Events

Thu 9/27 7pm-8pm Walter Bennett discusses Leaving Tuscaloosa This stunning debut novel (A Bellwether Prize Finalist) from Walter Bennett weaves in elegant prose the life-threads of two men segregated by race but alike in their familiarity with aspiration blunted by loss.  Publication of their balanced, deeply moral story will coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham.   Walter Bennett is a former lawyer, judge, and law professor who lives in Chapel Hill. He has published short fiction in both print and online journals. He is a native of Tuscaloosa, Alabama.         Selected Advance Praise: “Leaving Tuscaloosa is all story. From the moment some teenage white boys are involved in a prank that kills a respected member of the black community, the book is unstoppable. Compelling, important, and haunting.” Craig Nova, The Good Son, Cruisers....   “I've been there. I worked on the Tuscaloosa News in the early 70s, and I can tell you flat-out that Walter Bennett has a real gift for capturing time and place, and an absolute genius for creating his larger-than-life yet totally believable characters. Leaving Tuscaloosa is deeply moving, disturbing, haunting, and important.” Lee Smith, On Agate Hill, The Last Girls...   “In Leaving Tuscaloosa Walter Bennett skillfully reawakens those days when segregation/integration seemed the core problem of the world. Rich character development and strong scenes of action make this novel an absorbing experience for the reader, whether Southern or not.” Elizabeth Spencer, The Light in the Piazza, The Southern Woman...