About a week ago, I received an email message from Rebecca Tanner, the Managing Director of the Charlotte Center for the Humanities & Civic Imagination (more commonly known at the Charlotte Center). She asked me if I could help promote an upcoming event. She explained that are hosting Wiley Cash in conversation with Judy Goldman on the topic “Does modern literature have anything to say?” Of course I said yes.
Here is the specific information about the event. It will take place on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, from 6:30-8:00 at the McColl Center, 721 N. Tryon Street. A book signing will follow the program. Tickets cost $25 and are available here.
I asked Rebecca for more details about the event and its speakers, and she sent me the following information:
Does modern literature have anything to say? What are the compelling stories speaking to our times? One of literature’s great Southern authors addresses the question. Wiley is a thoughtful, engaging, humorous speaker that you do not want to miss!
Wiley Cash is an award-winning New York Times bestselling author of four novels, the founder of This Is Working, an online creative community, and host of the Our State Book Club podcast. He’s the recipient of many literary awards, including the Thomas Wolfe Book Prize, Southern Book Prize, and the American Library Association Book of the Year.
Published in 2021, Cash’s novel When Ghosts Come Home was a national bestseller and one of Amazon’s top 20 books of the year. The Last Ballad, published in 2017, received numerous awards as best book of the year.
He currently teaches creative writing and literature at the University of North Carolina-Asheville. He holds a Ph.D. in American Literature from UL-Lafayette, an M.A. in English from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, and a B.A. in Literature from UNC-Asheville.
Moderated by Judy Goldman
Judy Goldman is the author of seven books – three memoirs, two novels, and two collections of poetry. Her latest memoir, Child: A Memoir, was named a must-read by Katie Couric Media. Goldman has been published in The Southern Review and Kenyon Review. She has many literary awards, including the Hobson Award for Distinguished Achievement in Arts and Letters.
My thanks go to Rebecca for reaching out to me. My thanks also go to The Charlotte Center for the Humanities & Civic Imagination for organizing this event. Founded by Mark Peres in 2020, the Charlotte Center has quickly become an important voice for the humanities on our Storied Charlotte community.