Beth Macy, a best-selling author who has drawn worldwide attention to the opioid crisis in Appalachia, will speak Monday, April 3, at Emory & Henry College about her latest literary foray into the topic of addiction.
Macy will begin her discussion at 7:30 p.m. in the Kennedy-Reedy Theatre of the McGlothlin Center for the Arts. The event will be preceded by the presentation of an E&H Founders Day Service Citation to Macy, which begins at 11:30 a.m. The award presentation will include a performance by the E&H Concert Choir, which also will provide an April 16 concert devoted to raising awareness about addiction.
Macy, a Virginia-based journalist, is the author of “Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company That Addicted America,” which was a New York Times Bestseller and the subject of an Emmy-winning Hulu mini-series. The book highlights central Appalachia as the “epicenter” of America’s struggle with opioid addiction and the individuals and families affected by it.
Her latest book, “Raising Lazarus: Hope, Justice, and the Future of America’s Overdose Crisis,” was published in August. The book is an account of everyday heroes fighting on the front lines of the overdose crisis.
“We are thrilled to bring Beth Macy to Emory & Henry College,” said Dr. Lisa Withers, dean of the E&H School of Arts and Sciences. “Our students are daily engaged in conversations and activities that seek to get to the heart of problems affecting our region. This conversation about addiction will resonate loudly among students and others in our community who are determined to be a part of winning the fight against this crisis.”
