Annie Dillard
Hosford 1
Caitlind Hosford
King
English
8 April 2014
From Backyard Painter to WorldFamous Writer
Annie Dillard was born on April 30, 1945 as Meta Ann Doak in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. She was pushed by her high school teachers and attended Hollins College in
Roanoke, Virginia. Dillard studied literature and creative writing. Sometime in her first two years at school she met Richard Dillard, who she would be engaged to marry her sophomore year of college. After she graduated, she married and moved in with her husband. She experimented with all types of art including painting, drawing, and writing poems (Biography). In 1974, she published Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. She then became the youngest woman at 28 to win the
Pulitzer Prize in 1975. Dillard has published novels, essay collections, poem collections, an autobiography, and more. She won the New York Press Club Award for Excellence in 1975, the
Washington Governor's Award for Literature in 1977, the Connecticut Governor's Arts Award in
1993, the Western Pennsylvania Historical Society History Makers Award in 1993, and over 30 more in her lifetime (Annie Dillard, Annie Dillard Official Website). Recently, Annie Dillard has been keeping a pretty low profile because she is getting pretty old. In 2007, she published The
Maytrees: A Novel. She stated that it would probably be her last work (Simon).
Unlike many authors, Dillard was not affected or moved by specific moments in her life, but she does recall memories as a child in essays like “The Chase.” Like any person, Annie
Dillard was most influenced by her childhood. She grew up in Pittsburgh, Virginia and attended
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a Presbyterian elementary school. She went to art classes every Saturday morning for four years at Carnegie Music Hall. Dillard was most inspired by her father though. She read many books in hope of learning everything (Dillard, The Writing Life). She especially enjoyed reading The
Natural Way to Draw and Field
Caitlind Hosford
King
English
8 April 2014
From Backyard Painter to WorldFamous Writer
Annie Dillard was born on April 30, 1945 as Meta Ann Doak in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. She was pushed by her high school teachers and attended Hollins College in
Roanoke, Virginia. Dillard studied literature and creative writing. Sometime in her first two years at school she met Richard Dillard, who she would be engaged to marry her sophomore year of college. After she graduated, she married and moved in with her husband. She experimented with all types of art including painting, drawing, and writing poems (Biography). In 1974, she published Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. She then became the youngest woman at 28 to win the
Pulitzer Prize in 1975. Dillard has published novels, essay collections, poem collections, an autobiography, and more. She won the New York Press Club Award for Excellence in 1975, the
Washington Governor's Award for Literature in 1977, the Connecticut Governor's Arts Award in
1993, the Western Pennsylvania Historical Society History Makers Award in 1993, and over 30 more in her lifetime (Annie Dillard, Annie Dillard Official Website). Recently, Annie Dillard has been keeping a pretty low profile because she is getting pretty old. In 2007, she published The
Maytrees: A Novel. She stated that it would probably be her last work (Simon).
Unlike many authors, Dillard was not affected or moved by specific moments in her life, but she does recall memories as a child in essays like “The Chase.” Like any person, Annie
Dillard was most influenced by her childhood. She grew up in Pittsburgh, Virginia and attended
Hosford 2
a Presbyterian elementary school. She went to art classes every Saturday morning for four years at Carnegie Music Hall. Dillard was most inspired by her father though. She read many books in hope of learning everything (Dillard, The Writing Life). She especially enjoyed reading The
Natural Way to Draw and Field
Cited: "Annie Dillard." Interview by Geoffery W. Melada. Home Page Features. WiesnerMedia, n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2014. Annie Dillard. An American Childhood. New York: Harper & Row, 1987. Print. . Annie Dillard Official Website. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. . The Writing Life. New York: Harper Perennial, 1990. Print. "Biography of Annie Dillard." Poem Hunter. Poem Hunter, n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. Parrish, Nancy C. Lee Smith, Annie Dillard, and the Hollins Group: A Genesis of Writers. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State UP, 1998. Print. Perrin, Noel. "Her Inexhaustible Mind." Rev. of An American Childhood. New York Times 27 Sept. 1987: n. pag. Print. Simon, Scott. "Annie Dillard 's Tale of Bohemian Love by the Sea." NPR. NPR, 28 July 2007. Web. 08 Apr. 2014. Welty, Eudora. "Meditation on Seeing." Rev. of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, by Annie Dillard. New York Times 24 Mar. 1974: n. pag. The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.