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"I can only say that I've had angels along the way. I believe one of them sneezed and pushed me into the arms of LSU." — Olympia Vernon, 2004 If you have not yet heard of Olympia Vernon you soon will. Vernon's two novels, Eden (2003, Grove Atlantic) and Logic (2004, Grove Atlantic), have earned her a national following and critical success. An Internet search for Olympia Vernon will produce supporters who compare her to the likes of Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison.
Vernon came to LSU in the fall of 1999 to pursue her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. Her experiences at LSU can best be described as liberating. Working with incredibly supportive faculty, Vernon was afforded the opportunity to experiment with and expand her creative talents. "I eloped into a field of language while at LSU," says Vernon. "And they (her professors) brought the courage, added to the courage, and said, 'run, go there, yes, run with your language. See where it fits.'"   Vernon's language seems to be fitting just fine. Her first novel, Eden, was nominated for the 2004 Pulitzer Prize and she received the 2004 Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Award from the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Letters. Her second novel, Logic, was published this past spring and is also being well received. Vernon, the fourth of seven children, grew up in a small town near the border between Louisiana and Mississippi. She has a degree in criminal justice from Southeastern Louisiana University. Her professors encouraged her to pursue an M.F.A. degree from LSU. Once on campus, Vernon became a wonderful addition to the creative writing program. "I found her to have a unique voice—vivid, direct, compelling, and beyond original," says Moira Crone, LSU professor of creative writing and English, and former director of LSU's M.F.A. program. "It seemed to me she had something in common with the finest of the Deep South writers—she had to tell a story so immense it pushed the language, opened it out."
Some of Vernon's fondest memories of LSU are the moments she spent with two special LSU staff members. While living in East Laville residence hall, she befriended custodial workers Ed White and Barbara Sterling. Vernon lived on the second floor and looked forward to seeing her friends each day. "Ms. Barbara cleaned the rooms and bathrooms. Mr. Ed cleaned the halls. I loved them both," recalls the author. "I would look for Ms. Barbara in the morning before each class and she'd smile and her whole face would give to the smile and she'd love me that way. Mr. Ed was plain old cool. I love both of them still." Both LSU employees are included in Vernon's acknowledgment section of Logic, the author's second novel. "Olympia was very busy," remembers Mr. White. "But she always made time to stop and talk with me. She was full of ideas and she just had an energy about her. Olympia was open and friendly and very easy to talk to." 
Vernon's generosity of spirit is not limited to the printed page. In college, she shaved her head and donated her hair to a child with cancer. Her charity work includes Locks of Love, the American Institute for Cancer Research, and the Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation. Olympia believes that coming to LSU was no accident. "I loved that LSU added to the gift," says Olympia. "They saw it when I did not know where to put it. They saw the girl inside the woman and took the girl upon a long voyage, told her the power of her gift, threw her from the ship, and she swam." LSU is honored to have served as a significant stop along Vernon's life journey.
Where to find Olympia: Saturday, September 4 and September 22 —LSU Barnes and Noble. Contract Marta Bell for details. Louisiana Book Festival on Nov. 6 LSU Readers and Writers Event—February. Contact Judy Kahn for details. Contact Robin Dunkin | LSU
University Relations Related Links LSU Department of English |
LSU continually produces successful alumni who garner attention in their respective fields. Critically acclaimed author Olympia Vernon (M.F.A., 2002) is an example of alumni who bring honor and distinction back to LSU.
Such lofty comparisons, while highly flattering, do not appear to motivate the young author. What does capture her heart is finding and expressing the power of her own human language, mixing words and phrases that boldly come from somewhere uniquely different for each author. Reading her work, it becomes obvious that Vernon has great respect for the written word. "No one will ever 'master' the human language," says Vernon. "The alphabet is an unpredictable verb, a noun that has gotten loose underneath your gown."
