Russell Banks, UNC alum and praised author of ‘Cloudsplitter,’ dies at 82

Posted Jan 9, 2023
Russell Banks, a University of North Carolina alum and award-winning fiction writer who rooted such novels as “Affliction” and “The Sweet Hereafter” in the wintry, rural communities of his native Northeast and imagined the dreams and downfalls of everyone from modern blue-collar workers to abolitionist John Brown in “Cloudsplitter,” has died at age 82. (Associated Press)

Related: Campus Connections

Carolina’s history comes to life on Instagram
One post shows what’s believed to be the oldest existing photo of UNC, a daguerreotype of sophomores from the 1850s. Another, posted on the first...
Sun Apr 19, 2026

Kenan Stadium: From football field to baseball diamond
The Savannah Bananas sold out Kenan Stadium twice in one weekend, bringing the team’s barnstorming version of baseball to Carolina’s 99-year-old flagship venue. But before...
Sat Apr 18, 2026

Chapel Hill-Carrboro Openings, Closings and Updates in October-December 2025
The fall marked several Eastgate Crossing shopping center tenants reopening in Chapel Hill after restoration from July’s Tropical Depression Chantal rain and flooding. On October...
Fri Apr 17, 2026

Tar Heels fans go bananas for Caleb Wilson before enjoying the Bananas show
Kenan Stadium was packed on a beautiful spring afternoon, and the atmosphere was bananas. And Tar Heels fans went bananas over one of their favorite...
Thu Apr 16, 2026