Author of “Katharine, the Wright Sister,” Tracey Enerson Wood, came to Wright State University to do a reading from her book, as well as talk about her researching and writing processes, answer questions and sign copies of her book. She shared her inspiration, holding a clear passion for Katherine Wright's often overlooked story.
Who was Katharine Wright?
Katharine Wright was the younger sister of the famous Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, the inventors of the airplane and the namesake of our university.
Katharine was born on Aug. 19, 1874, in Dayton, Ohio. She and her family lived locally, in Dayton for most of their lives. Their childhood home remained in Dayton until 1936, when Henry Ford had it moved to Michigan to be added to his collection of museums, called the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation. You can still visit the house up in Michigan today.
Cristie Scharer, the Director of Donor Relations at WSU, set up this event to introduce Wood to the WSU community. Scharer informed students about the purpose of the author's books.
“Tracey Enerson Wood discovers amazing women whose stories have been lost to history and brings them to life for today’s readers,” Scharer said.
History often overlooks Katharine when telling the Wright family's story. However, without her support, the Wright brothers would not have been able to create the first successful aircraft. Wood’s book dives into the relationships between Katharine and her famous siblings, highlighting the part she played in their success.
About the book
When writing a book, each author has their own process and steps they take for the preparation process. This is Wood's fourth historical fiction novel, based on real life, and Wood has found what works for her. She researches extensively, and includes a trip to the setting she is writing about. For this story, Wood visited the original Wright house in Michigan.
“I feel a responsibility to my readers to make sure I’m the right author to write this story. When I visited her room, I could feel her. I don’t know how else to describe it. I felt her telling me that she wanted me to write her story,” Wood said.
Although the Wright house is open to the public as a museum, visitors are unable to go upstairs due to the age of the house and concern for its safety. However, when she shared that she was writing a novel, an exception was made for Wood, allowing her to see Katharine’s room and gain further inspiration for this novel.
The book is historical fiction, recalling events from the life of Katharine and following her family through their great accomplishments, but focuses heavily on the relationships between Katharine and her brothers.
Authors will often find personal connections to the stories they are telling to make sure they are authentic and being communicated properly. Wood grew up with many siblings and drew from her own experiences to write about their relationships.
This book was important to help inform people about the work and sacrifices Katharine made, and the help she provided in making aviation history.
Katherine Ruffing and Dorothy Cochrane, writers for the National Air and Space Museum website, shared more details as to the work Wright contributed to her brothers in their race for flight.
“During their experiments and travels she handled communications, writing and supported their test flight operations. In 1909, she accompanied her brothers to Europe to obtain funding and promote sales,” Ruffing and Cochrane said.
There are so many other incredible women throughout history who have been overlooked. It is important that there are writers out there, like Tracey Enerson Wood, to share their stories and inform the world of the mark they made on history, even if that mark has been attempted to be erased.
