On Friday afternoon, Jan. 31, authors Matthew Guinn of Jackson and Michael Piafsky of Mobile, La., will share the stage at 929 Coffee Bar in Starkville, where they will read from and discuss their celebrated debut novels. The event at 106 E. Main St. begins at 4 p.m.
Guinn’s novel, “The Resurrectionist,” weaves the Civil War-era story of a man responsible for procuring human corpses for doctors’ anatomy training with the modern-day story of the bones of dissected American slaves being discovered during a campus renovation.
Andre Dubus III praises Guinn’s novel as “daring to step into the long shadow of class and race in this country, a shadow into which Guinn shines a natural-born storyteller’s illuminating light.”
The novel was recently nominated for the prestigious Edgar Award for the year’s best first mystery novel published in America.
Piafsky is the director of creative writing at Spring Hill College in Mobile. His novel, “All the Happiness You Deserve,” is an Everyman’s search for truth and meaning in a life fraught with unsettling challenges, joyful milestones and the unconscious awareness of the passage of time. The 78 cards of the Tarot deck frame the narrator’s story as he journeys through the phases of his life from childhood to old age.
Booklist calls Piafsky’s novel “beautifully written and deeply rewarding” and predicts that “Piafsky is heading toward becoming a major writer.”
The Redbud Reading Series was founded by Michael Kardos, associate professor of English and co-director of creative writing at Mississippi State University, as a new way to showcase the region’s rich literary talent. “929 is an ideal, festive venue for an event like this,” Kardos said. “And the Book Mart, which will be handling book sales, has been extremely supportive, as well. I’m hoping lots of people will come out to our inaugural event.”
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