May 20, 2016

VCU Alumni hosts Monroe Scholars Book and Author Luncheon in support of student scholarships

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By Kristen Caldwell
Office of Development and Alumni Relations

VCU Alumni is hosting the sixth annual Monroe Scholars Book and Author Luncheon, featuring Sharyn McCrumb, on May 24 at The Jefferson Hotel.

McCrumb is an award-winning Southern writer best known for her Appalachian “Ballad” novels, including the New York Times bestsellers “The Ballad of Tom Dooley,” “The Ballad of Frankie Silver” and “Ghost Riders.” Attendees can meet McCrumb at the luncheon and purchase an autographed copy of her latest book, “Prayers the Devil Answers.”

McCrumb’s newest novel tells the story of Ellie Robbins who, suddenly thrust into the role of primary caretaker for her family after the tragic death of her husband, is appointed to serve out his term as sheriff of their rural Tennessee mountain town. The year is 1936, and her role is largely symbolic, except for the one task that only a sheriff can do: execute a convicted prisoner. Ellie has long proven that she can handle herself, yet the wariness of her male subordinates and the townspeople is palpable. Soon enough, dark secrets come to light, and Ellie must grapple with small town superstitions and the tenuous ties she shares with a condemned killer as she carves out a place for herself in an uncertain future.

Tickets to the luncheon are $75 per person ($45 of each ticket is a tax-deductible contribution). A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales funds VCU Alumni’s Monroe Scholars Book Award program, which provides an award and a $1,000 scholarship to high school students who meet the criteria of leadership and scholarship and who enroll at VCU.

For more information about the luncheon, contact Lisa Coble, administrative and program specialist, at 804-828-1672 or lcoble@vcu.edu, or purchase tickets online atsupport.vcu.edu/event/bookluncheon2016.