Press release from UNC Asheville:
Leigh Ann Henion, the New York Times best-selling author of Phenomenal: A Hesitant Adventurer’s Search for Wonder in the Natural World, will be the next to read and discuss her works as part of UNC Asheville’s 2016-17 Visiting Writer Series hosted by Wiley Cash. This event, free and open to everyone, will take place at noon on Thursday, Nov. 10 in UNC Asheville’s Karpen Hall, in the Laurel Forum.
Phenomenal tracks Henion’s travels to some of the world’s most remarkable natural sights, from the aurora borealis in the Arctic to Catatumbo lightning in Venezuela. She approaches these and other phenomena with awe and wonder, and with the thoughtfulness of a mother struck by her son’s ability to marvel over “ordinary” things like leaves, pebbles and twigs. The book was named an editor’s pick by O: The Oprah Magazine, Backpacker, and Barnes & Noble Review. Elizabeth Gilbert called it a “gorgeously written and deeply thoughtful memoir.”
Henion, who now lives near Boone, N.C., is a year 2000 graduate of UNC Asheville, and will read from and discuss her work with fellow alum Wiley Cash, UNC Asheville 2016-17 Writer-In-Residence, who graduated the same year. Cash is the best-selling author of This Dark Road to Mercy and A Land More Kind than Home.
“At UNC Asheville we’re incredibly fortunate to have a writer of Leigh Ann Henion’s caliber as an alumnus, and we’re even more fortunate to be able to welcome her home,” said Cash. “She’s quickly gained a national reputation as a thoughtful, reflective writer who’s willing to step outside her comfort zone in pursuit of the kind of natural wonder that most of us can only imagine.”
In recent essays, Henion used her encounter with a hen-thieving coyote to craft a reflection on humans’ place in the food chain in the October issue of Charlotte magazine. In September, The Washington Post featured her examination of the role of music in Macon, Georgia’s culture and history.
UNC Asheville’s Visiting Writer Series will continue in the Spring 2017 Semester with poet Camille Dungy on March 2, and novelist Chinelo Okparanta on April 4.
For more information, visit english.unca.edu.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.