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Alice Lloyd College is pleased to welcome writer Charles Dodd White to campus as part of the Billie and Curtis Owens Literary Series. White, an Appalachian scribe from rugged western North Carolina, has published three books in the last year: Lambs of Men (a brilliant short novel that heralded his entry onto the literary scene), the short story collection Sinners of Sanction County (this very fine collection has been nominated for the prestigious Weatherford Award), and Degrees of Elevation (an anthology of contemporary Appalachian short fiction). One of the current giants in Southern and Appalachian literature, Ron Rash, has dubbed White “the real deal.” About his own writing, White has said, “My work is about the people in and around the southern Appalachian Mountains, both in the past and present.” Indeed, his prose is spare yet powerfully rich, and the darkness and violence in his writings are balanced out quite effectively by his precise and lyrical language.  

During this convocation, students will have the opportunity to hear one of Appalachia’s most exciting and promising new voices. White will read selections of his work and has planned to be accompanied onstage by a musical guest. Having served on staff at the Hindman Settlement School’s Appalachian Writers Workshop, this writer is definitely well-respected in the region and will certainly deliver an entertaining and educational presentation to our students. At present, White is hard at work on his second novel titled Benediction, which he has described as “contemporary and set in the mountains and involves an old man suffering delusions who lives with his daughter-in-law while his son has been in federal prison.” Perhaps we will find out more about this intriguing project during tomorrow’s convocation; however, one thing is certain: Charles Dodd White is continuing the Appalachian tradition of grand storytelling and will no doubt add his name to this region’s list of literary greats.

Please join us on Thursday, March 1st, at 1 PM in the Estelle Campbell Center for the Arts on the campus of Alice Lloyd College to take advantage of your opportunity to meet this young, emerging, and exceptionally talented writer. A perfect convo for English majors and all lovers of literature and Appalachia, White is sure to showcase his impressive ability of writing “grim psalms” and stories that possess a “violent beauty.”

To learn more about Charles Dodd White, visit his website. Also, visit Still: The Journal for a recent interview and go here to listen to WMMT’s Hillbilly Solid with Silas House, a radio program that features a great and informative conversation with the writer.

To read an excerpt from his new novel, click here.