Hickory – Catawba Valley Community College’s Interdisciplinary Read Committee proudly hosts a campus visit by author Sam Quinones on Tuesday, March 26, at 11 a.m. in the college’s Tarlton Complex.
Quinones is the author of “Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Addiction,” which is the centerpiece of the college’s annual interdisciplinary read. Members of the community are invited to attend this free discussion about the multitude of factors that have contributed to our nation’s heroin and opioid epidemic.
According the North Carolina Department of Justice, four North Carolinians die each day from a medication or drug overdose. Rural and urban, rich and poor, opioid addiction does not discriminate. Quinones will speak to the complexity of this issue, including how isolation as well as a deteriorating sense of community has amplified the problem, bringing it to epidemic proportions. Discussion will include how communities can effectively address and combat addiction. Increasing awareness, understanding and empathy are the first steps.
Quinones will also speak at 6 p.m. at the Newton-Conover Auditorium.
Quinones is a journalist, storyteller and author of three acclaimed books of narrative nonfiction. His career as a journalist has spanned almost 30 years. He lived for 10 years as a freelance writer in Mexico where he wrote his first two books. He covered immigration, drug trafficking, neighborhood stories, and gangs for the L.A. Times until 2014. He resigned to return to freelancing, working for National Geographic, Pacific Standard Magazine, the New York Times, Los Angeles Magazine, and other publications.
Columbia Journalism School selected him as a 2008 recipient of the Maria Moors Cabot prize, for a career of excellence in covering Latin America. He is also a 1998 recipient of an Alicia Patterson Fellowship, one of the most prestigious fellowships given to print journalists.
During CVCC’s year-long examination of each year’s interdisciplinary read selection, students from various core disciplines are challenged to consider themselves as part of a larger community and society. “Dreamland” is a timely selection as Catawba County has one of the highest addiction rates in the nation.
Organizations supporting the series of discussions include the Catawba County Library System and Cognitive Connections. Financial supporters include Catawba Valley Community Foundation, United Arts Council of Catawba County, and the Beaver Family Foundation.
Individuals with a disability needing accommodations should contact CVCC’s Counselor for Students with Disabilities at least 72 hours in advance to allow time to arrange the services at 828-327-7000, ext. 4222, or [email protected].
Sam Quinones
