MOUNT VERNON – Writer Lee Martin is a bit of a legend, although you’d never know it by his relaxed, friendly demeanor and love of goofy puns. The author of over a dozen books, he is a Pulitzer Prize nominee and a distinguished professor of English at Ohio State University, and he’ll be at the Public Library of Mount Vernon and Knox County on Tuesday, May 10, at 6:30 p.m. to talk about his latest novel: "Yours, Jean."
Patrons are invited to join in discussion with the author, led by two of Lee’s former students: Development and Writing Program Manager Jamie Lyn Smith-Fletcher and special guest Ira Sukrungruang, Richard L. Thomas professor of creative writing at Kenyon College. The event will be held in the Library’s outdoor annex in the West parking lot, and attendees are encouraged to enjoy complimentary mocktails before the book discussion begins. For readers who have not yet had the opportunity to enjoy Lee’s work, the library is offering a limited number of free copies of "Yours, Jean." Books are available while supplies last, and patrons are encouraged to stop by the main library at 201 N. Mulberry St. during business hours.
The Ohio Writers Community Book Discussion Series is made possible by a grant from the American Library Association’s American Rescue Plan: Humanities Grants for Libraries opportunity, an emergency relief program in collaboration with the National Endowment for Humanities that assists libraries adversely affected by the pandemic. This 6-month series at PLMVKC consists of book giveaways that introduce PLMVKC readers to Ohio writers, including Alison Stine (June 21), Marcus Jackson (July 12), Joey Kim and Ayendy Bonifacio
(Aug. 9) and Sukrungruang (Sept. 20). The books include a variety of genres: memoir, literary fiction, true-crime and personal essays, speculative fiction, and poetry. The library’s reading series is a collaboration with Mount Vernon Arts Consortium, the Kenyon Review, and Kenyon College Office for Community Partnerships.
Martin is the author of the novels "The Bright Forever," a finalist for the 2006 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction; "River of Heaven;" "Quakertown;" "Break the Skin;" "Late One Night" and "Yours, Jean." He has also published three memoirs: "From Our House," "Turning Bones" and "Such a Life," and two short story collections, "The Mutual UFO Network" and "The Least You Need To Know." He is the author of a craft book, "Telling Stories: The Craft of Narrative and the Writing of Life." His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in such places as Harper's, Ms., Creative Nonfiction, The Georgia Review, The Kenyon Review, River Teeth, Glimmer Train, The Best American Mystery Stories and The Best American Essays. He is the winner of the Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Ohio Arts Council.
Reservations are encouraged, but not required, for this program. For reservations or more information about events in the Ohio Writers Community Book Discussion Series, visit www.knox.net, email knoxwrites1@gmail.com or call 740-392-2665, Ext 259. In the event of inclement weather, this event will be relocated to Ariel Foundation Park’s Urton Clockhouse, 10 Pittsburgh Ave., Mount Vernon, and an announcement will be made no later than 4 p.m. on the day of the event. American Rescue Plan: Humanities Grants for Libraries is an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA) made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
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