Festival for Writers, Readers Attracts Literary Crowd
Emerging and established writers, as well as readers of all genres, will make much ado about literature at the Carolina Mountains Literary Festival set for Thursday through Saturday, September 8–10 at various locations in Burnsville. Now in its 11th year, the festival focuses on the work of critically acclaimed and academically noted writers from around the region.
“We do not see ourselves as an academic festival, though we seek to advance authors of literary quality,” says Kathy Weisfeld, president of the Festival’s board and program director. “Our mission is to bring together authors with avid readers, novice writers, and fans.”
Former poet laureate of North Carolina Fred Chappell will be the keynote speaker at the Friday night banquet at 7 p.m. Fred’s work in fiction and poetry has been widely praised, and his work is frequently discussed alongside writers of the “Southern gothic” style associated with the books by William Faulkner and Carson McCullers. Tickets to the BYOB banquet are $35.
On Saturday beginning at 6:30 p.m., the keynote speaker is David Haskell, a professor of biology at Sewanee in Tennessee. His book, The Forest Unseen: A Year’s Watch in Nature, was winner of the 2013 National Academy of Sciences’ Best Book Award and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in nonfiction. His science writing is often described as poetic. Tickets are $20.
A full slate of workshops about fiction, memoir, and poetry writing are also ticketed, but many readings and discussions throughout the weekend are free to the public. Malaprop’s Bookstore will sell books written by the many authors participating in the event.
See a complete schedule of the Carolina Mountains Literary Festival at cmlitfest.org or email cmlitfest@gmail.com. Ticketed events have limited seating. Schedules will be available during the festival at the Burnsville Town Center at 6 S. Main Street.
