Local author, poet and professor at Western Carolina University Ron Rash will be reading from and signing copies of his new collection of short stories “Nothing Gold Can Stay” at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 25 at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. He recently took the time to talk to Guide editor Jessi Stone about his writing.

Q: Tell me about your new book and how long you’ve been working on it?

A: “It’s a collection of short stories and like all my other work, the stories are set in western North Carolina. Some go back to the Civil War era and some are contemporary. People who’ve read my previous work won’t be too surprised at the locale and the historical aspects of them. Most of them have been written in the last two years.”

Q: Do you have a favorite or know which one you will read from at Blue ...