Wilmington Authors You Should Know

Getting to know some of the literary legends from UNCW

Last year, each issue featured top picks from the owners of beloved local bookshops around town. Now that we’ve acquainted you with a handful of unique and charming locations to visit, we thought we’d extend our readers’ journey by introducing some of Cape Fear’s great writers (also on p.38). Hint: these all have UNCW in common. 

Cape Fear Rising by Philip Gerard 

Although Gerard passed away in 2022, his legacy is ever-present at UNCW’s Creative Writing Department. In 2019, he received the North Carolina Award for Literature, the state’s highest civilian honor, and wrote over a dozen books, including Cape Fear Rising. Based on real events, the story portrays a tragedy emblematic of the South at the turn of the century. In 1898, Wilmington was a thriving center for middle-class Black citizens, with a majority population of Black professionals, tradesmen, and workers. However, white civic leaders, tied to the antebellum aristocracy, resented their success and the Republican "Fusionist" government that supported the Black majority. Tensions grew as white supremacist groups formed, violence simmered, and inflammatory speeches stoked divisions. In November, these tensions exploded into gunfire, leading to a violent coup that overthrew the government, left citizens dead or displaced, and permanently altered
Wilmington’s future. 

American Cosmic by D.W. Pasulka

D. W. Pasulka is a professor of religious studies at UNCW, known for her internationally acclaimed work in religion and new religious movements (UAPs/UFOs) like American Cosmic. More than half of American adults and 75% of young Americans believe in intelligent extraterrestrial life, a belief now rivaling faith in God. Through a six-year ethnographic study, Pasulka interviewed prominent scientists, professionals, and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who believe in alien intelligence, challenging the stereotype that UFO believers are on society's fringes. She argues that factors like media representations, such as The X-Files, and scientific discoveries of potentially habitable planets fuel this belief. These media influences shape memory and lend credibility to the idea of extraterrestrial life, positioning the media as a new cultural authority. The book explores how people interpret mysterious experiences and suggests that the search for answers about non-human intelligence reflects a broader shift in spiritual and cultural paradigms.

Phone Calls from the Dead by Wendy Brenner

Wendy Brenner is an award-winning American writer of fiction and nonfiction and a former Associate Professor at UNCW. The author of two books, Brenner has also published her work in numerous prominent magazines and anthologies, earning national recognition. (Do yourself a favor and read about the story behind the fall of downtown’s serpentarium in the Oxford American: “Love and Death in the Cape Fear Serpentarium”). 

Phone Calls from the Dead explores the intriguing phenomenon of phone calls from people in alternate realities, covering three scenarios: calls from the deceased, calls answered by alternate-reality versions of the living, and calls psychically made without conscious intent. The subject, often avoided by others, highlights the potential for communication across different planes of existence. The author calls for deeper research to better understand and expand these channels of connection. 

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont

Nina is the author of a collection of short stories and novels and teaches creative writing at UNCW. The Christie Affair—an international and New York Times best seller and a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick—tells the story of Nan O'Dea, the mistress of Agatha Christie's husband, set against the backdrop of Christie’s infamous 11-day disappearance. Through Nan's perspective, the novel delves into her past as a young woman in Ireland who fell in love with a boy she could never be with. Blending themes of love, revenge, and the inescapable pull of the past, The Christie Affair imagines a gripping narrative of what might have transpired during those mysterious days.