Lenoir-Rhyne University hosts Asheville Wordfest 2015 in May

How would you tell Asheville’s story? What’s the city’s narrative? Wordfest 2015, sponsored by Lenoir-Rhyne University, will celebrate “the many voices that make up a place” and “create spaces for people [to] tell their part” of the story. Here’s the university’s information about the event, while occurs Friday-Saturday, May 1-2:

LENOIR-RHYNE UNIVERSITY PRESENTS ASHEVILLE WORDFEST 2015

ASHEVILLE, NC – Lenoir-Rhyne University presents Asheville Wordfest at its Asheville campus in downtown Asheville May 1 and 2. In its eighth year, Asheville Wordfest turns its eye on Asheville and invites community members to write about their city. Using the theme “The City Narrative / The Narrative City,” festival director and also director of the university’s graduate writing program Thomas Wolfe Center for Narrative, Laura Hope-Gill, sees this Wordfest as a celebration of the many voices that make up a place.

Hope-Gill, director of the Thomas Wolfe Center for Narrative at Lenoir-Rhyne, says, “The City Narrative is the story of Asheville and the land it stands on, from its Cherokee history to now. Each of us is a part of this story, and the mission of this year’s Asheville Wordfest is to create spaces for people tell their part. “

Wordfest mainstage events will feature poets as well as “city narrators.” City narrators are people from town who will simply share a part of Asheville’s story. Narrators include historian and photographer Andrea Clark, architect Dave Nutter, writer Alli Marshall, and community-builder Lana Phillips. Poets include Lenelle Moise of Haiti, Santiago Vizcaino of Ecuador, Nickole Brown, Adrian Rice, Charles Fort, Matthew Olzmann, Jessica Jacobs, Greg Brown, John Hoppenthaler, and Molly Rice.

In between the mainstage events, people will have the chance to write and share their own experiences in narrative sessions. For this Wordfest, Thomas Wolfe provides the inspiration.

A trained facilitator will read a passage from one of the city’s early narrators, Thomas Wolfe. We’ll discuss the passage in an informal, reflective way, then write our own narratives of Asheville life. Hope-Gill says, “People will then share what you’ve written in a safe, nonjudgmental space. Not a workshop, a narrative session is just a chance to share something.”

Cost to attend: $25.00 with adjusted sliding scale available.

Wordfest Schedule-at-a-Glance

Friday at 7 p.m.
Narrator: Andrea Clark
Poets: Molly Rice, Santiago Vizcaino with translator Alexis Levitin

Saturday at 11 a.m.
Narrators: Alli Marshall 
Poets: Jessica Jacobs, John Hoppenthaler, Greg Brown

Narrative Sessions:
12:30p.m.-2:00pm
Topics: food, family, life and death, nature

Saturday at 2:30pm
Narrator:  Lana Phillips
Poets: Lenelle Moise and Adrian Rice

Narrative Sessions:
4:30-6 p.m.

Topics:  Adventure, Architecture/Shelter, Sickness, Friendship and Love,

Saturday at 7:00 p.m.
Narrator: Dave Nutter
Poets: Nickole Brown, Charles Fort, Matthew Olzmann

About Lenoir-Rhyne University:

Lenoir-Rhyne University was founded in Hickory, NC in 1891 and has been offering graduate education for more than 50 years. In 2012 the Center for Graduate Studies of Asheville was established to provide excellent graduate education that develops innovative leaders prepared to serve the current and future needs of Western North Carolina and beyond. More information is available at asheville.lr.edu.

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