Meet the New CLA Director: Cathleen Miller
by Scott Winfield Sublett.
Considering author Cathleen Miller has given talks about her own books at venues ranging from the Ford Foundation to the United Nations Foundation to the American International Club of Rome to Cinequest, she is no stranger to the world of literary events.
Now Dean Lisa Vollendorf has named Miller as the new director of the Center for Literary Arts, which hosts readings, discussions, and master classes with writers of exceptional vision and voice. In its 29 years of existence, the CLA has brought to the San José community such literary giants as Ken Kesey, Toni Morrison, Amy Tan, William Styron, Czeslaw Milosz, Seamus Heaney, Bharati Mukherjee, Robert Hass, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Maxine Hong Kingston, Peter Matthiessen, Ursula LeGuin, Allen Ginsberg, George Plimpton, Isabel Allende, Margaret Atwood, Mary Oliver, Grace Paley, Derek Walcott, Paul Theroux, Pat Conroy, Tim O’Brien, Jane Smiley, Sherman Alexie, T.C. Boyle, Michael Ondaatje, Norman Mailer, Oliver Stone, Elmore Leonard, Frances Mayes, Arthur Miller, Edward Albee, Joyce Carol Oates, Robert Bly, Alice Walker, David Sedaris, Adrienne Rich, Tony Kushner, Studs Terkel, J.M. Coetzee, ZZ Packer, Junot Diaz, Mary Roach, Denis Johnson, Kim Addonizio, E.L. Doctorow, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Aleksandar Hemon, Dana Gioia, and Neil Gaiman.
“Professor Miller is committed to building on the strong reputation of our Center for Literary Arts,” said Dean Vollendorf. “She has the right skill set and track record to make the most of this opportunity for the College, the University, and the broader community.”
The Dean’s choice of leadership for the CLA was supported by members of our literary community for a variety of reasons. Professor and novelist Nick Taylor, director of SJSU’s world-renowned Center for Steinbeck Studies, teaches with Miller in the English Department’s MFA Creative Writing Program. He says, “She’s a superb public speaker and great at putting on events, so I think those skills will ensure that CLA functions will be fun and exciting.”
“Cathy gives amusing parties full of clever people in her smart apartment,” says Mona Onstead, longtime chair of the CLA Board (and herself a noted host). “I expect Cathy will put a unique imprint on the CLA. She’s a writer of nonfiction, a woman, and has a special sense of showmanship, so the CLA will continue to flourish under her leadership.”
At San José State, Cathleen Miller teaches courses in creative nonfiction and serves as faculty advisor to Reed, SJSU’s 148-year-old literary journal. In her own creative output, the author has traveled around the globe to write books telling the stories of people and places. She has interviewed diplomats and heads of state on five continents, patients in an Addis Ababa hospital, rape camp survivors in Kosovo, and midwives in the mountains of East Timor. Her work sometimes places her in strange circumstances, such as cruising St. Petersburg in a Winnebago to interview prostitutes, and running down a Brazilian mountain at midnight fleeing bandits.
Two of her books have made a major impact on the lives of women. The international bestseller Desert Flower, the story of activist Waris Dirie, describes the Somali nomad’s experience with female genital mutilation. This book’s print version has sold 11 million copies in 55 languages, and was later adapted as an inspiring film with Timothy Spall, Sally Hawkins, and Juliet Stevenson.
Miller’s most recent publication, Champion of Choice, is a biography of Dr. Nafis Sadik, who headed the United Nations Population Fund for 30 years. The London Times named Dr. Sadik one of the most powerful women in the world, mainly because of her advocacy for female reproductive rights. Champion of Choice was named one of the “Top Ten Biographies of 2013” by Booklist. “We read biographies as a blueprint for our own lives,” says Miller. “I realized at a point during my research that interviewing all these heads of state and diplomats was like getting a PhD in leadership and diplomacy.” No doubt these skills will come in handy as she takes over the reins of the CLA.
“One of the things that first prompted me to apply for the job at San José State was learning about this line-up of CLA author events. In the time that I’ve been here, I’ve had conversations with Salman Rushdie, Dorothy Allison, Tobias Wolff, Nick Flynn, Khalid Hosseini, Tim Cahill, and—for god’s sake—Gore Vidal! These are some of the great talents of our time, and an incredible resource for the community. Now, with the University’s acquisition of the Hammer Theatre, we’ll have the perfect downtown venue to host large events. It’s an exciting time to be a part of it all as the CLA heads into its 30th year.”
For a schedule of upcoming events visit the Center for Literary Arts’ website. All fall 2015 events are free and open to the public.
