Culture
Athens native Devon Halliday discusses debut novel inspired by hometown
By: Emily Votaw
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) – In this episode of Conversations From Studio B, WOUB’s Emily Votaw speaks with Athens native and author Devon Halliday about her debut novel, To Stay, To Stay, To Stay, published by McSweeney’s on Oct. 27.
Set in Eden, a fictional Appalachian college town inspired by Athens, OH, the novel follows seven characters navigating relationships, ambitions and life-changing decisions over the course of a single week.
Halliday discusses how her experiences growing up in Athens and later returning to work at a local bakery helped inspire the novel. She also reflects on the book’s development, her approach to writing interconnected characters and the challenges of deciding whether to stay in a familiar place or pursue opportunities elsewhere.
Halliday will give a free public reading Thursday, Nov. 5, at 7:30 p.m. in Baker Theater at Ohio University’s Baker University Center. The event is part of the university’s visiting writers series. Find more information at this link: https://calendar.ohio.edu/event/nor-visiting-writer-devon-halliday-reading
Listen to the conversation by clicking “play” in the SoundCloud embed above.