Hotbeds of sizzle and humor, Southern towns fuel the art of author Ruth Moose, who will

read from her new collection, “Neighbors and Other Strangers: Stories” at the Lazy Lion May 17.

“Small towns are perfect for writers,” Moose explains. “There’s a short story on every corner, behind every bush, peering out from every window or screen door. Small towns are lush with characters, ripe with plot.”

“Ruth Moose writes wonderfully wise and funny stories about people we know,” says Clyde Edgerton. Her vivid prose transports the reader to a familiar world of kitchen tables and hometown memories.

Moose has taught Creative Writing at UNC-Chapel Hill since 1996. In addition to her collections of short stories, she has written five volumes of poetry, and her work has appeared in multiple magazines and newspapers. She was a regular columnist for the Charlotte Observer and poetry editor for Uwharrie Review and The Arts Journal.

The late, great North Carolina author Doris Betts taught Moose and once said of her, “No other writer has produced a body of short stories that so deftly captures the Southern mindset, history and language.”

“Our luck continues in having such great authors as Ruth Moose visit us in Fuquay-Varina on Third Thursday Open Mic at the Lazy Lion,” says Jan Parker, founder of the reading series.

Parker adds that Main Street Rag, which sponsors the event, is gathering submissions for its next anthology. Work presented during the May or June meeting can still be considered for inclusion.

The Lazy Lion, 601 East Broad Street, hosts the reading. Social time begins at 5 p.m., and readings and an open mic follow from 6-8 p.m. For more information, contact Jan Parker at jaebeeparker@aol.com.