Glenda Adams facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Glenda Adams
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| Born |
Glenda Emilie Felton
30 December 1939 |
| Died | 11 July 2007 (aged 67) East Redfern, Sydney
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| Occupation | Novelist and short story writer; Teacher of creative writing |
| Spouse(s) | Gordon Adams (divorced) |
| Partner(s) | Chris Clarke |
| Children | 1 |
Glenda Adams (born Glenda Emilie Felton, 30 December 1939 – 11 July 2007) was a talented Australian writer. She wrote novels and short stories. Many people know her for winning the 1987 Miles Franklin Award. This important award was for her novel, Dancing on Coral.
Glenda Adams also taught creative writing. She helped create new writing programs at universities. Her stories and essays appeared in many magazines and journals. These included Meanjin, The New York Times Book Review, and The Sydney Morning Herald.
Contents
About Glenda Adams' Life
Glenda Emilie Felton was born in Ryde, New South Wales. This is a suburb of Sydney, Australia. She was the younger of two children. Glenda went to Fort Street Primary School and Sydney Girls High School. Later, she studied at the University of Sydney. She earned a degree in Indonesian.
Glenda Adams was a cousin of former Australian Prime Minister, John Howard. However, they had different political ideas. Glenda wanted to become a political journalist. She moved to New York City to study journalism. She received a scholarship to Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She finished her studies there in 1965.
While in New York, she met Gordon Adams. He was a political scientist at Columbia University. They got married in 1967 and had a daughter named Caitlin.
Teaching and Writing Career
Glenda Adams taught at several universities. These included Columbia University and Sarah Lawrence College. She later returned to Australia. There, she taught at the University of Technology, Sydney. She taught writing skills and creative writing.
She helped design a special writing program at the university. This program became a model for other writing courses in Australia. For the rest of her life, Glenda traveled often. She went between New York to see her daughter and teach, and Sydney.
Glenda Adams passed away on 11 July 2007 in Sydney. She had been battling cancer. Her funeral was held a week later. After her death, she received the ASA Medal. This award is from the Australian Society of Authors.
Glenda Adams' Writing Journey
Glenda Adams started writing when she was only 10 years old. Her mother encouraged her to write.
While studying at Columbia University, she joined a writing workshop. She began using her real name for her stories. Before that, she used a male name. She didn't want her friends to know she was writing fiction. Her short stories were published in magazines like Ms. and The Village Voice.
After 16 years away, Glenda returned to Australia. She became a "writer-in-residence" at several universities. This means she was a writer who worked and taught at a university for a period. These universities included the University of Western Australia and Macquarie University. She had many writer friends. These included Australians Robert Drewe and Kate Grenville.
Award-Winning Books
In 1987, her second novel, Dancing on Coral, won the Miles Franklin Award. This is one of Australia's most important literary awards. It also won the New South Wales Premier's Literary Award. However, due to a rule about where she lived, she couldn't keep the prize money for the latter. Instead, the money helped a young writer. Glenda received a special award without money.
Her third novel, Longleg, came out in 1990. It also won awards. Her fourth novel, The Tempest of Clemenza, was published in 1996. In 1998, her play, The Monkey Trap, was performed in Sydney.
Awards and Recognition
Glenda Adams received several important awards for her writing:
- 1991: National Book Council Banjo Award for Fiction, Joint Winner for Longleg
- 1990: The Age Book of the Year Award for Imaginative Writing for Longleg
- 1987: Miles Franklin Award for Dancing on Coral
- 1987: New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, Special Award for Dancing on Coral
- 2007: ASA Medal
Glenda Adams' Legacy
The University of Technology Sydney sponsors a special writing award. It is called the UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing. This award is part of the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards. The award was renamed in 2008 to honor Glenda Adams and her contributions to writing.
