New York Times Bestselling Author to be Featured "Dynamic Dialogues" Guest Lecturer

Aiken Technical College will conclude the 2020-21 season of its Dynamic Dialogues Guest Lecture Series with a virtual lecture by New York Times bestselling author Ron Rash.

The free virtual event, Burning Bright: An Author’s Talk, will be held Thursday, March 25, at 11:30 a.m. Attendees can join online at http://bit.ly/38LmKhD or by phone at (571) 392-7650 and enter the PIN: 753 814 2925.

Rash has authored several novels and collections of poems and short stories, including Burning Bright, the featured common read for students in ATC’s English courses for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 academic years. The common read is also one of the activities under the College’s Quality Enhancement Plan titled “Read, Write, Achieve.”

“Our students have engaged thoughtfully with the stories in Burning Bright and are looking forward to hearing from Mr. Rash and having an opportunity to ask questions about his work. It has been inspiring to see the way adopting a common read has sparked conversations among students and faculty across campus, both virtually and in person,” said Stacey Nichols, Communications Department Chair and co-chair for the College’s Quality Enhancement Plan.

Rash has received numerous recognitions for his works, including the Sidney Lanier Prize for Southern Literature, a two-time recipient of the O. Henry Prize, and was a finalist for the 2007 PEN/Faulkner Award. In addition to being an author, he is a Parris Distinguished Professor in Appalachian Cultural Studies at Western Carolina University.