Join us at 6 pm as author Jeffrey Dale Lofton discusses his new book, Red Clay Suzie. This isn’t just about reading words; it’s an opportunity to hear directly from the author about his deeply personal and award-winning book. Red Clay Suzie is a fictionalized memoir told through Jeffrey’s unique perspective as an outsider—a gay man living with a disability in a conservative family and community in the Deep South. Through the character of Philbet, Jeffrey hopes to provide a “roadmap of sorts” for fellow outsiders. He wants them to understand that bullies are “paper predators” who only have power if it’s given to them, and that their bodies, imperfections and all, are beautiful and precious. He encourages those on the fringes not to hide or withdraw, assuring them there’s always a caring, trustworthy person in their “concentric circles of humanity.” Above all, he emphasizes that the quality of one’s mind and heart is what truly matters, and that “love, real love, is never wrong.” This is the message he wished his younger self had known, and it’s why he wrote Red Clay Suzie.

Book signing and reading will be followed by Q&A session. Ten-percent of the tasting-room sales will benefit the Literacy Council of Madison County.