Amanda Davis (February 28, 1971March 14, 2003) was an American writer and teacher who died in a plane accident.

Early life

Amanda Davis was born on February 28, 1971, in

Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...

. Davis graduated from Charles E. Jordan High School and received a

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

in theatre at

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the Methodi ...

as well as a M.F.A. in fiction at

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls nearly 14,000 students on a campus in the Midwood and Flatbush sections of Brooklyn as of fall ...

Career

In 1999, Davis published a series of short stories called ''Circling the Drain''. The collection was reviewed in various newspapers including ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' and ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' as well as the website ''

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

''. In the ''

'', critic Mark Rozzo wrote, "At their best, Davis' stories are potent miniatures about the weird demands that uncertainty and inevitability place upon people, mostly young women linked to men or situations seemingly beyond their control." Davis' short story, "Louisiana Loses Its Cricket Hum", was featured in the 2001 edition of ''Best New American Voices''. Four days prior to her death, Davis interviewed with Dawn Dreyer of

Indy Week ''Indy Week'', formerly known as the ''Independent Weekly'' and originally the ''North Carolina Independent'', is a tabloid-format alternative weekly newspaper published in Durham, North Carolina, United States, and distributed throughout the Re ...

regarding her life and career. Furthermore, according to

Michael Chabon Michael Chabon ( ; born May 24, 1963) is an American novelist, screenwriter, columnist, and short story writer. Born in Washington, D.C., he spent a year studying at Carnegie Mellon University before transferring to the University of Pittsburgh, ...

, Davis planned to write a second novel, either a historical novel about "early

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

immigrants to the South" or a "creepy modern gothic". Outside of writing, Davis taught undergraduate and graduate fiction at

Mills College Mills College at Northeastern University in Oakland, California is part of Northeastern University's global university system. Mills College was founded as the Young Ladies Seminary in 1852 in Benicia, California; it was relocated to Oakland in ...

Personal life

Davis was

. She had one brother, Adam, and one sister, Joanna.

Death

On March 14, 2003, while touring for her first novel, ''Wonder When You′ll Miss Me'', Davis was in a Cessna 177 Cardinal being piloted by her father, James Davis. 18 miles from the

Asheville Regional Airport Asheville Regional Airport is a Class C airport near Interstate 26 and the town of Fletcher, North Carolina, south of downtown Asheville Asheville ( ) is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the conflue ...

, the plane crashed on Old Fort Mountain in

McDowell County, North Carolina McDowell County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,578. Its county seat is Marion. McDowell County comprises the Marion, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also incl ...

, killing Davis and her parents. After her death, several writers paid respects for her, including Heidi Julavits for

Poets & Writers Magazine Poets & Writers, Inc. is one of the largest nonprofit literary organizations in the United States serving poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers. The organization publishes a bi-monthly magazine called ''Poets & Writers Magazine'' ...

and others on

McSweeney's McSweeney's Publishing is an American nonprofit publishing house founded by Dave Eggers in 1998 and headquartered in San Francisco. The executive director is Amanda Uhle. McSweeney's first publication was the literary journal'' Timothy McSw ...

, the same site where Davis' work previously appeared.

Legacy

In honor of Davis' life, McSweeney's introduced an award called the "Amanda Davis Highwire Fiction Award" in 2004, which awarded women writers 32 years old or younger who embodied "Amanda’s personal strengths—warmth, generosity, a passion for community—and who needs some time to finish a book in progress".

References

External links

Wonder When You'll Miss MeASF Accident Details
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Amanda American women novelists American women short story writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American short story writers 21st-century American women writers Jewish American novelists Jewish American short story writers Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States Accidental deaths in North Carolina 1971 births 2003 deaths Brooklyn College alumni Wesleyan University alumni Writers from Durham, North Carolina Novelists from North Carolina 20th-century American women 20th-century American writers 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews 20th-century American educators Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 2003