Ahead of Her Time: The Trailblazing Life and Literary Legacy of Ann Head
Ahead of Her Time: The Trailblazing Life and Literary Legacy of Ann Head
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A blue blood and a bohemian, author Ann Head was an essential voice of mid-century fiction, known for challenging societal norms and amplifying women’s struggles in an era that often silenced them. Now, for the first time, her mysterious personal life is unveiled through the lens of her eldest daughter, Nancy Thode. Through meticulous archival work and transcriptions of Head’s journals, Thode offers an intimate portrait of a writer whose life and fiction were deeply intertwined — one who influenced a generation of writers, including her student, the acclaimed Pat Conroy, who noted in his autobiography that "every time I sell a book, I put a rose on her grave."
More than just a biography, this book is a celebration of Ann Head’s enduring legacy. Featuring a selection of her published stories, it invites readers to experience her boundary-pushing prose firsthand. It also includes never-before-seen letters from a young Pat Conroy, whose early poems and admiration for Head reveal her lasting impact on one of the South’s most celebrated literary voices. Perfect for longtime fans and new readers alike, this book is essential reading for anyone drawn to revolutionary women, literary history, and the inescapable connection between life and art.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR —
A native of Beaufort, South Carolina, Nancy Head Thode is a graduate of Ashley Hall School, Towson State University, and the University of Maryland School of Social Work. An early advocate for family mediation, she was a founding board member of the Academy of Family Mediators and continues her work today as a practicing family psychotherapist.
Later in life, she discovered a passion for community theater, starring in several productions and writing and producing one-woman shows. A strong believer in the power of fellowship, she now chairs the Gatherings Committee at Christ Church Greenwich in Connecticut.
In 2020, she established the Ann Head Literary Award for Short Story Fiction at Beaufort High School, where her mother, Ann Head, once taught and mentored a young Pat Conroy.
The mother of two and grandmother of five, Nancy currently divides her time between Stamford, Connecticut, and Fripp Island, near Beaufort, South Carolina. This is her first book.