Elizabeth Hudson comes ‘Full Circle’ in Sunset Series appearance

Elizabeth Hudson

ASHEBORO – Through her work with Our State magazine for more than 20 years, Asheboro native Elizabeth Hudson has learned where to find the best barbecue and the state’s most photographed waterfalls.

On the Outer Banks, she has walked in the same sand where pirates once trod, and she knows how much milk makes a perfect bowl of Southern snow cream.

Now, Hudson will come Full Circle — the title of her recently-published book of columns written for the magazine — as she returns to Randolph County for a Friends of the Library Sunset Signature Series event at 7:30 p.m. Friday, September 25, in downtown Asheboro’s historic Sunset Theatre.

Hudson’s appearance is free and the public is invited. Tickets can be reserved at tinyurl.com/ehfcss.

Ticket holders should be in the theatre by 7:15 p.m.; seats remaining after that time will be released to the general public.

Hudson’s talk will focus on how we preserve our memories, and why it matters that we do. She will share “as much Asheboro stuff as I can,” she says, “really kind of a walk down memory lane.”

Hudson started answering telephones in the Our State circulation department in 1997 before moving to the editorial department. She held various editorial titles before becoming editor-in-chief in 2009.

Under Hudson’s editorial leadership, Our State’s paid subscription has grown more than 30 percent, from 130,000 subscribers in 2009 to more than 175,000 today. Each month, she works with the top writers and photographers in the country to produce a magazine that has garnered national attention.

In 2011 and 2012, Our State won Gold Eddies for best issue of a regional magazine in the country from FOLIO, the magazine industry’s leading publication recognizing editorial excellence.

Hudson also has received numerous awards herself, including the 2014 Ethel N. Fortner Writer and Community Award celebrating contributions to the literary arts of North Carolina; the 2016 North Carolina Travel Industry Associations’ Charles Kuralt Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions by individuals who have brought positive public attention to North Carolina; and the 2021 Book Award of Excellence from the North Carolina Society of Historians for Silver Linings, a book of columns.

In 2019, she was inducted into the North Caroliniana Society, an organization recognizing service to the state’s historical, literary and cultural heritage.

She holds a B.A. in English from UNC-Greensboro, and in 2019, proudly accepted the Alumni Award from her alma mater, which honors a select number of graduates for exceptional achievement and significant contributions to their communities, professions and society.

Hudson currently lives in Greensboro.

The Sunset Series celebrates art and ideas by bringing world-class speakers and performers to Asheboro. It is sponsored by the Heart of North Carolina Visitors Bureau, the City of Asheboro, and the Friends of the Randolph County Public Libraries.

The theatre is located at 234 Sunset Ave. For more information, call 800-262-2672.