New York Times bestselling author S.A. Cosby will visit Randolph-Macon to participate in a community conversation, moderated by Professor of English and Director of Humanities Initiatives Robert Volpicelli and Associate Professor of Education Erin McDonnell-Jones, on Wednesday, Oct. 7. The event officially launches Randolph-Macon’s Virginia Creators Series, which is part of the RMC Humanities Initiatives. 

Cosby, who hails from southeastern Virginia, is acclaimed for his Southern crime fiction. All the Sinners Bleed (2023) was on more than forty Best of the Year lists, including Barack Obama’s, while Razorblade Tears (2021) was an Edgar Award finalist and Blacktop Wasteland (2020) won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.

Cosby has won the Anthony Award, ITW Thriller Award, Barry Award, Macavity Award, BCALA Award, and Audie Award and has been longlisted for the ALA Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence. He also co-authored a young adult novel, The Rhythm of Time, with Questlove.

The Virginia Creators Series brings important voices in art and literature from across the state of Virginia to RMC’s campus. It is part of the broader RMC Humanities Initiatives, a bold presidential priority aimed at elevating the profile of the humanities at RMC and ensuring their continued centrality to a 21st-century liberal arts education.

The conversation, focused on Cosby’s latest novel King of Ashes (2025), will take place in the Lindgren Pavilion on the second floor of Birdsong Hall from 6:30-8 p.m. The Office of Alumni Relations will sponsor a dessert reception following the conversation. No tickets are needed for this event, which is free and open to the public, but your RSVP is requested at this link.

Photo Credit: Rob Ostermaier