In today’s episode, we meet author Phillip Lewis, who reads and discusses his novel, The Barrowfields.

North Carolinian and New York Times best-selling author Ron Rash describes the book as “beautifully written and deeply moving,” and says that Phillip is a very talented writer with a debut that “deserves a wide and appreciative readership.”

The book is full of literary allusions that might be easy to miss, a bit like being on a treasure hunt. The town of Old Buckram, for example, comes from the word “buckram,” a type of coarse linen that is stiffened with glue and used to make book covers. Phillip’s idea was to have the story take place in Old Buckram, which is to say, within the covers of an old book.

He starts at the beginning, with a reading that offers a prescient view of the old town itself.