October 2, 2007 7:30 PM
Creativity: Confidence of the Heart
Is the source of fiction imagination or the disguised life and character of the writer? Or is it both—the creative process inviting the heart to show itself?
People gathered to hear a master of the art and discipline of writing share her reflections on creativity and the impact such work can have on the reader and society.
In Ann Patchett’s view, “art is a valid way to change the world.” Her concern for social justice threads provocatively through the award-winning novel Bel Canto and her other works of fiction and non-fiction. “I recognize,” she says, “the concerns of my own heart showing up in the writing.”
Critics agree. Patchett’s new novel Run has “magic and finesse” and “timeless concerns at its heart—class and belonging, parenthood and love,” writes Andrew O’Hagan in Publisher’s Weekly. It is “bold in its attempt to say something patient and true about family.”
During the evening, Patchett spoke of the creative endeavor’s power to shape and illumine our lives, sharing her thoughts on friendship, loyalty, justice and love.