The seat of Cumberland County and site of Fort Bragg can also claim a prominent place on the literary map. Authors whose works were inspired by the town include Charles W. Chestnutt, Lucille Miller Johnson, Harry L. Watson, and Harry Stein.
A New York Times best-selling novel, "A Woman Is No Man" by Rocky Mount resident Etaf Rum was released in March 2019. the novel follows the lives of three generations of Arab-American women living in New York.