The Wittiest American was from Mount Gilead, Ohio

I first stumbled upon Dawn Powell just a couple of days ago while reading Donald Ray Pollock's Knockemstiff, which begins with a Powell quote: All Americans come from Ohio originally, if only briefly. This quote made me chuckle since it reminded me of one of my quests this past year while in England, namely explaining the importance of my home to the rest of the world. As you can imagine, many people have no idea where my home state is located in the immense country of America, let alone would they know what was produced there other than myself standing in front of them. Don't get me wrong, some people knew of Ohio because a favorite band, sports team or actor was from there but that's usually where the recognition of the state ended. Therefore my task was typically attempted by my mentioning of famous people, companies or crops (I'm a botanist by training and worked with farmers for my Msc project) and apparently became so rampant in my chats that some friends would anticipate my interjections by saying 'Are they from Ohio too?!?!?' rather sarcastically. Thus, I thought that this particularly endearing quote must be from a fellow Ohioan since we are the only ones who truly understand or appreciate the importance of our humble little abode. This small thought eluded me until strangely enough, I just happened to catch part of a Gilmore Girls episode this morning in which Rory mentions Ms. Powell to her friend Lane. Rory has been reading Powell's Complete Novels and says that no one has heard of Powell and explains that it is a shame since some have claimed that she deserves credit for some of Dorothy Parker's best jokes. This second mention of Powell within just a span of a couple of days made me realize that I should look further into the life of this noteworthy woman. After a quick internet search, I found that this extraordinary woman was born in Mount Gilead, which is a stone's throw away from where my family hails. Although I have yet to read her writings (I have placed holds on books from my library) and learn more about what made her tick, from what I have gathered thus far makes me think that I may have stumbled upon a kindred spirit: a woman drawn to sophisticated cosmopolitans, worldly adventures and the unknown but who still cherishes small-town Ohio.

Story of a country girl