As an author, novelist Jill McCorkle says that books, librarians and public school teachers frequently populate her stories. “And they are often the heroes,” she told the more than 150 people who attended Chatham Literacy’s annual “Fall For Literacy” luncheon Thursday, Oct. 24, at the Chatham County Agricultural & Conference Center. Jim Nass, Chatham Literacy’s Board Chairman and former Pittsboro mayor, emceed the event.
The luncheon, which raised $25,000 for Chatham Literacy, is a companion to the organization’s “Spring for Literacy” event; the gatherings attract regional and national authors who share their work and promote the value and importance of literacy. Recent luncheons have featured best-selling writers Brendan Slocumb, Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, Lee Smith, Jason Mott, Frances Mayes and Cassandra King Conroy.
A native of Lumberton, McCorkle now calls Hillsborough home. Five of her works have been named New York Times “notable books,” and four of her stories have appeared in “Best American Short Stories” collections. In addition to winning a number of major literary prizes, McCorkle, who has taught at Harvard, N.C. State and Brandeis, among others, was a 2018 inductee into the N.C. Literary Hall of Fame.
McCorkle read selections from three stories found in her recently published book Old Crimes, which includes a dozen tales featuring interconnected characters and themes.
McCorkle told attendees on Thursday that the book — while containing some of her trademark humor — involved plenty of heartache as well. Writing about the secrets and imperfections of her characters made Old Crimes somewhat darker and more sorrowful than her previous works.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW TO HEAR JILL DESCRIBE HER WRITING PROCESS:
Prior to McCorkle’s remarks, Jim Nass introduced Chatham Literacy adult learner Ana Camposeco, who described the joy, as a Spanish-speaking native of Guatemala, of learning English. Camposeco came to the U.S. more than 20 years ago and took English classes at Central Carolina Community College beginning in 2009, but had to drop out because of her work responsibilities. Three years ago, she learned that Chatham Literacy had programs that would allow her to learn English while continuing to work. She’s worked with tutor Marian Olson since.
“My goal for learning better English is to get my GED and to help other people because I’m able to speak better,” Camposeco told the audience. “I was recently able to help a supervisor at my job who doesn’t speak Spanish. He didn’t understand an accident report that was written in Spanish, so I translated the report for him. I felt very good about doing that.”
Jim Nass emphasized, “We play a vital role in giving people the skills that are needed in today’s environment to improve their lives.”
Support raised by donors and supporters means Chatham Literacy will be able to continue to provide valuable services to the community, Board Chairman Jim Nass said.
“Without that funding, the services would have to be cut dramatically, which means that people who desperately need English as a second language help or need financial literacy to learn how to budget their finances … all those people would go without that assistance,” he said.
Nass also expressed the importance of volunteer tutors, saying, “What you receive back from tutoring is immeasurable, because you see week by week, session by session, that you’re impacting someone’s life for the better,” he said. “We always need more tutors.”
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Vicki Newell, Executive Director at Chatham Literacy recaps the event, saying, “I want to thank Jill McCorkle, Ana Composeco, Marian Olson, Jim Nass, and everyone who made this event a success. We especially want to thank our sponsors, donors, tutors, and volunteers. You make it possible to continue our programs and help adults, living or working in Chatham County, N.C., acquire the literacy and educational skills they need to function successfully in society.”
Chatham Literacy’s programs include ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), U.S. Citizenship classes, Adult Goal-Based Education programs tailored to meet each adult’s individualized literacy needs, and classes in Spanish Literacy and Financial Literacy. To explore ways to support Chatham Literacy’s programs, including as a donor, event sponsor, or tutor, visit https://chathamliteracy.org/give.