at the age of 10. He spent years as a fledgling writer before getting his master’s degree in fine arts in fiction at Columbia University and he has spent 12 years teaching, from the elementary to the university level.

Sharpe is the author of “Nothing is Terrible” (2000) and “Stories from the Tube” (1998). His stories have appeared in Harper’s, American Letters & Commentary and Teachers & Writers Magazine.

He is a graduate of Oberlin College and Columbia University and has taught at Columbia, Bard College and New College of Florida. At present he is an Assistant Professor of English at Wesleyan University in Middletown and a writer in residence at the Bronx Academy of Letters, a writing-themed public high school.

Since its publication by Soft Skull Press, “The Sleeping Father” has sold over 30,000 copies since its release in October 2003. The story was selected by the Today Show Book Club and Sharpe made an appearance on the Today Show.

His novel has been acclaimed in reviews by the New York Times and Publishers Weekly and is being considered by Warner Brothers for a movie. It won the 2004 Independent Publishers Award for fiction.

Along with his reading from “The Sleeping Father,” Sharpe Thursday will focus on creative writing. “I think if you happen to be someone for whom literature and storytelling and poetry are going to be an important part of your life, studying writing gives you a deeper appreciation of what it means to be involved in literature.”

Sharpe doesn’t profess a favorite form of literature and encourages students to explore the variety of options in writing. He also advocates experimenting with writing techniques such as realism and symbolism.

Sharpe likes to read authors who experiment with a variety of forms, as he feels creative writing and reading literature are parts of the same activity. Though it is difficult for Sharpe to be objective about his own work, he likes to think he improves with each book and is encouraged that many are reading “The Sleeping Father.”

“Reading allows us the great pleasure of fantasy,” he said. “It is the meat and potatoes and the dessert with some whip cream thrown on top.”

Matthew Sharpe appears at Housatonic Community College March 31, at 7 p.m. in Room A101. The program, sponsored by the Housatonic Library, Humanities Department and Literary Club, is free and open to the public. To find out more about the program, call the Housatonic Community College Library at (203) 332-5070.

Cynthia Loynd of Stratford is a journalism student at Housatonic Community College.