Remembering

Remembering: Joan Williams’ Uncollected Pieces illustrates again that rediscovering an admired author—especially through his or her later works—is every bit as engaging as discovering a new literary voice.
 
Joan Williams, an accomplished and prize-winning southern novelist, published a number of short stories and nonfiction pieces in the later years of her life; a life complicated early on by the influential men with whom she was involved, namely American author William Faulkner and independent publisher Seymour Lawrence.
 
For years these literary gems were scattered and virtually unattainable to readers. Remembering: Joan Williams’ Uncollected Pieces unites the formerly published but never collected material. The book’s title piece, “Remembering,” features a 1981 essay on Byronic Mississippi-born poet, Frank Stanford—known to Joan from his infancy until his tragic suicide—whose collected poems What About This (2015) appeared thirty-seven years posthumously. 
 
Skillful, nuanced, and altogether approachable, these mature efforts by a seasoned writer will surprise and reward. Remembering is a lovely testament to the craft of writing and Joan Williams’ indelible style.