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Jeffrey Dale Lofton on "Red Clay Suzie"

Co-presented with the Prince George's County Office of Human Rights

Washington, DC-based author Jeffrey Dale Lofton discusses his debut novel, "Red Clay Suzie," which is inspired by the author's coming of age in Georgia.

Fueled by tomato sandwiches and green milkshakes, and obsessed with cars, Philbet struggles with life and love as a gay, physically-misshapen boy in rural Georgia. 
He’s happiest when helping Grandaddy dig potatoes from the vegetable garden that connects their houses. But Philbet’s world is shattered and his resilience shaken by events that crush his innocence and sense of security; expose his physical deformity skillfully hidden behind shirts Mama makes for him at home on her Singer; and convince him that he’s not fit to be loved by Knox, the older boy he idolizes to distraction. Over time, Philbet finds refuge in unexpected places and inner strength in unexpected ways, leading to a resolution from beyond the grave.

Jeffrey Dale Lofton hails from Warm Springs, Georgia, best known for Roosevelt’s Little White House. He calls the nation’s capital home now, where early on he spent many a night acting on the stages of DC’s theaters and performing arts centers. He even scored a few television appearances, including a Super Bowl halftime commercial, which his accountant wisecracked “Is the finest work of your career.”

When he stepped away from acting for other, more traditional employment (much to his parents’ delight and relief), he also focused on pursuing post-graduate work, ultimately being awarded Master’s degrees in both Public Administration and Library and Information Science. Today, he is a senior advisor at the Library of Congress, surrounded by books and people who love books—in short, paradise.