Pamela Akers Thuston bought a three-bedroom, 2.5 bath at 912 Woodleigh Cove in Oakland from Mary Jo Ward for $332,500 on Jan. 28.

The 1,847 square foot home, which was built in 1961, was listed for $355,500. Jiggs Dunn of Prudential Real Estate in Ladue was the agent for the sale.

Ward is an acclaimed poet whose 2007 work "Elegy" was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.

Since 2005, she has served as director of the creative writing program at Washington University. She joined the school in 2000 as a professor.

She previously worked as a physician assistant in Chicago.

Ward has both a bachelor's and master's in Sociology from Northwestern University. She also earned her physician assistant degree from St. Louis University. In addition, she holds a B.F.A. from the Polytechnic of Central London and a M.F.A. in poetry from Columbia University.

Akers-Thurston is a real estate agent with Janet McAfee Realty.

Oakland home sales rose 56 percent in 2007. The median price over that time period, however, has slipped $21,000 from $241,000 in 2006 to $220,000 in 2007.

Median sales prices in Oakland peaked in 2005 before dropping off dramatically in 2006, according to BlockShopper Metrics, which began keeping track in 1999.

Address: 912 Woodleigh Cove
Buyer(s): Thuston Pamela Akers
Seller(s): Mary J Ward
Sale date: Jan. 28, 2008