Carolina Mountains Literary Festival features
Robert Morgan, Catherynne M. Valente, and Amy Goodman & Denis Moynihan of Democracy Now Burnsville, NC, 2012 - In its 7th yearly incarnation, the Carolina Mountains Literary Festival hosts almost forty authors and hundreds of book lovers September 6 - 8. With workshops (fee required) and plenty of free discussions, readings, and lectures being held all over charming downtown Burnsville, this "festival of ideas" once again tops the list of best literary happenings in North Carolina. With so many authors presenting a great variety of sessions, it'll be a challenge for avid readers and aspiring writers to get to all the programs they'd like, but many of the authors will be presenting more than once, and twice a day, presenting authors will all be available for book-signings at the Burnsville Town Center. Highlights include a tribute to John Ehle with selections of his works read by a panel of illustrious authors, the entire assembly of authors of the hilarious collaborative novel Naked Came the Leaf Peeper, and of course the Saturday night banquet, featuring keynote speaker Robert Morgan, author of Gap Creek, and Lions of the West (ticketed event). Even though the word “literary” is in the title, the festival is not academic in nature. It is very much geared to the average reader or book lover, and curious people. Each year the festival strives to bring together authors, readers of all ages, novice writers, listeners and learners in small, intimate settings. The goal is that the Carolina Mountains Literary Festival will inspire people to read more, write more, and contribute positively to society through the literary arts. Carolina Mountains Literary Festival features Ron Rash and Audrey Niffenegger
Burnsville, NC, 2011 – For the 6th year, the small town of Burnsville opens its doors to more than thirty authors and hundreds of book lovers during the Carolina Mountains Literary Festival. Held this September 9 and 10, the festival features evening events for its featured authors Ron Rash and Audrey Niffenegger. Though she is known for her novels The Time Traveler’s Wife and Her Fearful Symmetry, Niffeneger is also a visual artist who has taught paper arts at Penland School of Crafts. She has published what she calls a “visual book” or a serialized graphic novel titled The Night Bookmobile which first appeared in the London Guardian. At the festival, she will speak on Friday evening, September 9. Ron Rash is a celebrated writer from Western North Carolina. His novel Serena garnered critical acclaim and his next book, Burning Bright, earned him the international Frank O’Conner Award (the world’s richest prize for the short story form). Rash will also release his first poetry collection in more than a decade at the Carolina Mountains Literary Festival. Waking will be published in September of 2011 by Hub City Press. He will give a poetry reading on Saturday morning and will also be the keynote speaker for the Saturday evening banquet. The 2011 festival includes many published writers who hail from Mitchell and Yancey Counties: Alan Gratz, Charles F. Price, Elaine Dellinger, Zack Allen, Britt Kaufmann, Brian Lee Knopp, Abigail DeWitt and Donna Jean Dreyer. New writers to the festival include Brenda Lilly, playwright of Along About Sundown and The Ballad of Tom Dooley both produced at the Parkway Playhouse. Also, Hannah Gill will lead a follow-up session to last year’s talk by Paul Cuadros based on her book The Latino Migration Experience in North Carolina. Other new faces include food writer Fred Sauceman, curator Lynn Ennis, Cherokee pottery expert Anna Fariello, and hound dog breeder Bob Plott. Director of the Buncombe Libraries, Ed Shearey, will also give a talk about the future of books and reading. Familiar authors such as Rob Amberg, Joseph Bathanti, Holly Iglesias and Jim Clark will also return. As in years past, there are sessions especially for children on Saturday. The ARTS MATTERS group will supervise hands-on projects and Poetry Alive!, the dynamic troupe from Asheville, will head up the day’s events held in the new Yancey County Library. Even though the word “literary” is in the title, the festival is not academic in nature. It is very much geared to the average reader or book lover, and curious people. Each year the festival strives to bring together authors, readers of all ages, novice writers, listeners and learners in small, intimate settings. The goal is that the Carolina Mountains Literary Festival will inspire people to read more, write more, and contribute positively to society through the literary arts. The 5th annual Carolina Mountains Literary Festival
June 22, 2010
For the 5th year, the small town of Burnsville opens its doors to more than thirty authors and hundreds of book lovers during the Carolina Mountains Literary Festival. Held this September 10 and 11 the festival’s theme “Coming Home” guides the selection of participating authors.
Tony Earley, the Saturday Banquet speaker, has written two critically acclaimed books, Jim the Boy and Blue Star, that follow the life a North Carolina boy as he becomes a man during World War II. Earley himself grew up in North Carolina, where he received his degree from Warren Wilson and worked as a reporter. Paul Cuadros and his book A Home on the Field: How One Championship Soccer Team Inspires Hope for the Revival of Small Town America will also be featured prominently. In his book, Cuadros relays how he became a varsity soccer coach in Siler City, NC and the struggles and triumphs of the players, team and community. This inspirational book has been compared to Stand and Deliver and Hoosiers. The 2010 festival has a greater emphasis on local history than in previous years and is supported by the North Carolina Humanities Council. A History Panel featuring Melungeon scholar Wayne Winkler, Colby Martin, and Kristen and Stephanie Whitson will present on Friday afternoon. Additionally there will be a panel of local historians who have published books through Arcadia Press on locations as Bakersville, Spruce Pine, Little Switzerland, Linville Falls, Unicoi County and Altapass Orchard. As in previous years, the festival will have children’s activities on Saturday on the town square, a series of writing workshops and dozens of free sessions that are open to the public. Even though the word “literary” is in the title, the festival is not academic in nature. It is very much geared to the average reader or book lover, and this year will be of particular interest to those curious about local history. For those who love poetry, North Carolina’s newly appointed Poet Laureate Cathy Smith Bowers will participate as well as NC Art’s Council Fellowship recipients Joseph Bathanti and Holly Iglesias, among others. Also, to honor the dogs who always welcome us when come home, this year’s promotional bookmark features one such canine. Further, there will be a panel of dog-lovers including Brian Lee Knopp, whose book Mayhem in Mayberry features several alarming dog encounters; Gina Farrago, who studied wolf behavior extensively for her werewolf series; and Karen Chavez, columnist for the Asheville Citizen-Times who has written the book Best Hikes With Dogs: North Carolina. Each year the festival strives to bring together authors, readers of all ages, novice writers, listeners and learners in small, intimate settings. The goal is that the Carolina Mountains Literary Festival will inspire people to read more, write more, and contribute positively to society through the literary arts. All are invited come to the small town of Burnsville --to a festival that includes novelists, poets, historians, journalists, and everyday people who enjoy stories, conversation, and a real good time. To see a complete list of authors and a schedule for the weekend visit cmlitfest.org. ##### Contact: Britt Kaufmann Carolina Mountains Literary Festival PO Box 355 Burnsville, NC 28714 (828) 682-4476 cmlitfest@gmail.com or Britt’s home phone (828) 682-5664 and personal email britt.kaufmann@gmail.com From the Yancey Common Times Journal
January 29, 2009
Carolina Mountain Literary Festival Keeps On Giving
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Major SponsorThis project is supported by the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources, with funding from the National Endowments for the Arts. |
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