One of New York Times bestselling novelist Wiley Cash’s favorite authors, Thomas Wolfe, wrote a famous book called “You Can’t Go Home Again.”
With apologies to Wolfe, you can go home again. Just ask Cash, who earned a doctoral degree in English from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2008.
The writer-in-residence at the University of North Carolina-Asheville will return to his alma mater during Graduate Student Appreciation Week, April 9-13. Most events during the week are open only to graduate students and faculty and staff members.
The public, however, can hear keynote speaker Cash offer advice to students during the Doctoral Candidacy Recognition ceremony. The free event will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 10, at the Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise Center, 537 Cajundome Blvd.
Cash will visit students pursuing graduate degrees in English during a private event on Wednesday, April 11, in the Griffin Hall conference room on the second floor. He will discuss his experiences as a writer and teacher.
Cash debuted in 2012 with “A Land More Kind than Home,” a book he began while enrolled at UL Lafayette. It won the John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger Award from the Crime Writers Association of America.
His second effort, “This Dark Road to Mercy,” was shortlisted for the Edgar Allan Poe Award, one of the most prestigious awards in literature. Cash was one of five writers considered for the 2015 award. Stephen King won for “Mr. Mercedes.”
Cash’s third novel, “The Last Ballad,” was published last year. It’s a “beautifully written look at the real people involved in the labor movement,” according to Kirkus Reviews. It was named a “Best Book of 2017” by the Chicago Public Library and the American Library Association.
The appreciation week was established in 1993 by the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students. It acknowledges contributions made by graduate and professional students. Professional students are seeking professional degrees, such as a doctor of education, MBA and Juris Doctorate.
Learn more about UL Lafayette’s events: https://gradschool.louisiana.edu/
Photo credit: Tiffany B. Davis