Book lovers are invited to hear Tennessee author Susan Gregg Gilmore speak on her latest novel, “The Funeral Dress,” March 18, at Dalton State’s sixth annual Book Festival.
This annual literary festival celebrates authors from the South, including local authors. The Book Festival is hosted by Dalton State’s Roberts Library and made possible with support from the Dalton State Foundation to promote literacy and a lifelong love of reading.
“Susan came to our first book festival in 2010 and has been a great supporter of getting our book festival established,” said Lydia Knight, Director of Roberts Library.
“She is an engaging and insightful speaker and I look forward to hearing her talk about her new novel, which is set in nearby Dunlap, Tenn.”
Mrs. Gilmore was born in Nashville, and grew up spending summers with her paternal grandparents in Ringgold. Her first novel, “Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen,” was inspired by her experiences in North Georgia.
She began her writing career at the University of Virginia as a reporter for the school’s award-winning newspaper, “The Cavalier Daily.” She has also written for publications such as the “Los Angeles Times,” “The Christian Science Monitor,” and the “Chattanooga Times-Free Press.” While on staff at the Free Press, Gilmore wrote a weekly column about parenting in the South.
Mrs. Gilmore currently lives in Chattanooga with her husband, with whom she has three daughters.
“The Funeral Dress,” Mrs. Gilmore’s third novel, focuses on the lives of two women who work as collar makers at a local shirt factory in Tennessee. When one dies, the other desires to make her a funeral dress, but many people don’t think the unmarried mother of an illegitimate child should make the dress for a Christian woman.
“I found the book very moving,” Ms. Knight said. “Susan portrays these poor and hardworking Appalachian women with dignity and respect. It was a beautiful portrait of the kinship and sisterhood of all women.”
Mrs. Gilmore will speak on “The Funeral Dress” in Room 105 of the James E. Brown Center at 6:30 p.m. The program is free and open to the public.
For more information about the Dalton State Book Festival, contact Roberts Library at 706-272-4575.