WORKSHOPS LECTURES READINGS
Other Creative Writing Workshops
Friday, August 6, 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Capo's Music Store, 903 East Main Street, Abingdon
Presented by Dr. Felicia Mitchell
Writers across the ages from Sappho to Wordsworth have turned to the natural world to find concrete images to describe their abstract emotions and to document the deep and intimate connections shared by humans and nature. In this workhshop, Dr. Mitchell presents a few classic poems and reads and discusses some of her own poems that use imagery from the natural world she inhabits, especially the landscape of Washington County, Virginia, and nearby hiking trails where she gets inspiration. Participants will be invited to experiment with ways to share their physical and emotional encounters with nature in poetry.
Felicia Mitchell is an accomplished published poet and a professor of English at Emory & Henry College. Dr. Mitchell is a widely published poet and scholar, with interests in composition and women's studies, A recipient of a Sears Roebuck Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence and Faculty Leadership, she directs the writing center and presents workshops on writing to faculty and students. Publications include Words and Quills, A Selection of Quilt Poems and Her Words: Diverse Voices in Contemporary Appalachia Women's Poetry. Dr. Mitchell writes a weekly column for Washington County News, a newspaper produced in Abingdon, Virginia. For more information contact Amy Ball Braswell at 246-525-1880 or caposmusicstore@gmail.com.
Lectures
Capo's Music Store, 903 East Main Street, Abingdon
Wednesday, August 4, 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Presented by Dr. John Lang
What does it mean to say Appalachian Literature? What characteristics of writing make it Appalachian? Does the author have to be from the region? Does the work have to be based in the region? This discussion will explore the concept of Appalachian literature and what makes writing Appalachian.
Dr. John Lang is a professor of English at Emory & Henry College. Dr, Lang coordinates Emory & Henry's annual Literary Festival and serves as editor of "The Iron Mountain Review," which publishes the proceedings of each festival. He teaches the college's American literature surveys and courses in African American Literature, Appalachian Literature, and Twentieth-Century Southern literature. In 1999 he received one of twelve Outstanding Faculty Awards in the state of Virqinia. He has published many scholarly articles as well as "Understanding Fred Chappell" (2000) and "Appalachia and beyond: Conversations with Writers from the Mountain South" (2006). In the spring of 2010 Louisiana State University press will publish his new book, "Six Poets from the Mountain South."
For more information contact Amy Ball Braswell at 246-525-1880 or caposmusicstore@gmail.com.
Capo's Music Store, 903 East Main Street, Abingdon
Thursday, July 29, 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Presented by Joe Tennis
Local writer Joe Tennis will read and sign "From Beach to Bluegrass" and excerpts from his new works.
Following U.S. Route 58 for 500 miles across Virginia, "Beach to Bluegrass" takes a journey across Virginia -- from the Chesapeake Bay to the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. With a mix of history and legend, this illustrated trail of tales explores the Civil War stories at Norfolk, Portsmouth, Danville, and Suffolk; haunted hotels of Virginia Beach, South Boston, and Abingdon; the waterfalls, covered bridges, and mile-high mountains of the Blue Ridge Highlands; and the bluegrass music of Galax, Bristol, Mabry Mill, and other sites along The Crooked Road: Virginia's Heritage Music Trail. For more information contact Amy Ball Braswell at 246-525-1880 or caposmusicstore@gmail.com.
Readings
Capo's Music Store, 903 East Main Street, Abingdon
Monday, July 26, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Presented by Amy Ball Braswell, Capo's Music Store
Radings from books selected for the Appalachian Readers Book Club. Copies of books selected will be available for sale as well as books by local Appalachian authors, books about Appalachia and based in Appalachia. For more information contact Amy Ball Braswell at 276-525-1880 or caposmusicstore@gmail.com.
Youth Readings
Capo's staff will be reading a series of children's books about Appalachia and by Appalachian authors throughout the festival. The story time events are free and light refreshments will be provided. Open to kids of all ages.
"A is For Appalachia" by Linda Hager Pack and Pat Banks
Capo's Music Store 903 East Main Street Abingdon, VA 24210
Saturday, July 24, 11:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon
Presented by Amy Ball Braswell/Capo's Music Store
A is for Appalachia is treasured alphabet book for children. The book introduces young readers to letters while providing an endearing look at the traditions, history, and life of Appalachia, a region with one of the oldest and most unique folk cultures in the United States. This is a book filled with a diverse array of beautifully illustrated folk tales, ghost stories, recipes, Jack Tales, expressions, happenings, and music that excites the imagination of people of all ages. Adults and children alike are shown a remarkable legacy particular to Appalachia, but one that also truly transcends cultures.
"Night in the Country" by Cynthia Rylant and Mary Szilagyi
Capo's Music Store 903 East Main Street Abingdon, VA 24210
Saturday, August 7, 11:00 a.m. to Noon
Presented by Amy Ball Brasell/Capo's Music Store
Book description: Lyrical text and velvety pictures describe the sights and sounds of nighttime in the county: a mysterious, moving night that will lull small children to sleep.
"Silver Packages" by Cynthia Rylant
Capo's Music Store 903 East Main Street Abingdon, VA 24210
Tuesday August 3, 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
Book description: In Appalachia each Christmas, a boy named Frankie waits beside the tracks for the Christmas Train, which will bring presents to the children who live in coal towns and hollows. Year after year, Frankie hopes that one particular gift a very special gift will be tossed to him from that train. It is this enduring hope that will guide him to the true meaning of the season. Full color illustrations.
"Appalachia: The Voices of Sleeping Birds" by Cynthia Rylant and Barry Moser
Capo's Music Store 903 East Main Street Abingdon, VA 24210
Saturday, July 31, 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
Presented by Amy Ball Braswell/Capo's Music Store
Book description: Lyrical prose and warm watercolor illujstrations bring a "certain part of the country called Appalachia" alive for young readers. Two award-winning artists, forever touched b y their experiences growing up in this unique landscape, have teamed to created a quietly powerful and beautifully crafted portrait of life in a timeless place.
"When I was young in the Mountains" by Cynthia Rylant and Diane Goode
Capo's Music Store 903 East Main Street Abingdon, VA 24210
Tuesday, July 27, 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
Book descriptions: "An evocative remembrance of this simple pleasures in country living: splashing in the swimming hole, taking baths in the kitchen, sharing family times, easch is eloquently portrayed here in both the misty-hued scenes and in the poetic text."
-- Association for Childhood education International Caldecott Honor Book. Full-color illustrations.
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