Bennett, O. H. 1957-

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BENNETT, O. H. 1957-

PERSONAL:

Born October 18, 1957, in Fort Jackson, SC; son of Oscar (in the U.S. Army) and Bettina Bennett. Ethnicity: "African-American." Education: University of Evansville, B.S. (journalism); George Mason University, M.F.A. (creative writing).

ADDRESSES:

Agent—c/o Author's Mail, Laughing Owl Publishing, 12620 Hwy 90 West, Grand Bay, AL 36541. E-mail—bennettoh@hotmail.com.

CAREER:

Technical writer and novelist. Technical writer and editor for software developer in northern Virginia, 1985—; formerly worked as an advertising copywriter. Military service: U.S. Marine Corps, 1982-85.

WRITINGS:

The Colored Garden (novel), Laughing Owl Publishing (Grand Bay, AL), 2000.

SIDELIGHTS:

O. H. Bennett told CA: "I think a writer's first obligation is to communicate, and then to entertain. I aspire to tell stories that show the truth about how we are with each other and how we are with ourselves. I want them to be as truthful and as illusory as a photograph."

Bennett described his debut novel, The Colored Garden, as "African-American southern fiction." The story of a ten-year-old boy's summer spent on his grandparents' farm in Kentucky, the book was praised by Booklist contributor Ellie Barta-Moran as "beautiful and real; impossible to put down."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, February 15, 2000, Ellie Barta-Moran, review of The Colored Garden, p. 1079; November 15, 2000, Bonnie Smothers, review of The Colored Garden, p. 622.

Library Journal, March 15, 2000, Michele Leber, review of The Colored Garden, p. 124.

New York Times, June 25, 2000, Jeff Waggoner, review of The Colored Garden.