{"id":3013,"date":"2019-11-25T18:28:43","date_gmt":"2019-11-25T18:28:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/cas\/?p=3013"},"modified":"2024-07-12T16:11:03","modified_gmt":"2024-07-12T16:11:03","slug":"alumna-kelly-coon-publishes-debut-novel-returns-to-flint-dec-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/case\/2019\/11\/25\/alumna-kelly-coon-publishes-debut-novel-returns-to-flint-dec-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumna Kelly Coon publishes debut novel, returns to Flint Dec. 4."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Alumna Kelly Coon, ’00, returns to Flint on Dec. 4 to talk about writing and her debut novel, Gravemaidens. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The University of Michigan-Flint wasn\u2019t the first school that author Kelly Coon (BA English \u201900) considered. Kelly was expelled from her first college, a very conservative religious institution in South Carolina. She looks back on that expulsion with pride. High tuition costs at another private college prompted the Flint-area native to enroll closer to home at UM-Flint. Third time\u2019s a charm and Kelly graduated with her bachelor\u2019s in English<\/a> (Specialization in Writing) in 2000.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy professors at UM-Flint really believed in me. Dr. Jacob Blumner took me aside and said, \u2018I bet you\u2019ll be published before you\u2019re 30,\u2019\u201d Kelly remembers. \u201cI held him in high esteem and kept that memory when I was getting nowhere with my first novels, not being able to get a literary agent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The words of her professor proved to be an important motivation for Kelly, as she experienced 106 rejections over ten years while working to get a novel published. She accomplished her goal in October 2019, as Gravemaidens<\/em> was published by Delacorte Press\/Penguin Random House. A sequel is forthcoming. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Kelly wrote several novels before getting a deal for Gravemaidens and its sequel. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Gravemaidens <\/em>is a young adult fantasy novel set in the city-state of Alu, where beautiful young girls are chosen to go with the dying ruler into the afterlife. The story focuses on sisters Kammani and Nanaea; younger sister Nanaea is chosen to die with the ruler, while Kammani will do everything she can to save her sister by healing the ruler. It\u2019s a tale that draws heavily on themes of sisterhood and feminism\u2014an intentional choice by Kelly, who was raised in a heavily patriarchal environment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe church I was raised in was almost cultish. Whatever the\npastor said was law and women were meant to stay home and raise children,\u201d\nKelly explains. \u201cFor me, feminism just means a woman being free to pursue\nwhatever she feels inclined to pursue, whether that is staying home with her\nchildren or going out to find a career. It\u2019s important that I reflect that in\nmy stories\u2014girls pursuing their dreams and attaining them.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Dec. 4, Kelly will return to UM-Flint<\/strong> for a talk and Q & A from 2:30-3:45 in 301 French Hall. Though the talk takes place during an Intro to Creative Writing class session, all students are welcome. Later that day, Kelly will conduct a reading and signing at Totem Books<\/strong> (620 W Court St.) from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Kelly, who now lives near Tampa with her husband and three sons, has not been to campus since graduating in 2000. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI grew up absolutely dirt poor in Burton, Michigan. My mom didn\u2019t graduate from high school. I was the first person in my family to go to college. I\u2019m excited to look at these students and say, \u2018If I can do it, you can do it.\u2019 This is thrilling for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The University of Michigan-Flint wasn\u2019t the first school that author Kelly Coon (BA English \u201900) considered. Kelly was expelled from her first college, a very conservative religious institution in South Carolina. She looks back on that expulsion with pride. High tuition costs at another private college prompted the Flint-area native to enroll closer to home […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":414,"featured_media":3014,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[70],"class_list":["post-3013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-college-news","tag-case"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAlumna Kelly Coon publishes debut novel, returns to Flint Dec. 4. - Blog | UM-Flint College of Arts, Sciences & Education<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/case\/2019\/11\/25\/alumna-kelly-coon-publishes-debut-novel-returns-to-flint-dec-4\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Alumna Kelly Coon publishes debut novel, returns to Flint Dec. 4. - Blog | UM-Flint College of Arts, Sciences & Education\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The University of Michigan-Flint wasn\u2019t the first school that author Kelly Coon (BA English \u201900) considered. 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