N.C. author Rebecca McClanahan to read from memoir at ECU
“Light Falls on Everything” explores caregiving, grief, love and loss
- Author Rebecca McClanahan will read from her memoir, “Light Falls on Everything,” at ECU’s Joyner Library on Sept. 21.
- The free public event will include a reception and book purchase opportunity.
East Carolina University’s Department of English and the North Carolina Literary Review (NCLR) will host North Carolina writer Rebecca McClanahan for a free reading from her new memoir, “Light Falls on Everything,” at 5 p.m. Sept. 21, in the Faulkner Gallery at Joyner Library. The memoir explores experiences familiar to many families who navigate the challenges of caring for aging parents and confronting loss. The event will include a reception with light snacks. Books will be available for purchase.
Based on McClanahan’s journey caring for her parents in their last years of life, the memoir takes readers inside the intimate rooms of long-term caregiving, where exhaustion, confusion, heartbreak and grief can shadow the most ordinary days. Still, light flickers in even the darkest corners, revealing moments of tenderness, laughter, absurdity, surprise and unrelenting love. The book invites readers to accept grief as a longtime companion and approach death with some measure of grace.
“I’ve read the memoir through twice now, and I am in awe of this writer’s patience and devotion to her parents in their last years — much longer than she likely thought it would be when she moved her parents closer to her and her husband,” NCLR editor Margaret Bauer said. “Of course, Rebecca McClanahan’s experience is uniquely her own, but she is also telling a common story about the inevitable time when, if your parents live into their 80s or 90s, the parent/child roles will reverse. Each chapter is an independent essay, and I believe each reader will find an essay that captures their own experience with caring for an aging parent and/or a parent with dementia.”
The author of 12 books, McClanahan has published works in The Best American Poetry, The Pushcart Prize Series, The Sun and in anthologies by Beacon Press, Norton, Doubleday, Penguin and numerous other publishers.
Individuals requesting accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act should call 252-737-1018 or email ada-coordinator@ecu.edu at least 48 hours before the event.