On November 2 and 3, 2009, the writer Dennis Covington will make two public appearances—a reading and a lecture--at Hillsdale College.

Mr. Covington is the author of five books, including the novel Lizard and, most recently, Redneck Riviera: Armadillos, Outlaws, and the Demise of an American Dream. He is best known for Salvation on Sand Mountain, his riveting account of snake-handling fundamentalist Christianity in southern Appalachia, and a finalist for the 1995 National Book Award for Nonfiction. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times Magazine, Vogue, Esquire, Redbook, Georgia Review, Oxford American, and many other periodicals. It has been widely anthologized in this country and translated into eight languages abroad. A native of Birmingham, Alabama, he currently makes his home on the high plains of West Texas, where he teaches in the creative writing program at Texas Tech University.

During his visit, Mr. Covington will give two public presentations. In the first of these events, on November 2 at 8:00 p.m., he will read from his work. On the following evening, November 3 at 8:00 p.m., he will deliver a talk titled “The Problem of the Azure-Hooded Jay.” Both events are free and open to the public, and will be held in Phillips Auditorium on the Hillsdale College campus.

Two of Mr. Covington’s books--Salvation on Sand Mountain and Redneck Riviera--are currently available for purchase at the Hillsdale College Bookstore.

For more information, please call John Somerville at (517) 607-2431.