Billie Letts
Encyclopedia
Billie Letts is an American
novel
ist and educator. She was a professor at Southeastern Oklahoma State University
.
until his death in 2008, and is the mother of playwright/actor Tracy Letts
, jazz musician/composer Shawn Letts, and Dana Letts.
. She married Dennis Letts
, a professor and actor, in 1958. He served as his wife's editor for her own novels. Dennis Letts died of cancer in Tulsa on February 22, 2008, aged 73.
Billie Letts is a member of the Sigma Sigma Sigma
sorority.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist and educator. She was a professor at Southeastern Oklahoma State University
Southeastern Oklahoma State University
Southeastern Oklahoma State University, often referred to as Southeastern and abbreviated as SE, or SOSU, is a public university located in Durant, Oklahoma, with an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 4,229 as of 2009.-History:...
.
Family
She was married to professor-turned-actor Dennis LettsDennis Letts
Dennis Letts was an American college professor and actor. Letts made his Broadway theater debut in December 2007 in the production of August: Osage County, which was written by his son, playwright Tracy Letts....
until his death in 2008, and is the mother of playwright/actor Tracy Letts
Tracy Letts
Tracy Letts is an American playwright and actor who received the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play August: Osage County.-Biography:...
, jazz musician/composer Shawn Letts, and Dana Letts.
Personal life
Letts was born as Billie Gipson in Tulsa, OklahomaTulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
. She married Dennis Letts
Dennis Letts
Dennis Letts was an American college professor and actor. Letts made his Broadway theater debut in December 2007 in the production of August: Osage County, which was written by his son, playwright Tracy Letts....
, a professor and actor, in 1958. He served as his wife's editor for her own novels. Dennis Letts died of cancer in Tulsa on February 22, 2008, aged 73.
Billie Letts is a member of the Sigma Sigma Sigma
Sigma Sigma Sigma
Sigma Sigma Sigma , also known as Tri Sigma, is a national American women’s sorority with membership of more than 100,000 members. Sigma Sigma Sigma is a member of the National Panhellenic Conference and hosts chapters on more than 110 college campuses and 89 alumnae chapters in communities all...
sorority.
Novels
- Where the Heart IsWhere the Heart Is (novel)Where the Heart Is is a 1995 novel by Billie Letts. It was chosen as an Oprah's Book Club selection in December 1998. A 2000 film of the same name was directed by Matt Williams, starring Natalie Portman, Ashley Judd and Stockard Channing....
(1995) - The Honk and Holler Opening Soon (1998)
- Shoot the Moon (2004)
- Made in the U.S.A. (2008)
Awards and nominations
- 1994 Walker PercyWalker PercyWalker Percy was an American Southern author whose interests included philosophy and semiotics. Percy is best known for his philosophical novels set in and around New Orleans, Louisiana, the first of which, The Moviegoer, won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1962...
Awardhttp://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/l/billie-letts/ - 1996 Oklahoma Book Award http://www.readersread.com/features/billieletts2.htm
- 1998 Oprah's Book ClubOprah's Book ClubOprah's Book Club was a book discussion club segment of the American talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show, highlighting books chosen by host Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey started the book club in 1996, selecting a new novel for viewers to read and discuss each month. The Club ended its 15-year run, along with...
- Best Novel nominee - Where the Heart IsWhere the Heart Is (novel)Where the Heart Is is a 1995 novel by Billie Letts. It was chosen as an Oprah's Book Club selection in December 1998. A 2000 film of the same name was directed by Matt Williams, starring Natalie Portman, Ashley Judd and Stockard Channing....
External links
- Author interview: Billie Letts at Hachette Book Group USA
- Interview With Billie Letts (July 2004)