'Hearing' the rhythm of the words

“Because music is a language unto itself, when I'm writing, I need silence. I need to hear the music and the rhythms of the words inside my thoughts”— Marianne Wiggins

The one-time wife of the exiled Iranian writer Salman Rushdie, Wiggins was born in Pennsylvania on this date in 1947 and has established her own legacy in the writing world, earning prizes and awards ranging from the prestigious Whiting Prize (for emerging standout writers) to being a finalist for the National Book Award for her novel Evidence of Things Unseen.

Both a writer and a teacher, she has been a long-time faculty member at the University of Southern California and enjoys sharing her unique style and character development with young writers.

“I write on a visual canvas, 'seeing' a scene                                  

 in my thoughts before translating it into language, so I'm a visual junkie,” she said.  She noted that she also thinks conversations about books, hers and others, are always important and always should be on the agenda.

“Asking anyone what she or he is reading is a necessary part of conversation, exchanging news,” she said. “So I take recommendations from friends - and I always pass along a book I've loved.”

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