Community Event: June 19, 2025 - LEE MARTIN in Conversation with Thao Thai

Event Description: The Friends are excited to host Lee Martin, the author of five novels, including The Bright Forever, a finalist for the 2006 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction at Board and Brush Creative Studio in Powell, OH. On Thursday, June 19th in this intimate conversation with Thao Thai, Lee will discuss his latest novel, The Evening Shades which tells the small town story of two lonely people, a widow and a traveler in 1972 rural Illinois and their understanding of truth and sacrifice. While The Evening Shades is a standalone novel; fans of The Bright Forever may recognize some familiar characters and settings! Lee Martin's writing has appeared in numerous publications including Harpers, Ms Magazine, The Georgia Review, and The Kenyon Review, and his work has been anthologized in The Best American Essays, and The Best American Mystery Stories. His books have been widely translated, and won numerous awards, including a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers award. He is the winner of the Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Ohio Arts Council. A native Midwesterner, he teaches in the MFA program at The Ohio State University.