Frank Levering

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro developed a handy map of all the famous authors living in North Carolina.  This provides me yet another reason to feel inferior about my homeland: an unenviable little place called Surry County.

I've written entire memoirs devoted to trashing the place, and I apologize every time I tell somebody where I'm from, as if I've affronted them by being from a place they've never heard of.  I spent my youth hating it in an intensely stereotypical fashion.  But, mostly, I feel like it totally prevents me from ever being successful, especially as a writer.  (I know this is silly, but growing up in a small town will do that to you.)

Surry County has 18 famous authors currently residing there.  (Though they are generous with their estimations: it's a stretch to consider Andy Griffith both an "author" and "alive.") I was heartened by this number.  That's not so bad!  I've even heard of two of them.  Andy Griffith, because how could I not?  The county's economy depends on his old home's bed and breakfast profits.

And also Ralph Levering, who I assume is the Frank Levering that my high school English teacher introduced us to during creative writing class, though he appears as Ralph on the website.  Apparently, he's famous enough to appear on this database with its mysterious criterion, though I cannot name any of his major works.

So I clicked on him.  He studied at my very own beloved UNC, and went on to teach at Davidson. He popped up on Amazon! He has a goodreads page! People like him!

I didn't know when I met him years ago that he may serve as inspiration: miracles really do happen. You can succeed despite hailing from a map dot, with no resources and hardly any encouragement.

Besides, I looked up my boyfriend's county, and they only have ten famous authors. So ha!