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Join the Gilbert-Chappell Poet for the western region of North Carolina, Lee Stockdale, as he reads alongside four emerging poets under his mentorship. These poets, a middle schooler, a high schooler, a college student and an adult, have worked closely with Stockdale as part of the North Carolina Poetry Society's Gilbert-Chappell program. 

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Award-winning novelists Tommy Hays & Scott Gould read from their new novels--both about the unexpected and complicated bonds of family. Tommy Hays' recently released novel, The Marriage Bed, "explores how a tragedy can assume as many shapes as the people it touches." Scott Grould's latest novel, Peace Like a River, "weaves a lyrical and heartwarming tale of fathers, sons, and grandfathers…and the intricate bonds that define them."

The authors will read from their work, take audience questions and sign books. 

 

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WCU professors Catherine Carter and Alice Martin will read from their newest books. Catherine Carter's newest poety collection, By Stone and Needle, is "a book of secular spells and incantations for engaging with, and meditating upon, a world in which all things are connected, in which symbol slides into literal, spirituality into science, exact observation into lamentation and love."  Alice Martin's debut novel, Westward Women, is literary and speculative, "the story of three ordinary yet unforgettable women in extraordinary circumstances.".

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YA authors Lauren Yero and Zackary Vernon will read from their books in the UC Theater. Lauren Yero's novel, Under this Forgetful Sky, is a "futuristic star-crossed love story following two teens in a starkly unequal world struggling to find their place." Zackary Vernon's novel, follows young Josh "as he embarks upon his high school years, falls in love with his classmate, and becomes obsessed with David Bowie.".

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Poets Joy Priest and Gabrielle Calvocoressi will share from their latest collections (and forthcoming books!). Joy Priest's book Horsepower is, according to Natasha Tretheway, "a captivating display of might and elegance, a language of astonishing sinew through which the backdrop of place and a compelling life come into vivid focus." Gabrielle Calvocoressi's newest book, The New Economy, was a finalist for the National Book Award in poetry and is "a practice of radical collaboration, failure, and renewal."   Back to top

In the Grand Room (just past the Theater) New York Times bestsellers Aimee Nezhukumatathil and Ross Gay will share from their essays and poems and be in conversation. Aimee Nezhukumatathil's newest book is Night Owl, which "plumbs the depths of nighttime, crafting a series of nocturnes that explore the magic, sensuality, and life that emerge as the rest of the world goes to bed." The Book of (More) Delights is Ross Gay's newest book, a follow-up to the bestselling The Book of Delights. In these "short, lyrical, genre-defying essays, written daily over a year, Gay celebrates the ordinary, helping us see our extraordinary world anew."

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Unless you're Stephen King or Emily Henry, few writers subsist on writing alone. Authors Ed Southern, MacKenzie Kozak, Tyler Jones, and Garland Wells will be in conversation about how they navigate writing and holding a day job. Moderated by Alice Martin, this conversation will cover these panelists create writing schedules and navigate jobs that sometimes intersect with their own work--and sometimes distract from it. 

During the day, Ed Southern is director of the North Carolina Writers' Network, MacKenzie Kozak is a grief therapist. Tyler Jones works as a high school teacher, and Garland Wells is a podcast writer. 

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Nonfiction writers Stacy Jane Grover and José Orduña take the stage to discuss their recent books and answer questions. Stacy Jane Grover's essay collection Tar Hollow Trans, finalist for a Lambda award, explores regionalism and identity through personal and historical stories. José Orduña is the author of The Weight of Shadows, a memoir that explores the US immigration system. 

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Novelists Margot Livesey and Steve Yarbrough--authors of a combined 22 books--read from their recent novels and then join bestselling writer and WCU professor Ron Rash in conversation. Margot Livesey's newest novel is The Road from Belhaven, which tells the story of Lizzie Craig, who discovers as a small child that she can see into the future. Steve Yarbrough's newest novel is Stay Gone Days. The book tells the story of teenage sisters Ella and Caroline Cole, who escape their hometown, losing all connection to each other, after a childhood in Mississippi marred by a horrific family scandal.

 

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Join us to hear from the winners of the undergraduate and graduate creative writing competitions. And to eat cake! After the readings, we'll move into the lobby to celebrate the amazing writing produced by this year's contests. 

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Come and visit the Museum of the Cherokee People to hear from four of today's most exciting indigenous writers: Deborah Jackson Taffa (Quechan [Yuma)] Nation and Laguna Pueblo), Vanessa Lillie (Cherokee Nation), Shane Hawk (Cheyenne and Arapaho) and Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle (EBCI). Moderated by Clapsaddle, this conversation will explore the importance of publishing indigenous writing.  Back to top

Writers and editors Ed Southern and Shane Hawk will share from their own work and discuss their recent roles as editors of dark fiction anthologies. Ed Southern curated the book The Devil's Done Come Back, a reimagined collection of North Carolina ghost stories. Shane Hawk is the editor of Never Whistle at Night, an anthology of dark ficton written by indigenous writers. 

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In the closing event of the festival, bestselling novelist Vanessa Lillie and National Book Award finalist Deborah Jackson Taffa will read from their recent books. Bone Thief, Vanessa Lillie's sequel to Blood Sisters, follows Bureau of Indian Affairs archaeologist Syd Walker as she receives an alarming call: newly discovered skeletal remains have been stolen. Deborah Jackson Taffa's memoir Whiskey Tender tells a wide-reaching family story, beginning with her grandparents—citizens of the Quechan Nation and Laguna Pueblo tribe—who were sent to Indian boarding schools run by white missionaries, while her parents were encouraged to take part in governmental job training off the reservation.

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