Personally Speaking to explore acclaimed novel ‘Sycamore’

English professor Bryn Chancellor’s award-winning novel “Sycamore” is the focus of the upcoming Personally Speaking event scheduled for Tuesday, March 26.

The novel centers on the possibility that a corpse, accidentally uncovered in small town Sycamore, is that of a teenaged girl who disappeared years earlier. This leads the entire town to reflect on the victim and themselves, dredging up old memories and old hurts.

In 2017, “Sycamore” was named one of Oprah Winfrey’s “O’s Top 20 Books to Read this Summer” and was chosen by Publishers Weekly’s as a starred review and Pick of the Week. Bustle included “Sycamore” among “The 17 Best Debut Novels by Women in 2017,” and Amazon picked it as one of “100 books of 2017.” It has been optioned for television.

The March 26 Personally Speaking event with Chancellor, an assistant professor of English at UNC Charlotte, will begin at 6:30 p.m. at UNC Charlotte Center City. A reception and book signing will follow.

Personally Speaking is open to the public without charge, but registration is required. Information about parking and other useful tips for the evening will be emailed prior to the event to those who RSVP.

This is the last in the 2018-19 series of five Personally Speaking events in which UNC Charlotte’s College of Liberal Arts & Sciences faculty members talk about recent books they authored and how they came to write them. The 2019-20 series, celebrating 10 years of Personally Speaking, will be announced at this time.

Personally Speaking is co-sponsored by UNC Charlotte’s College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, J. Murrey Atkins Library and UNC Charlotte Center City.