A natural storyteller, Ron Rash has held audiences spellbound at many events across Western North Carolina — and around the country — over the past two decades. Not only do his works of poetry and prose speak to readers in the Carolinas, Hollywood has tapped two of his novels for big-screen adaptations. Serena (starring Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper) premiered at the BFI London Film Festival in October; The World Made Straight (starring Haley Joel Osment, Minka Kelly and Jeremy Irvine) is set for U.S. release in January.
Rash returns to his mountain roots with the launch of his new book, Something Rich and Strange: Selected Stories, at Malaprop’s Bookstore on Friday, Nov. 7. Something Rich and Strange is a volume of selected short stories culled from four previous collections of short fiction (Burning Bright, Nothing Gold Can Stay, Chemistry and The Night New Jesus Fell to Earth), as well as a couple of stories never previously published in book form.
Rash’s stories show the highs of lows of life in the Appalachians through the decades, from the hardscrabble years of the Great Depression through the current challenges of meth addiction. The 34 stories in Something Rich and Strange showcase Rash’s narrative powers and convey why his work has won so many accolades, including the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award and two O. Henry Awards.
WHO: Ron Rash
WHERE: Malaprop’s, malaprops.com
WHEN: Friday, Nov. 7, 7 p.m. Free
