Hosted by the Pat Conroy Literary Center, New York Times bestselling novelists Wiley Cash and Jason Mott will share the stage and a lively conversation about their writing lives and about their newest books—Cash’s historical novel The Last Ballad and Mott’s dystopian novel The Crossing.
Free and open to the public, this event is presented in partnership with the Technical College of the Lowcountry and will be held on Saturday, December 8, at 3:00 p.m. in the auditorium of the MacLean Hall (104 Reynolds St, bldg 12, Beaufort). Books will be available for sale and signing following the presentation, courtesy of NeverMore Books.
Part of the Pat Conroy Literary Center’s Visiting Writers Series, this program is sponsored in part by South Carolina Humanities, a not-for-profit organization; inspiring, engaging and enriching South Carolinians with programs on literature, history, culture, and heritage.
Wiley Cash (above) is the New York Times best-selling author of the novels A Land More Kind Than Home, This Dark Road to Mercy, and most recently The Last Ballad, a historical novel of the life of Ella May Wiggins, the mother of the protest ballad and martyr to the labor movement. Kirkus calls The Last Ballad “a heartbreaking and beautifully written look at the real people involved in the labor movement,” while Publisher’s Weekly writes, “This suspenseful, moving novel is a story of struggle and personal sacrifice for the greater good that will resonate with readers of John Steinbeck or Ron Rash.” Wiley Cash is the writer-in-residence at the University of North Carolina-Asheville.
Jason Mott (right) was nominated for a 2009 Pushcart Prize award and Entertainment Weekly listed him as one of their 10 “New Hollywood: Next Wave” people to watch. His debut novel The Returned was a New York Times bestseller published in internationally in 13 languages and adapted as the network television series Resurrected. His second novel, The Wonder of All Things was released in October 2017 and his third novel The Crossing was published in May 2018. Of that book, Publisher’s Weekly writes, “Mott spins a captivating, fast-paced dystopian tale about a world in chaos and twins fighting to stay alive . . . Fans of dystopian fiction will . . . enjoy Mott’s intriguing concept.” The Wilmington Star says, “Mott’s darts hit home, and his novel should leave readers thinking about the meaning of memory, the meaning of love and the connection between the two.” Jason Mott is the writer-in-residence at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington.
The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center is South Carolina’s first affiliate of the American Writers Museum and second American Library Association Literary Landmark. Through its interpretive center, year-round educational programs, and annual literary festival, the Conroy Center preserves and continues the literary legacy of Pat Conroy (1945–2016) as a teacher, mentor, advocate, and friend to readers and writers alike. To learn more about the Conroy Center, please visit www.patconroyliterarycenter.org.
