Corcoran

ELKINS — An Elkins native is returning to town to promote his second book at a special event Friday.

Jonathan Corcoran, a writer and professor now living in New York, will be talking about his new memoir, “No Son of Mine,” during a pair of book signing and conversation events with local poet Doug Van Gundy at the Alexandria on Main book store. The events are set for 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Corcoran described his experience growing up in the Mountain State:

“Living in West Virginia was ideal in some ways – that unbelievable connection to nature that I felt every single day of my youth, that I still feel now living so far away, even in the thick of one of the world’s largest cities,” he said.

“The place seemed about 10 years behind the rest of the country, which was wonderful and terrible. People knew each other, looked out for each other, and, in the best cases, took care of each other.

“There were these brilliant pockets of culture – all the folks trying to save the old mountain customs and traditions and music. I have childhood friends that I am still extremely close to even though we’ve lived apart for decades.”

Corcoran believes telling his truth in his new book can help others.

“I wish a book like mine wasn’t needed today, but the truth is, books like mine are needed more than ever,” he said. “These are real stories. There are real lives at stake. So many want to push these stories to the margins, when we so desperately need to bring them into the light. If we want our country and our world to grow, to prosper, we have to understand what we’re capable of – both the good and the ugly.”

Corcoran is the author of “The Rope Swing: Stories,” which was long-listed for the Story Prize and a Lambda Literary Awards finalist. His essays and stories have been anthologized in “Eyes Glowing at the Edge of the Woods: Fiction and Poetry from West Virginia” and “Best Gay Stories.” Corcoran teaches writing at New York University and resides in Brooklyn, New York.

Tickets for the event can be purchased online at www.alexandriaonmain.com.