
Discussion with Author Susan Cushman
The next author featured in Southern Lit Alliance’s South Bound presentation series will be Susan Cushman, author of John and Mary Margaret, a novel about an interracial couple who meets at Ole Miss in the 60’s. Cushman’s interview will be in person at the Arts Building, 301 E. 11th St., at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, September 1st. Masks will be required for all attendees. Tickets are $15 for this event.
About Susan Cushman
Susan Cushman currently lives in Memphis, TN, where she has lived since 1988. She has written in many genres, including short stories, novels, and memoirs. Her short story collection Friends of the Library performed well and is the basis for the expanded story of the characters in John & Mary Margaret; her other works include but are not limited to the novel Cherry Bomb and the memoir Tangles and Plaques: A Mother and Daughter Face Alzheimer’s. Cushman is a frequent speaker and director at numerous writing conferences, workshops, and literary festivals, and her latest endeavor involves leading a monthly creative writing group at a senior living facility. Learn more about Susan Cushman and her career at susancushman.com
About John & Mary Margaret
In John and Mary Margaret, Cushman’s second novel and seventh book, she fleshes out their stories, covering over 50 years of their lives in Mississippi and Memphis against the setting of the Civil Rights Movement and on into present day.
The novel is ultimately an exploration of white privilege and romance as we watch Mary Margaret grow up in Jackson, Mississippi and participate in sorority life at Ole Miss in the late 1960's while John pursues his dream to study law at the predominantly white university. What happens when what begins as a shared love of literature between the two blossoms into a romance? How will the couple cope?
About Southern Lit Alliance
Southern Lit Alliance is a longstanding literary arts organization in Chattanooga, Tennessee founded in 1952. Our mission is to use the power of the written word to inspire, uplift, and educate by delivering literary arts experiences that encourage people to read and write. We engage and outreach to audiences through innovative experiences and educational enrichment in local schools and underserved communities in Chattanooga. For more information about Southern Lit Alliance, please visit www.southernlitalliance.org or call 423-777-4221. Southern Lit Alliance is funded by a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission and Arts Build.