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that her sister "wrote about family members and friends, to the point that my mother did not want her to publish some of the stories, because there could be a lot of problems," but noted that her mother had nonetheless saved all of Oliver's existing material following her daughter's death. Oliver's expanded collected works were published in a volume by
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In 2022, a
British literary agent familiar with Oliver's extant writings contacted her sister Cheryl to inquire whether any additional writings by Oliver existed. After sifting through boxes of material stored since the author's death, eight new unpublished stories were uncovered. Cheryl suggested
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The release of Oliver's collected works attracted new attention to her career in major
American and international publications. Reviews praised the quality of her writing, also widely citing her death at age 22 as a loss to American literature.
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Diane Oliver was born on July 28, 1943, in
Charlotte, North Carolina. Her father, William Oliver, was a schoolteacher and her mother, Blanche Rann, was a piano teacher. After attending segregated public schools in Charlotte, she graduated from
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writer. She published four short stories in her lifetime and a further ten posthumously, eight of those only seeing print nearly 58 years after her death. Oliver's writing reflected her experiences growing up in the
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degree posthumously the following month. At the time of her death, she had received relatively little recognition as an author, but obituaries were published by both
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Two other stories completed by Oliver prior to her death, "Traffic Jam", and "Mint Juleps Not Served Here", were posthumously published in
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Podcast The Life and
Stories of Diane Oliver From the Ursa Short Fiction Podcast with Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton, 2022
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considered the new stories "of varying quality," but that they "hint at the greatness the author might have achieved."
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in July 1966 and March 1967, respectively. For decades afterward, these were thought to be her only remaining works.
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119:(then known as Women's College of the University of North Carolina) in 1964. Oliver served as managing editor of
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580:"Neighbors and Other Stories by Diane Oliver review – pointed tales of black America from a talent taken young"
281:, edited by John William Corrington & Miller Williams, Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1966.
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in 1965. Oliver was one of only two
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magazine's summer guest editor program for female students, whose alumni also included
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similarly called the book "a glimpse of what should have been a promising career."
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932:"The Short Stories & Too-Short Life of Diana Oliver," by Michael A. Gonzales
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639:"Jim Crow-era writer died tragically young, leaving stunning short stories"
361:"Nearly 60 years after a Charlotte woman died, her book is being published"
151:. "Key to the City" became her first published short story, appearing in
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864:"Revisiting the brilliant short stories of a writer who died too young"
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611:"Revisiting the brilliant short stories of a writer who died too young"
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161:. In 1966, Oliver saw her most acclaimed work, "Neighbors", appear in
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in 1965, followed by "Health
Service" in the November 1965 issue of
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830:"'Neighbors' Opens the Door to a Literary Career Cut Short"
667:"Sorting through the Wreckage: The Stories of Diane Oliver"
424:"'Neighbors' Opens the Door to a Literary Career Cut Short"
890:"Diane Oliver's Fiction From Both Sides of the Color Line"
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with Tayari Jones, Lan
Samantha Chang, and Dawnie Walton"
927:"Spiders Cry Without Tears," Short Story by Diane Oliver
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Oliver died in a motorcycle accident on May 21, 1966 in
480:"UNCG author Diane Oliver, rediscovered after 60 years"
551:"The Short Stories and Too-Short Life of Diane Oliver"
167:, and "The Closet on the Top Floor" was included in
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89:(July 28, 1943 – May 21, 1966) was an American
137:In the summer of 1964, Oliver participated in
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862:Thomas-Kennedy, Jackie (February 16, 2024).
609:Thomas-Kennedy, Jackie (February 16, 2024).
505:"The Art of the Short Story: Diane Oliver's
957:20th-century African-American women writers
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123:, the Women's College student newspaper.
117:University of North Carolina at Greensboro
75:University of North Carolina at Greensboro
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279:Southern Writing in the Sixties: Fiction
265:, vol. 15, no. 1 (November 1965), 72–79.
169:Southern Writing in the Sixties: Fiction
828:Jacobs, Alexandra (February 14, 2024).
422:Jacobs, Alexandra (February 14, 2024).
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274:, vol. 74, no. 2 (Spring 1966), 470–88.
200:Posthumous publications and recognition
178:. The University of Iowa conferred her
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128:University of Iowa's Writers' Workshop
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454:"Diane Oliver Biography - eNotes.com"
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637:Birdy, Estelle (February 24, 2024).
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967:20th-century American women writers
359:Thompson, Ben (February 16, 2024).
16:African-American writer (1943–1966)
982:American women short story writers
665:Jones, Tayari (January 17, 2024).
478:Harris, Mike (February 15, 2024).
308:, New York: Grove Atlantic, 2024.
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698:, vol. 15, no. 1 (November 1965)"
291:"Mint Juleps Not Served Here" in
277:"The Closet on the Top Floor" in
888:Ellis, Kelton (June 17, 2024).
730:, vol. 74, no. 2 (Spring 1966)"
578:Self, John (February 6, 2024).
801:, vol. 16, no. 5 (March 1967)"
1:
972:Iowa Writers' Workshop alumni
549:Gonzales, Michael A. (2022).
306:"Neighbors" and Other Stories
220:"Neighbors" and Other Stories
192:. "Neighbors" was awarded an
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769:vol. 15, no. 9 (July 1966)"
395:www.whatsoproudlywehail.org
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113:West Charlotte High School
102:, in the 1940s and 1950s.
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100:Charlotte, North Carolina
38:Charlotte, North Carolina
300:Collected short fiction
513:The Center for Fiction
49:May 21, 1966 (aged 22)
555:The Bitter Southerner
252:"Key to the City" in
222:in February of 2024.
259:"Health Service" in
616:The Washington Post
515:. February 21, 2024
235:The Washington Post
180:Master of Fine Arts
834:The New York Times
728:The Sewanee Review
429:The New York Times
271:The Sewanee Review
164:The Sewanee Review
132:John Edgar Wideman
644:Irish Independent
284:"Traffic Jam" in
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809:. March 1967
806:Google Books
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799:Negro Digest
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145:Sylvia Plath
140:Mademoiselle
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25:Diane Oliver
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952:1966 deaths
947:1943 births
777:. July 1966
463:February 3,
400:February 3,
339:February 3,
216:Grove Press
149:Joan Didion
941:Categories
313:References
256:II (1965).
898:0027-8378
847:March 18,
842:0362-4331
507:Neighbors
489:March 18,
196:in 1967.
61:Education
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458:eNotes
55:, U.S.
40:, U.S.
740:JSTOR
735:JSTOR
905:2024
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31:Born
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