Stephanie Powell Watts chronicles in 11 stories the lives of black North Carolinians who come from or lived near the “dark houses out on tangled dirt roads on the fringes of the county.” Bright and witty 18-year-old Jehovah’s Witness Stephanie (Watts was formerly a Jehovah’s Witness minister) preaches door-to-door in the Pushcart Prize–winning “Unassigned Territory” and contemplates whether “To serve Jehovah during my youth or to go to college.” And as always, Park Road Books events are free and open to the public.

Price: Free