Dorothy Shawhan 
Major Works
- Lizzie (1995)
- Going to Graceland (to be published)
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Dorothy Shawhan : A Biography
By Audrey Allen (SHS)
Dorothy Shawhan was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, on July 16, 1942, to George V. and Jessie Sample. Her father, who died in 1987, was a farmer and a remarkable storyteller. Her mother is a retired bookkeeper that now lives in Cleveland, Mississippi (Shawhan).
Dorothy attended Tupelo High School and was a very assiduous student. Yet amid her studies, she also made time for many various extracurricular activities, such as writing for the school newspaper, riding in Friday afternoon parades before football games, decorating for dances, and writing epic poems to commemorate memorable events at her school. Later, she concluded her school days by attending George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, to obtain a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing. (Shawhan)
Her only major work at the immediate time is the book Lizzie. This book is about a governor’s daughter who is struggling to make her own way in Mississippi throughout the early 1900’s (Amazon). It is written from many different points of view--her mother, father, best friend, teacher, and others who are patterned after historical characters such as William Faulkner and Tennessee Williams (Booth, 3). Shawhan’s inspiration for this book came when she discovered that a woman  in Clarksdale printed a newspaper for women in the 1920’s. This information gave her the background she needed to invent the character Lizzie and initiate her story. Shawhan worked on the book for two or three years while on sabbatical leave from Delta State University (Shawhan). After the book was published, it received the Mississippi Library Association’s 1996 Author’s Award (Booth, 3).
Shawhan is currently in the process of writing two new works: Going to Graceland and the biography of Judge Lucy Somerville Howorth. The novel Going to Graceland is like a Canterbury Tales kind of situation. The characters are on a bus tour through the foundation of American popular music, beginning in New Orleans and traveling up Highway 61 to Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley. The biography is about Judge Lucy Somerville Howorth, who was a lawyer, a feminist, a historian, and a Mississippi legislator in the 1930's. She ran a newspaper in the 1920’s about instructing women on how to use their newly-won vote.(Shawhan)
Dorothy presently resides in Cleveland, Mississippi where she is an English and journalism professor at Delta State University (Booth 3).
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A Review
of Lizzie
by Audrey Allen (SHS)
The book Lizzie by Dorothy Shawhan is a unique type of novel. As it opens, the reader is at once introduced to the distinct way in which Dorothy Shawhan wrote the book. She uses short chapters in which a different character writes each brief section. At one point, you will be reading about a present day antique shop; and the next thing you know, you will have jumped back in time to read about the adventures of Lizzie and the people who are close to her.
It all begins when Mr. Cavanaugh, an antique dealer, comes across some old papers that turn out to be forgotten diary entries. As he reads these, he becomes enraptured by the story of Elizabeth Dunbar. Lizzie is a fiery girl from the day she is born. Back in the 1920’s women were expected to be meek and lady-like, but between her father’s upbringing and her own spirit, Lizzie is as far from this description as "a girl can get." In her teen years she begins to get into so much trouble that her father sends her away to an exclusive boarding school where she supposedly learns to become a "lady." While at school, she almost gets  expelled for returning back to the school drunk after an outing with her friends. The only reason she is not given this punishment is because she is the governor’s daughter, and the incident would create a scandal. She ends up running away from the school and going to work with her cousin for the war cause (World War 1). When her father finally discovers her whereabouts, he brings her home and leaves her to live in their old house while he goes to live with his new wife. From there, everything goes downhill for Lizzie, but in the end everything turns out how the reader knows it should.
Dorothy Shawhan did a superb job writing this book. I really enjoyed reading it. Its fast pace really kept me involved the whole time. I found myself laughing and crying with the joys and mishaps of Lizzie. She is the kind of person and has the kind of spirit that I’m sure most women wish they possessed. I recommend this book to anyone who likes stories of the struggles of women in the South.
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E-mail Interview with Dorothy Shawhan
by Audrey Allen (SHS)
When and where were you born?
I was born in Tupelo, MS on July 16, 1942.
Can you tell me something about your family?
My father was George V. Sample, a farmer and wonderful storyteller. My mother is Jessie Sample, a bookkeeper, now retired and living here in Cleveland. My father died in 1987.
Where did you go to high school and what were you like at the time?
I attended Tupelo High School and enjoyed my high school days a great deal. I studied hard, but had lots of fun too – writing for the school newspaper and planning pictures for the annual; riding in the Friday afternoon parades before each football game; decorating for the dances after the games; writing epic poems to commemorate memorable events like getting caught with classmates in a snowstorm on the way back from a basketball game; packing as many people as humanly possible into a friend’s convertible to go to the lake for a party.
What inspired you to write Lizzie?
I was inspired to write Lizzie by discovering in Mississippi history that a woman in Clarksdale had a newspaper for women in the 1920’s. This became a germ for the fictional life of Lizzie.
How long did it take you to write your book?
I worked on the book for two or three years when I was on a sabbatical leave from Delta State. I returned to school -- George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, to get a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing. This allowed me time to write.
Do you have any new pieces that you are working on? 
I have a draft for a new novel called 'Going to Graceland.' It is a Canterbury Tales kind of situation where the characters are on a bus tour through the roots of American popular music beginning in New Orleans and traveling up Highway 61 to Graceland. I’m also working on a biography (along with Dr. Martha Swain at Mississippi State) of Judge Lucy Somerville Howorth, an outstanding feminist and Mississippian who died last August at age 102.
How has Mississippi or living in Mississippi influenced your writing?
Mississippi and my time spent here definitely provide the creative spark for my fiction. I’ve written things about other places that never seem to quite take off.
Do you have any advice for future writers?
My best advice for future writers – WRITE, no matter what. Don’t put it off. In the process of writing one discovers, learns, and grows.
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Related Websites
Amazon.com sells the book and gives a brief synopsis of it.
Delta State University's home page gives updates on Dorothy's activities.
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Bibliography
Booth, Martha Owens."Mississippi State University Librarian Recommends Book by Cleveland Author." Starkville Daily News 3 (April 10, 1996).
Shawhan, Dorothy. Email interview April 10, 1998.
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