Haircuts for the Dead: William Walsh in conversation with Megan Volpert

Join us for a conversation between William Walsh and Megan Volpert to celebrate the release of Walsh's new novel Haircuts for the Dead, a modern retelling of the Fall of Man in a small-town Peyton Place. This event, which will be held in the Decatur Library Auditorium, is free and open to the public. Registration is requested, not required.

About the Book:

When twenty-one-year-old Hannah Gardner’s father sells the family farm, she is cast onto the streets of Sundown, Georgia, where, having left her fundamentalist church, she grapples with the weight of her family’s racist past. Working as a shampoo girl at a rinky-dink salon, Hannah tries to make ends meet cutting hair at the local funeral home. After finding herself in a precarious situation where she is raped by Hawkshaw Bales, a local criminal, Hannah is blackmailed by Bales to take custody of the resulting child. When Hannah is befriended by Margaret, the Black librarian, their interracial friendship develops into a love affair where Hannah finds the tenderness and protection she needs. Despite all the trials Hannah endures, she keeps a journal, her “Document of Life,” and records Bible verses to show that even when you turn away from “God’s steady light, He lives within you.” When the family farm is destroyed, Hannah saves some apple seeds in the hope of planting an orchard on new land and building a future with Margaret. With each haircut she gives at the funeral home, Hannah sends her customers to the hereafter with honor. Haircuts for the Dead is a modern retelling of the Fall of Man in a small-town Peyton Place where Hannah is kicked out of Eden and forced to deal with race issues, her sexual identity, the burdens of her family’s past, and challenges to her faith.

About the Author:

William Walsh is the author of ten books and is the editor of the James Dickey Review. He teaches at Reinhardt University and directs the undergraduate creative writing program, as well as the low-residency MFA program. Walsh lives in Sandy Springs, Georgia. Haircuts for the Dead is his second novel.

About the Conversation Partner:

Megan Volpert's purpose is to give good guidance. She creates sacred spaces where charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent can thrive. Volpert is the author or editor of over a dozen books on popular culture, including two Lambda Literary Award finalists and an American Library Association honoree. She is the author of Why Alanis Morissette Matters, and she won Georgia Author of the Year for Boss Broad. She teaches at Kennesaw State and Reinhardt Universities.