That Which Binds Us: Book Talk and Signing

Head to the CMA for a literary program featuring Columbia author Cathy Rigg and her book, That Which Binds Us, a finalist for the 2025 Forward Indies Book of the Year in historical fiction. Grab a drink from the First Thursday on Main bar, buy a book, and join Rigg and Deputy Director Joelle Ryan-Cook for a reading, conversation, and some mountain music from special guests. Free as part of Free First Thursday at the CMA. 

Cathy Rigg was born and raised in the Appalachian Mountains of southwest Virginia, where her people on her mother’s side go back seven generations. After college at Clemson University, she moved to Columbia and founded brand marketing firm Riggs Partners. Her debut novel, That Which Binds Us (Keylight Books), was published in 2025 and recently named a 2025 Forward INDIES Book of the Year (historical fiction) finalist. Rigg’s fiction and poetry have appeared in Still: The Journal; Women Speak: An Anthology of the Women of Appalachia Project; litmosphere: journal of Charlotte Lit; These Mosaics poetry anthology; Clinch Mountain Review, and more. She and her husband, Tim Monetti, divide their time between home in Columbia and Burnsville, North Carolina, where they stare at the view and obsess over the bears on a ridge high above Asheville. 

About That Which Binds Us

In 1854, on the lawless western edge of Virginia, Elizabeth Young stands among the throngs and watches as her beloved uncle is hanged for murder. There is more to this spectacle than meets the eye, and she vows she’ll get to the bottom, she’ll uncover truths, then she’ll leave these godforsaken mountains forever.  

But fate has another idea, as into her life come three strangers with dreams and secrets of their own. Their lives become inextricably linked. Then in marches the Civil War.

That Which Binds Us is a broad work of historical fiction with a soul that is really much more: a study in lineage and loyalty, and values instilled by generations; the heat when these rub together amid extraordinary circumstances; what happens when seemingly opposing cultures find more common ground than they’d imagined? That Which Binds Us is a novel that celebrates our best and explores our worst, that serves to remind us across continents and cultures and generations, love holds the greatest power of all.

Praise for That Which Binds Us

In an exploration of the influences that bind us to people and place, to conviction and dream, Cathy Rigg’s That Which Binds Us rings with intimacy and authenticity, deftly pulling a reader into a vivid nineteenth-century world. Artful prose carries the tale to a satisfying conclusion without compromising its blunt-force impact.

— Southern Literary Review

Rigg’s moving debut, a paean to the indomitable spirit of Virginia’s Appalachian people and the beautiful geography they inhabit, should be savored. Fans of Southern literature and historical fiction will welcome this new voice.

— Booklist

Musician Bios:  

MICHAEL AMOS CODY was born in Sumter, South Carolina, and grew up in the village of Walnut, jewel of Madison County, North Carolina, near the ruins of Runion, a place he has reimagined for his fiction. He spent his formative twenties living and working as a songwriter in Nashville, Tennessee, where his songs were recorded by Glen Campbell, Gary Morris, and others, including himself. He is the author of the novels Gabriel’s Songbook (2017) and Streets of Nashville (2025) and a collection of short stories, A Twilight Reel (2021). His new novel, Avalon Moon, a 2023 Claymore Finalist, is scheduled for publication in May 2026 by Madville Publishing. Cody lives with wife Leesa in Jonesborough, Tennessee, and teaches early American literature and creative writing in the Department of Literature and Language at East Tennessee State University.  

Colin Hyden is an old-time banjo and fiddle player, originally from Lafayette, IN, now residing in Johnson City, TN. He specializes in the traditional music of eastern Kentucky, specifically the areas of Magoffin, Knott, and Floyd Counties. Colin has released two solo albums documenting the region’s music, The Old Five, which samples songs, banjo pieces, and fiddle tunes from various counties throughout eastern KY, and Crooked Fork, a collection of tunes from Knott County fiddler Hiram Stamper. Colin graduated from the East Tennessee State University Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Roots Music program in 2025, and is currently an adjunct professor there, teaching instrument lessons and coaching bands. He also enjoys performing as a solo act, telling stories, and sharing tunes that he has collected from Kentucky.  
 

Can we assist you with accommodations for accessibility during your visit? Please let us know at 803-799-2810 or [email protected].