New York Times writer coming to ETSU

Published 1:52 pm Monday, September 26, 2022

JOHNSON CITY — New York Times writer and well-known author Margaret Renkl is coming to East Tennessee State University.

Two free public events happen on Tuesday, Oct. 4.

The first is an “in conversation” session with Renkl at 3 p.m. in room 118 of Rogers-Stout Hall on ETSU’s main campus. The second is a public reading and book signing at 7 p.m. in the Powell Recital Hall at the ETSU Martin Center for the Arts.

“I believe Margaret Renkl is one of the most important voices in America right now. She is a rigorous thinker and a fearless truth-teller, examining life in the American South as we live through it day by day,” said Dr. Jesse Graves, ETSU’s poet-in-residence and a professor in the Department of Literature and Language. “She responds not only to the challenges and struggles of our time, looking squarely at gun violence and racial inequality, but also reminds her readers of the radiance of life found all around us if we spare the energy to look for it and recognize it.”

The event is sponsored by the Bert C. Bach Written Word Initiative, an endeavor founded in 2015 that funds a range of programs and workshops at ETSU.

A native of Alabama, Renkl has published two well-received books: “Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss” and “Graceland, at Last: Notes on Hope and Heartache from the American South.”

Her weekly essays appear every Monday in the New York Times.

“I hope as many of our students as possible can share in the opportunity to hear Margaret Renkl speak, and to learn all they can from her wise and generous point of view,” Graves added. “We also invite members of the community to attend what I know will be an engaging day.”

For additional information, contact Graves at gravesj@etsu.edu.