Alum returns to U. to read from hit novel

McKinney-Whetstone has dreamed of writing a novel since she was only 10 years old. At the age of 10, West Philadelphia native Diane McKinney-Whetstone won her first writing contest -- inspiring her to dream of writing a novel someday. Earlier this year, the University alumna released her debut novel, Tumbling -- and praise from both critics and the public followed quickly. An intimate group gathered in the Institute for Contemporary Art's Tuttleman Auditorium yesterday afternoon to hear McKinney-Whetstone read from the novel. Tumbling explores the relationship between two African-American women abandoned at infancy. They fight fiercely to preserve their neighborhood against the city's plans to destroy it. English Professor Peter Conn introduced the author, noting it had been 25 years since she had been his student. As a sophomore at West Philadelphia High School, McKinney-Whetstone participated in a joint program between her high school and the University, where Conn first met her. "[Tumbling] is lyrical and beautiful, and filled with extraordinary characters and takes place in Philadelphia," Conn said. McKinney-Whetstone graduated from the University in 1975 and now works as a public affairs officer for the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service. In between her day job and caring for twin daughters, she managed to find time to complete her novel in two years -- sneaking downstairs between 5 and 7 a.m. to use the computer. South Philadelphia in the 1940s and '50s serves as the setting for the novel, incorporating the vigor and vibrancy of the jazz era and the strength and influence of the church. "It was a time where they took their jazz very seriously, and the church was central to people's lives," McKinney-Whetstone said. "To particularize it, I had to do some research. I talked to people and read old copies of the Philadelphia Tribune to see what issues were important." Her story revolves around Herbie and Noon, a loving but haunted couple who are unable to consummate their marriage. They pray for children and their dreams appear to come true when they find two girls, Liz and Fannie, at their doorstep and welcome them into their home. "I imagined the characters and they evolved through the pages, and I had to learn to trust them -- the characters just came to life," McKinney-Whetstone said. "The title, Tumbling, happens literally and metaphorically throughout the pages." McKinney-Whetstone revealed that her next novel will be set in 1960s Philadelphia. College sophomore Melissa Barrett, who attended yesterday's reading, said she hadn't read the novel yet. "I was interested because it was about a community in Philadelphia, in the neighborhood where I grew up," she said. Barrett is a student in Conn's English 401 course, the same class whose students McKinney-Whetstone worked with when she was at West Philadelphia High School. "I benefitted from it a great deal," McKinney-Whetstone said. "It was truly a stimulating time and it certainly contributed to my current writing career. The notions I learned never went away."