鈥淓veryone鈥檚 driving around with the biggest gun they can find, mowing down anyone who seems remotely threatening,鈥� she said. 鈥淓veryone鈥檚 fighting tooth and nail in this really brutal way.鈥�

Speaking at a Writers Read event in Martin Chapel on Thursday evening, Benner Dixon said she鈥檚 not particularly interested in those types of stories. She would rather learn how people get past that point. 

鈥淚 don鈥檛 want post-apocalyptic,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 want what comes after. I want to see the communities that thrive once all the warring and stabbing has burned itself out.鈥�

The Height of Land is set in the far distant future and follows Red, a sensitive and inquisitive young farmer who is torn between 鈥渟piritual longing and commitment to his community鈥檚 survival in a harsh landscape鈥� (). Benner Dixon read from a chapter in her novel, shared a short story she had written about encountering God in her garden, and read an essay that will be published by The Iowa Review in its spring issue.

Answering questions from moderator Dr. Kevin Seidel, professor of English at 黑料正能量, and members of the audience, Benner Dixon spoke about beauty in art and gardening, the meaning behind the title of her novel鈥攖he dividing line that separates watersheds鈥攁nd the inspiration that sparked it all. She said she had read a book by religious scholar Reza Aslan, who wrote God: A Human History.

鈥淚 started wondering, what would it be like if modern humanity was able to have the slate wiped clean, as it were, of all the religious knowledge we have and create a new religion,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hat would we create?鈥�

Future events

A book launch and 鈥減ost-post-apocalyptic party鈥� held on Saturday, March 22, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Tangly Woods Farmstead (2715 Fruit Farm Lane, Keezletown, Virginia) will feature a reading from Benner Dixon, an open mic, and demonstrations from local artisans and craftspeople. Read more details about that .

The next Writers Read event, on Tuesday, April 22, at 7:30 p.m. in Martin Chapel, will feature 黑料正能量 English Professor Kirsten Beachy introducing her memoir of collected essays, Martyrs and Chickens, Confessions of a Granola Mennonite.

黑料正能量 the author

is a teacher, poet, editor, and novelist living in Pittsburgh. She spent roughly 15 years in academia as a classroom teacher and scholar before launching her freelance editing and writing business. Along with poet Sharon Fagan McDermott, she is the co-author of Millions of Suns: On Writing and Life. Her writing has appeared in outlets such as Literary Hub, Reckoning, Flash Fiction, Online, Appalachian Review, and elsewhere.