Chattanooga Times Free Press - ChattanoogaNow
Authors Singleton, Edgerton headline Writers@Work
George Singleton and Clyde Edgerton will be the featured authors when Chattanooga State Community College presents its annual Writers@Work program, beginning Monday, April 2.
The program provides a series of readings, book signings, drama and interviews for the public to learn more about the featured guests and their work.
Singleton’s work, “The Half Mammals of Dixie,” will be the event’s featured book. “The Half Mammals of Dixie” is a collection of short stories published in 2003 about “regular people just trying to get by.”
Singleton was born in Anaheim, Calif., but raised in Greenwood, S.C. He grew up wanting to be a track coach, but a college injury changed that trajectory. After some interest in law, he decided to pursue his love of writing, which had appeared in his late teens.
His writing has led to a number of awards and accolades i ncluding a finalist for the 2013 SIBA Book Awards, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Hillsdale Award for Fiction from the Fellowship of Southern Writers. He was inducted into the Fellowship of Southern Writers in April 2015, after accepting the Cobb Endowed Chair in the Humanities at Wofford College, where he currently teaches.
He has written seven collections of short stories, three novels and an instructional book on writing fiction.
Edgerton was raised near Durham, N.C. After serving in the Air Force during the Vietnam War, he finished his formal education by completing his Ph.D in 1977.
After teaching high school and college English classes, he broke onto the literary scene with “Raney” in 1985. His works, generally set in the South, explore themes of hypocrisy, religion and love.
He is the author of 10 novels, an advice book, a memoir, short stories and essays. His latest novel is “Where Trouble Sleeps.”
He has been a Guggenheim Fellow, is a member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers and is the Thomas S. Kenan III Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington.
WRITERS@WORK SCHEDULE OF PUBLIC EVENTS
› Monday, April 2, 7 p. m.: “Half- Mammals of the Stage: An Immersive Theater Experience,” Chattanooga State Humanities Building auditorium, 4501 Amnicola Highway. An interactive, multimedia dramatization of scenes from Singleton’s “The Half Mammals of Dixie.” › Tuesday, April 3, 5:15 p. m.: A Night at the Museum with George Singleton, Hunter Museum of American Art, 10 Bluff View. Gallery walk followed by reading, question-and-answer session and book signing. Dessert reception with an author meet-and- greet. › Wednesday, April 4, 5 p. m.: Writers@Work gets So- Lit with the Southern Lit Alliance and George Singleton, Arts Building, 301 E. 11th St. See box above. › Thursday, April 5, 4 p. m.: Chautauqua at Chattanooga State: Banter and Banjos with George Singleton and Clyde Edgerton, Kolwyck Library on Chattanooga State’s campus. A discussion of writing, music, reading, Q& A and book signing. › Thursday, April 5, 7 p. m.: George Singleton and Clyde Edgerton: Behind the Writer Interview, Chattanooga State Community College, Humanities Building auditorium, 4501 Amnicola Highway. Interview, story-swapping, Q& A, book signing and dessert reception.