DANVILLE, Va. — Philadelphia, Elvis, swinging and the beach are just a handful of the ingredients that went into Mrs. Nancy Emerson’s journal-turned-memoir, Joy in Difficult Times.
The event, which was hosted by the Kentucky Book Festival, took place virtually via zoom and Facebook.
During the event, House reflected on writing “Clay’s Quilt” and his other novels. House shared, with Correll and the audience, some of the inspirations for his books, including the stories he asked to hear from older family members when he was young and the community of Lily where he grew up.
House grew up around people with a natural ability for oral tradition. His version of storytelling came in written form.
“Since I was often too bashful to do that [orally tell stories], I wrote the stories down instead, so I would say that my being a writer absolutely stems from that desire to tell a story,” said House.