

# Event Details

- **Event Name**: LAWRENCE WELLS: BACKSTORY 
- **Event Start and End Date**: Sat, 22 Aug, 2026 at 02:00 pm (-05:00)
- **Event Description**: Join us as we welcome LAWRENCE WELLS on SATURDAY, AUGUST 22 at 2:00 PM to celebrate the release of his new book BACKSTORY: A LITERARY LIFE ON THE RUN


 

ABOUT THE BOOK:

For every published article there is a backstory of behind-the-scenes adventures. Between 1980 and 2000, Dean Faulkner Wells and Lawrence Wells traveled coast to coast on magazine assignments. Backstory: A Literary Life on the Run reveals how unexpected events played a major role in each article. The collection of twenty-five articles begins with Dean's interview with Willie "Suicide" Jones, her late father's wing walker and fellow barnstormer, and ends with Dean's fond recollection of a childhood Christmas at Rowan Oak, home of her uncle William Faulkner.

In between, the couple travels to Wounded Knee, scene of the tragic massacre of Big Foot and his band of Sioux, where Dean tears out a lock of hair and ties it to a fence in spiritual kinship. In Little Rock, the couple spends an evening with authors Charles Portis and Dee Brown. In San Francisco, they interview California jazz artists "Wild Mango" and singer/guitarist Joyce Cooling. They drive the Santa Fe Trail and tour Palo Duro Canyon near Amarillo, Texas.

There are personal moments such as attending author Budd Schulberg's wedding reception in Montauk, New York, and dining at the home of Jackson Pollock's widow, Lee Krasner. At a Memorial Day party in Long Island, film star Lauren Bacall tells Dean, "Hey, you sound more like me than me!" In Daphne, Alabama, Dean visits her longtime friend Peets Buffett, mother of Jimmy Buffett. In a Louisiana swamp, Larry has trouble finding an alligator to photograph until Dean points to a gator dozing at his feet. In Las Vegas, Dean's addiction to slot machines leads to a domestic squabble. Ultimately, Backstory reveals a marriage of mind and spirit.
 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Dean Faulkner Wells (1936-2011), niece and ward of William Faulkner and the daughter of Dean Swift Faulkner, William's youngest brother, was educated at the University of Mississippi and University of Geneva, Switzerland. Her first book was The Ghosts of Rowan Oak: William Faulkner's Ghost Stories for Children. Wells edited The New Great American Writers' Cookbook and The Best of Bad Faulkner and authored an autobiography, Every Day by the Sun: A Memoir of the Faulkners of Mississippi. Her articles have been published in The Paris Review, Parade, Ladies' Home Journal, Southern Living, and other magazines. 

Lawrence Wells edited William Faulkner: The Cofield Collection, by Jack Cofield, and RIOT: Witness to Anger and Change, by Ed Meek. He wrote three historical novels, Rommel and the Rebel, Let the Band Play Dixie, and Fair Youth; scripted the Emmy-winning PBS documentary Return to the River narrated by James Earl Jones; and is a frequent contributor to the New York Times Syndicate. Wells's autobiographies, In Faulkner's Shadow: A Memoir and Ghostwriter: Shakespeare, Literary Landmines, and an Eccentric Patron's Royal Obsession, were published by University Press of Mississippi.
- **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/memphis/lawrence-wells-backstory/200030220307524
- **Event Categories**: art, literary-art, music, entertainment, trips-adventures, parties, health-wellness, parades
- **Interested Audience**: 
  - total_interested_count: 5

## Ticket Details


## Event venue details

- **city**: Memphis
- **state**: TN
- **country**: United States
- **location**: 387 Perkins Ext, Memphis, TN, United States, Tennessee 38117
- **lat**: 35.11992
- **long**: -89.91064
- **full address**: 387 Perkins Ext, Memphis, TN, United States, Tennessee 38117

## Event gallery

- **Alt text**: LAWRENCE WELLS: BACKSTORY
  - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events5/banners/b3e0936297e935a91bdafca8e83822678472053f2bc78abe3eb05d426358cb99-rimg-w1200-h628-dc989898-gmir?v=1787047000

## FAQs

- **Q**: When and where is LAWRENCE WELLS: BACKSTORY  being held?
  - **A:** LAWRENCE WELLS: BACKSTORY  takes place on Sat, 22 Aug, 2026 at 02:00 pm to Sat, 22 Aug, 2026 at 02:00 pm at 387 Perkins Ext, Memphis, TN, United States, Tennessee 38117.
- **Q**: Who is organizing LAWRENCE WELLS: BACKSTORY ?
  - **A:** LAWRENCE WELLS: BACKSTORY  is organized by Novel Memphis.
- **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me?
  - **A:** LAWRENCE WELLS: BACKSTORY  is ideal for party-goers, social butterflies, and anyone looking for a great night out with music, drinks, and good vibes. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in Memphis, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. If LAWRENCE WELLS: BACKSTORY  sounds like your kind of event, don't wait - spots fill up fast.

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        "description": "Join us as we welcome LAWRENCE WELLS on SATURDAY, AUGUST 22 at 2:00 PM to celebrate the release of his new book BACKSTORY: A LITERARY LIFE ON THE RUN\n\n\n \n\nABOUT THE BOOK:\n\nFor every published article there is a backstory of behind-the-scenes adventures. Between 1980 and 2000, Dean Faulkner Wells and",
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            {
                "@type": "Organization",
                "name": "Novel Memphis",
                "url": "https://allevents.in/org/novel-memphis/12052687",
                "description": "In January 2017, Memphis rallied to keep The Booksellers from closing. Through their support, our story continues. We hope you enjoy our new novel."
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