Susan Kinsolving (née Baumann), a member of CalArts’ first MFA class in 1972, released her debut novel The Head’s Tale in April. Set in a prestigious New England prep school, the humorous, satirical novel takes on the upper, upper crust, focusing on the adventures of the first female head of an elite school.
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This secret could swamp her.
Miranda Crandell, the Head of Strutt horn Academy, has a brilliant idea to one-up the other elite New England prep schools with their piddling plots of organic veggies for experienti al learning: She’ll buy a swamp. Yes, a bog, a quagmire, an oozy acre, where she intends to build a special science center. What she doesn’t account for is Paul Dickersen—her newly hired freshwater biologist who is strikingly handsome (even in cargo pants) and turns out to be an irresistible lover.
Miranda’s days are fraught with student and personnel issues, but soon she becomes her own big problem. The Head of School is supposed to be a steadfast and principled role model for impetuous teenage students. Instead, Miranda becomes crazed with lust, spiraling into a wild and messy journey of self-discovery. Funny, sexy, and irreverent, The Head’s Tale is a delightf ul tromp through the muck of prep school drama—and a reminder that the process of growing up never truly ends.
While this is Kinsolver’s first novel, it’s not her first published work by any stretch. She’s has produced four collections of poetry, including 1999’s Dailies & Rushes, which was a finalist for The National Book Critics Circle Award. Her work has appeared in numerous publications including The New York Times Book Review, Poetry, The Paris Review, The New Republic, and The Washington Post.
While pursuing graduate studies at the Institute, Kinsolving—then Susan Baumann—served as teaching assistant to CalArts’ founding president Robert Corrigan. CalArts’ second president Bob Fitzpatrick, appointed Kinsolving the director of Admissions, Records, & Financial Aid, where she stayed on for seven years.
Also an educator, she’s taught at CalArts, The Bennington Writing Seminars, the University of Connecticut, Southampton College, Chautauqua Institute, Willard-Cybulski Men’s Prison, and The Hotchkiss School, a prestigious private prep school in Salisbury, Connecticut.
