C.L. Willis presents HILLBILLY ODYSSEY: RESILIENCE IN A SMALL MOUNTAIN MILL TOWN with Tom Rash

Name: C.L. Willis presents HILLBILLY ODYSSEY: RESILIENCE IN A SMALL MOUNTAIN MILL TOWN with Tom Rash
Start: 2025-08-16T15:00:00-04:00
Location: 3 East Jackson Street, Sylva, NC, United States, North Carolina 28779

Schedule

Sat, 16 Aug, 2025 at 03:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

3 East Jackson Street, Sylva, NC, United States, North Carolina 28779 | Sylva, NC

C.L. Willis will visit City Lights on Saturday, August 16th at 3:00pm to share his memoir, Hillbilly Odyssey: Resilience in a Small Mountain Mill Town in conversation with Tom Rash.
C. L. Willis’ memoir weaves together the threads of family, community, church, and place, presenting them as the very essence of Appalachian life. Willis deftly showcases the remarkable resilience exhibited by his family and the indomitable spirit of his hometown in the face of adversity. These stories serve as a poignant counterpoint to the prevalent, reductionist, and often derogatory portrayals that have long plagued the Appalachian people and their culture.
C. L. Willis, a native of Canton, North Carolina, is professor emeritus of sociology and criminology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. This is his first book. His previous publications were scholarly articles in social science journals. After retiring from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, he moved back to his beloved mountains. He lives with his daughter, son-in-law, and two grandchildren in Alexander, NC.