Thursday, 7:00 pm EDT July 9, 2026
The Center for Fiction
& Livestreamed
We’re pleased to welcome De’Shawn Charles Winslow, winner of our 2019 First Novel Prize for In West Mills, back to The Center for the launch of his compelling new novel, The Fervent Whites. Winslow will be joined in conversation by Samantha Hunt, award-winning essayist and author of The Seas and Mr. Splitfoot.
A propulsive thriller that examines race, class, gender, and sexuality, The Fervent Whites takes place in a fictional Hudson Valley town called Fervent that has been upended by a shocking murder. When James and Ella White—former members of the community who were convicted of the crime—are later found innocent and released from prison, they decide to return home. Their choice leads to even more turmoil, particularly for Sylvia Upshaw, whose testimony helped to convict the pair, and her best friend, Lafayette “Fate” Jolly, who has held a devastating secret.
Hunt and Winslow will discuss their shared fascination with small towns, family secrets, and the long-simmering tensions that can underlie communities and push inhabitants to the limits of civility. A book signing will follow the event.
We offer two in-person ticket options: the $10 Standard Ticket and the $40+ Supporter Ticket. Both provide the same access, but if you’re able, we kindly suggest registering for the Supporter Ticket to help sustain our programs. Please note that tickets do not include books; we encourage you to order in advance online or purchase copies at the event.
Featuring
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De’Shawn Charles Winslow
De’Shawn Charles Winslow
De’Shawn Charles Winslow is the author of In West Mills, winner of The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, an American Book Award, and the Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction, and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the Lambda Literary Award, and the Publishing Triangle Award. He was born and raised in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and graduated from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.
Photo Credit: Nicole Mondestin
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Samantha Hunt
Samantha Hunt
Samantha Hunt is the author of The Unwritten Book: An Investigation that explores our relationships with the dead; The Dark Dark: Stories; and three novels, Mr. Splitfoot, The Invention of Everything Else and The Seas. Hunt is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, the St. Francis College Literary Prize, the Bard Fiction Prize, the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 Prize and she was a finalist for the Women’s Prize and the PEN/Faulkner. Hunt teaches at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.
Photo Credit: Joe Hagan
Featured Book
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The Fervent Whites
By De’Shawn Charles Winslow
Published by Random House Publishing Group
The year is 1982, and the people of the Hudson Valley community of Fervent have begun to move on from a homicide that upended the once quiet town. When the former neighbors who were convicted of the crime, James and Ella White, are proven innocent, released from prison, and return to Fervent, some people have cause for concern.
Sylvia Upshaw and her best friend, Lafayette “Fate” Jolly, are uneasy about the Whites’ return. While the Whites were incarcerated, Sylvia revealed an explosive secret to their adopted son, Morgan, with devastating consequences. During the murder trial, Fate’s testimony helped seal their fate. James and Ella won’t let the betrayals go unpunished. Sylvia and Fate quickly become victims of harassment from the Whites, and when another murder is committed in Fervent, the town is left to fend for itself.
Intimate and chilling, The Fervent Whites examines how small communities with long-simmering tensions behave when pushed to the limits of civility.
