11/4/02

Jay Lamar, 334/844-4947

PEBBLE HILL

PEBBLE HILL PROGRAMS BRING BACK EX-RESIDENTS

AUBURN -- A program on Thursday and another on Nov. 20 at Pebble Hill, Auburn University's Center for the Arts & Humanities, will bring former Auburn residents back to read from their new novels.

On Thursday, John M. Williams will read from his novel, Lake Moon, newly published by Mercer University Press.

On Nov. 20, Mississippi native and long-time Auburn resident Caine Campbell will read from A Reminder of Stones, also published this year.

Both readings will begin at 4 p.m. at Pebble Hill in Auburn. The readings are free and open to the public and a reception will follow each. Copies of the books will be available for purchase and signing.

Williams grew up in Auburn, earned an M.A. from AU in 1978 and ran a small printing business for several years before joining the faculty of LaGrange College in Georgia.

Williams says his writing "evolved from drawing during adolescence Š since college I have written a great deal, published a little and won a couple of contests."

Lake Moon, which looks at the turbulent Atlanta music scene of the 1970s, has been highly praised for its rich characters and pitch-perfect dialogue. Williams' reputation as a "confident, superior writer" is amply supported by the novel.

He is also co-author, with Ken Clark, of several musical plays, which were produced in Columbus, Ga., to enthusiastic acclaim.

Campbell sets fictional sheriff Cable Bannerman in the heart of his family's vast Texas spread, where he engages in far-reaching discussions with the editor of the local newspaper and deals with the miscreant and criminal. A violent murder is at the core of the action; Bannermanšs personal mystery is at the heart of the book.

Former dean of the College of Liberal Arts at AU, Campbell lived in Kerrville, Texas, before recently locating to Georgia, and draws on a personal familiarity with the Texas landscape in the book, described as a "quintessential Texas page-turner."

At least one critic has noted a similarity between Bannerman and President George W. Bush, writing, "People who read the novel will get an understanding of Cable, but they may be drawn to read it in order to get an understanding of President Bush."

nov02:AU-books

CONTACT: Jay Lamar at 334/844-4947.