ETSU’s spring creative-writing festival features Jamaican poet Ishion Hutchinson
On April 11 and 12, East Tennessee State University in Johnson City will host its second annual literary festival, offering a slate of workshops, readings, and genre-focused craft presentations. The event culminates with a keynote address by celebrated poet Ishion Hutchinson. All festival events are free and open to the public.
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Maggie Shipstead’s Astonish Me illuminates the ballet world’s relentless pursuit of perfection
The ballet dancers in Maggie Shipstead’s novel, Astonish Me, are engaged in a daily war against their mortal limitations. Shipstead will discuss Astonish Me at the John C. Hodges Library at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville on March 6 at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Michael Knight’s Eveningland centers on life in and around Mobile Bay
Eveningland, the new collection of linked stories by Knoxville writer Michael Knight, focuses closely on the lives of affluent families in and around Mobile Bay. Knight will discuss Eveningland at Union Ave. Books in Knoxville on March 7 and at Parnassus Books in Nashville on April 8.
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A woman searches for the heart to raise the child of her husband’s mistress in Bren McClain’s debut novel
Bren McClain’s debut novel features a difficult responsibility that initiates a personal transformation. McClain will discuss One Good Mama Bone at Parnassus Books in Nashville on February 28 at 6:30 p.m., at Star Line Books in Chattanooga on March 2 at 5 p.m., and at the Brentwood Public Library on April 4 at 6:30 p.m.
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Bret Anthony Johnston shares the details of his writing process
“Family life seems given to a kind of emotional suspense, which in no way feels less tense or compelling than other kinds of suspense.” Prior to his November 7 reading at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Bret Anthony Johnston talks about creativity, collusion with imaginary characters, and his acclaimed novel, Remember Me Like This.
Appalachian writer Wilma Dykeman explores her mountain childhood in a newly-recovered memoir
Found after Wilma Dykeman’s death in 2006, Family of Earth details the writer and civil-rights activist’s childhood in the mountains around Asheville, North Carolina. This poignant memoir extends the reach of Dykeman’s renowned writing about southern Appalachian places and people.
