SUNY Oneonta welcomed award-winning author David Joy to campus Monday, Oct. 5, for the 2026 Mills Distinguished Lecture, featuring his novel When These Mountains Burn, the university's Common Read selection for this year.
This year's event took a more conversational approach, with Joy participating in an interview rather than delivering a traditional lecture. Caroline Wilson, assistant professor of Communication Studies, facilitated the conversation, and the event invited students and faculty to submit questions in advance to help shape the discussion. The evening also included an audience Q&A and book signing.
Set in the mountains of western North Carolina, the novel explores the devastating effects of opioid addiction on individuals, families and communities against the backdrop of an approaching wildfire. The book won the 2020 Dashiell Hammett Award for Literary Excellence in Crime Writing.
Joy delivered the lecture in the Hunt Union Ballroom as part of SUNY Oneonta's annual Common Read initiative, which encourages students to explore issues of equity, inclusion and personal history through literature. Each fall, the selected book is incorporated into courses across multiple academic disciplines, creating opportunities for students to engage with perspectives and experiences different from their own.
Known for his gritty, place-driven fiction, Joy writes extensively about working-class life in Appalachia, exploring themes of poverty, addiction, identity and the complicated relationships between people and the places they call home.
He is the author of five novels and a memoir, and his work has been translated into six languages. His debut novel, Where All Light Tends to Go, was adapted into a 2023 film starring Billy Bob Thornton and Robin Wright.
In addition to the lecture, Joy met with students and other members of the campus community Tuesday, Oct. 6, providing opportunities for further conversation about his writing and the themes of the Common Read.
Story by Jessica Reynolds and photography by Jordan Loaiza
About the Mills Distinguished Lecture
The Mills Distinguished Lectureship honors the memory of Professor Albert Mills and his wife, Helena, whose bequest to the SUNY Oneonta Foundation established a fund in 1988 to bring prominent speakers to campus.