Delia Owens lived in some of the most remote areas of Africa for twenty-three years while she conducted scientific research on lions, elephants, and others. Based on these expeditions and adventures, she co-authored three internationally bestselling nonfiction books about her life as a wildlife scientist.

She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in zoology from the University of Georgia and a Ph.D. in Animal Behavior from the University of California in Davis. She has won the John Burroughs Award for Nature Writing and has been published in Nature, Journal of Mammalogy, The African Journal of Ecology, and International Wildlife, among many others.

Where the Crawdads Sing is her first novel, with more than 11 million copies sold worldwide and over 2 1⁄2 years on the New York Times Bestseller List, it is soon to be a major motion picture.

The Authors for Literacy Dinner & Auction featuring Delia Owens will begin with a cocktail hour followed by a three-course dinner and presentation by a current Literacy Together student. Delia Owens will then give the keynote presentation and autograph guests’ books. Malaprop’s Bookstore & Café will manage book sales.

Event guests may upgrade tickets to attend a VIP reception just before the event with Delia Owens. This reception will include the opportunity to spend one-on-one time taking pictures and talking with the author and enjoy hors d’oeuvres. There are a limited number of VIP tickets available.

Proceeds from the Authors for Literacy Dinner benefit Literacy Together’s programs, which provide comprehensive literacy and English language skills to 300 students and over 4,300 book recipients in Buncombe County annually. Literacy Together transforms lives and communities through the power of literacy. Literacy and English language skills are tools that help people rise out of poverty, get better-paying jobs to support their families, and read to their children. Improved literacy skills benefit the struggling reader and everyone in our community regardless of age, race, gender, or background.

Want to go?

Thursday Oct. 28, from 6 - 9 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Resort Expo Center. General admission tickets: $95. VIP passes: $500 for two (limited number available), includes two general admission tickets as well as a meet-and-greet with the author. To purchase tickets online, visit www.lit-together.org. For more information or to purchase tickets by phone, call LuAnn Arena at (828) 254-3442 x206