Writers’ Wednesday at NHS takes on The Great Recession

CARSON CITY, Nevada – Of all economic recessions experienced by the United States in the postwar period, the Great Recession that began in 2008 was the deepest, longest, and most destructive and Nevada was one of the hardest-hit states.

With the collapse of the housing market, the state led the country in foreclosures, construction jobs disappeared and unemployment skyrocketed. The state government also experienced a severe fiscal crisis.

Former Nevada State Treasurer Kate Marshall was a first-hand witness to the crisis. She and Elliott Parker, a University of Nevada, Reno economics professor, authored the book, “Nevada’s Great Recession: Looking Back, Moving Forward.” Marshall is the guest speaker at the November Writers’ Wednesday lecture at the Nevada Historical Society.

The event is Wednesday, Nov. 8, with a wine-and-cheese reception at 5 p.m., and the lecture beginning at 5:30 p.m., in the NHS Reno Gallery.

This is a different kind of economics book. Parker uses his expertise from doing research on the East Asian fiscal crisis to give profound insights into what happened and how to avoid future catastrophes. Marshall personalizes it by providing vignettes of what it was actually like to be in the trenches fighting the inevitable political battles that came up, and counteracting some of the falsehoods that certain politicians were spreading about the recession.

The Writers’ Wednesday Lecture Series, held the second Wednesday of each month, features a different author who takes part in a book signing, a presentation and a question-and-answer session with the audience.

The intent of the program is to highlight writers that specifically focus on Nevada, the Great Basin or the West in general. The authors talk about the content of their books, but also share details about the creative process.

Admission to Writers’ Wednesday is $5 for adults; free for NHS members and children 17 and younger. Seating is limited and attendees are encouraged to arrive early to get their seats. For more information, call (775) 688-1190.