WILSON, N.C. — March 2, 2018 — Expect an evening of delightful humor with acclaimed author Drew Perry at the upcoming Barton College Friends of Hackney Library Spring Dinner and Lecture scheduled for Tuesday, April 3, 2018. The event will be held in Hardy Alumni Hall on the campus of Barton College.
A book signing and wine reception will be held from 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. with the program immediately following dinner. Perry will be available to sign copies of his books at the event, which will be available for purchase, both at the book signing and following the program.
Space is limited, and the deadline for making reservations is Monday March 26. Admission for the event is $35 person. Admission for Friends of Hackney Library members, and for Barton faculty/staff, students, and spouses is $30 per person. For information or to make reservations for the event, please contact Ann Dolman at (252) 399-6507, or email the Friends of Hackney Library at [email protected].
About the Author —
Perry is the author of two humorous novels as well as several short fiction, poetry, and nonfiction works, and he is a regular contributor to “Our State” magazine. An associate professor of English at Elon University, he is described on the university’s website “a family man . . . [who] writes about relatable challenges and fears involving fatherhood, parenting, marriage, love, and life in general.”
Perry’s first novel, “This Is Just Exactly Like You,” was a finalist for the Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize, a Best-of-the-Year pick from “The Atlanta Journal Constitution,” and a SIBA Okra pick. It has proven to be a favorite of critics and fellow novelists alike. Author Jill McCorkle summarized it, saying, “Drew Perry’s wonderful debut will hold readers spellbound from beginning to end—think A Midsummer Night’s Dream set in a small college town, plus a dog named Yul Brynner. The estranged grownups switch partners and dance back and forth with some of the liveliest dialogue I’ve read in years, all while struggling to come face to face with reality. And at the center of this often comical, sometimes tragic chaos is that reality—a child, Hendrick, brilliant and autistic—with the power to ultimately pull this cast of memorable characters back into the light of day, and give them new perspective on what is most important. Perry is a gifted writer, and this novel, with its wit and warmth and wisdom, is an absolute winner.”
“Kids These Days,” Perry’s second novel, is also highly acclaimed. It was an Amazon Best-of-the-Month pick and was named to the “Kirkus Reviews” lists for “Winter’s Best Bets” and “Books So Funny You’re Guaranteed to Laugh.” Author Dave Barry noted, “A terrific writer, Perry has written a wonderful book about a man dealing with—among other things—the angst of impending fatherhood. It’s sweet, soulful, smart, and funny as hell. A great read.” A “Library Journal” review calls the book “[a] timely look at contemporary America, with its unexpected economic setbacks and the bargains made to surmount them. Readers of Nick Hornby, Dave Eggers, and Jonathan Tropper should enjoy this compelling novel, the story of a man in transition that might lure a few Florida fiction fans as well.”
While Perry’s first two novels each feature a contemporary setting, a single narrator, and cover a relatively short span of time, his third effort is a bit more complex. According to Elon University, his current work-in-progress is “more ambitious in size and scope.” Titled “Dear Firecracker,” this third novel, “situated around two Space Shuttle disasters of 1986 and 2003, is historical, with multiple narrators. It aims to be a Big American Novel, a book that asks big questions and seeks to comment on the American Experiment in more direct ways than his other two.”
Perry is a native of Jacksonville, Fla., but grew up in Atlanta, Ga. He attended the University of Georgia, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism (ABJ) degree in Advertising and Journalism. He continued his education, earning a Master of Fine Arts degree in Fiction at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He has been teaching at Elon University since 1999.
He is married to Tita Ramirez, fellow writer and associate professor of English at Elon University. They have two young sons and make their home in Greensboro.
END