Carolyn Chute
Encyclopedia
Carolyn Chute is an American
writer and populist political activist strongly identified with the culture of poor, rural western Maine
. Rod Dreher
, writing in The American Conservative
, has referred to Chute as "a Maine novelist and gun enthusiast who, along with her illiterate husband, lives an aggressively unorthodox life in the Yankee backwoods."
. Chute's next two books, Letourneau's Used Auto Parts (1988) and Merry Men (1994), are also set in the town of Egypt, Maine.
Her 1999 novel Snow Man deals with the underground militia movement, something that Chute has devoted more of her time to in recent years. She was the leader of a group which was known as the Second Maine Militia and is a fierce defender of the Second Amendment
, keeping an AK-47
and a small cannon at her home in Maine. Chute also speaks out publicly about class issues in America and publishes "The Fringe," a monthly collection of in-depth political journalism
, short stories, and intellectual commentary on current events. She once ran a satiric campaign for governor of Maine.
In 2008, she published The School on Heart's Content Road, which deals with a polygamist compound in Maine under scrutiny after an article on them goes national. The project was originally a novel of more than 2,000 pages, which has since been broken up into a projected five-part cycle.
Her jobs have included waitress, chicken factory worker, hospital floor scrubber, shoe factory worker, potato farm worker, tutor, canvasser, teacher, social worker, and school bus driver, 1970s-1980s; part-time suburban correspondent, Portland Evening Express, Portland, Maine, 1976-81; instructor in creative writing, University of Southern Maine, Portland, 1985.
Chute is closely associated with the New England Literature Program
, an alternative education program run by the University of Michigan's English department during the University's spring term. NELP students transcribed her 2008 novel "The School on Heart's Content Road" into an electronic format.
Chute was born in 1947 in Portland, Maine
. She now lives in Parsonsfield, Maine
, near the New Hampshire
border, in a home with no telephone, no computer, and no fax machine, and an outhouse in lieu of a working bathroom. She is married to Michael Chute, a local handyman who never learned to read; She has a daughter from a previous marriage , Joannah, and 3 grandchildren.
She was Guggenheim Fellowship and a Thorton Wilder Fellowship.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer and populist political activist strongly identified with the culture of poor, rural western Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. Rod Dreher
Rod Dreher
Rod Dreher is an American writer and editor. He was a conservative editorial writer and a columnist for The Dallas Morning News, but departed that newspaper in late 2009 to affiliate with the John Templeton Foundation. He has also contributed in the past to The American Conservative and National...
, writing in The American Conservative
The American Conservative
The American Conservative is a monthly U.S. opinion magazine published by Ron Unz. Its first editor was Scott McConnell, his successors being Kara Hopkins and the present incumbent, Daniel McCarthy....
, has referred to Chute as "a Maine novelist and gun enthusiast who, along with her illiterate husband, lives an aggressively unorthodox life in the Yankee backwoods."
Life and work
Chute's first, and best known, novel, The Beans of Egypt, Maine, was published in 1985 and made into a 1994 film of the same name, directed by Jennifer WarrenJennifer Warren
Jennifer Warren is an American actress and film director.Warren was born in the Greenwich Village section of New York City, the daughter of Paula Bauersmith, an actress, and Barnet M. Warren, a dentist. Her uncle was Yiddish theatre actor and director Jacob Ben-Ami. Warren graduated from Elisabeth...
. Chute's next two books, Letourneau's Used Auto Parts (1988) and Merry Men (1994), are also set in the town of Egypt, Maine.
Her 1999 novel Snow Man deals with the underground militia movement, something that Chute has devoted more of her time to in recent years. She was the leader of a group which was known as the Second Maine Militia and is a fierce defender of the Second Amendment
Second Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights that protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights.In 2008 and 2010, the Supreme Court issued two Second...
, keeping an AK-47
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
and a small cannon at her home in Maine. Chute also speaks out publicly about class issues in America and publishes "The Fringe," a monthly collection of in-depth political journalism
Political journalism
Political journalism is a broad branch of journalism that includes coverage of all aspects of politics and political science, although the term usually refers specifically to coverage of civil governments and political power....
, short stories, and intellectual commentary on current events. She once ran a satiric campaign for governor of Maine.
In 2008, she published The School on Heart's Content Road, which deals with a polygamist compound in Maine under scrutiny after an article on them goes national. The project was originally a novel of more than 2,000 pages, which has since been broken up into a projected five-part cycle.
Her jobs have included waitress, chicken factory worker, hospital floor scrubber, shoe factory worker, potato farm worker, tutor, canvasser, teacher, social worker, and school bus driver, 1970s-1980s; part-time suburban correspondent, Portland Evening Express, Portland, Maine, 1976-81; instructor in creative writing, University of Southern Maine, Portland, 1985.
Chute is closely associated with the New England Literature Program
New England Literature Program
The New England Literature Program is an academic program run by the University of Michigan that takes place off-campus during the Spring half-term. University of Michigan faculty and other staff teach the courses, and students earn regular University of Michigan credit. The program has been in...
, an alternative education program run by the University of Michigan's English department during the University's spring term. NELP students transcribed her 2008 novel "The School on Heart's Content Road" into an electronic format.
Chute was born in 1947 in Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
. She now lives in Parsonsfield, Maine
Parsonsfield, Maine
Parsonsfield is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,584 at the 2000 census. Parsonsfield includes the villages of Kezar Falls, Parsonsfield, and North, East and South Parsonsfield...
, near the New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
border, in a home with no telephone, no computer, and no fax machine, and an outhouse in lieu of a working bathroom. She is married to Michael Chute, a local handyman who never learned to read; She has a daughter from a previous marriage , Joannah, and 3 grandchildren.
Awards
First prize for fiction, Green Mountain Workshop, Johnson, Vermont, 1977.She was Guggenheim Fellowship and a Thorton Wilder Fellowship.
External links
- Interview with Carolyn Chute at newdemocracyworld.com
- Article in Salon.com
- Article in International Herald Tribune, 5 November 2008
- http://archive.seacoastonline.com/news/kerr/10_19kerr.htm The Culling: By D. Allan Kerr, "For Some Artists, The Struggle Doesn't End"