Joyce Carol Oates fans.

[deerwalk]

Does anyone else here love her? She's simply amazing, and incredibly prolific. Some of my favorites are: "Beasts", "Expensive People", "The Tattooed Girl" "I Lock My Door Upon Myself" and "Zombie". I saw her speak a few years ago- she was funny! She was slightly caustic. It was great, I got a book signed... Sadly I may have lost it in a move.

[HuskyPup]

Huge Joyce Carol Oates fan here, especially the short stories. Have also seen her speak a few times, and have a number of books signed by her, though the years. I love her stories about teens who tempt disaster; the babysitter who lets the stranger in; the suburban girls who hitch-hike, the almost dime-store sense of trashiness that she uses to literary advantage. 'Upon the Sweeping Flood' was the first story I read, back in high school, and I have been hooked ever since.

HP

[deerwalk]

Oh, I have been wanting a copy of "High Lonesome" since it came out- a huge collectionof her short stories... I know I've read a number of them- I believe there's one called "Jody and Jorie"... about a pair of twins- one has a disorder and how the mother deals with it. Another about a mother and daughter, the mother being suicidal. I should grab a book of her short stories. I want to read "Blonde"- there's a great interview with her on the Charlie Rose show on Hulu.com where she talks about it.

[pinpoint]

I've got a collection of her short stories. Very engrossing and through her usage of detail she gets the reader to believe her characters exist. I liked Ghost Girls, High Lonesome, Heat, and Our Wall among others. You two should check out Anthony Doerr. He's got a short story called The Caretaker- absolutely tear-jerking and like Oates gets the reader to identify with the people. Nice to see some readers here!

[deerwalk]

When I read "The Tattooed Girl" again recently, I was tempted to count how many metaphors she used on each page. It was endless! Poetry on every page She so wonderfully illustrates the mystery of a person's being- so that you see how each character is so unaware of certain parts of themselves, and how they're brought to light-and how they handle it.

[itisatruth]

The first time I read "Where Are You Going, Where Have You been?" I was floored! Sounds like she has several others I need to read!