Throwing the book at Burnsville

This week, downtown Burnsville will once again find itself in the throes of some serious wordage as the Carolina Mountains Literary Festival commandeers the place, filling the air with the heady odor of metaphor and allusion. The event, in its second year, will bring more than 40 authors to the Yancey County seat to read from their works, lead workshops and schmooze with something approaching abandon.

“The idea behind the festival is to promote literature and literacy in these [Western North Carolina] counties,” says Britt Kaufmann, one of the event’s organizers. “It’s really about bringing readers and authors together.” 

The event begins Friday morning at 9 a.m. with workshops on regional history, the art of the ballad, recording personal narratives and tapping nature’s power for the page. Author readings will be interspersed throughout, followed by an afternoon book-signing and meet-and-greet. Saturday promises more workshops and signings, followed by an evening reception.

Asheville will be well-represented, with appearances by writer and Warren Wilson Creative Writing MFA program director Peter Turchi, Cataloochee author Wayne Caldwell, poets Glenis Redmond, Rick Chess and Pat Riviere-Steel, and regional historian, literary critic and Asheville Citizen-Times writer Rob Neufeld.

The thrust this year is toward history and, specifically, the Revolutionary War and North Carolina’s vital role in it. Robert Morgan will read from his book Brave Enemies, a novel of that war as fought here, and Bill Carson will deliver a lecture on the role of the Overmountain Men at the bloody and decisive Battle of King’s Mountain. “We’re bringing in some of the world’s experts on the American Revolution,” says Kaufmann. “You don’t usually find this many in one place.”

Also new this year is an all-day schedule of children’s activities on Saturday. Much of the festival is free, and Kaufmann encourages anyone with an interest in good writing to “stroll on in.”

Last year, more than 350 people attended the volunteer-run event. Malaprop’s, the festival’s official bookseller, donated $700 from sales during last year’s event to the Yancey County Library Building Fund.

More attendees are expected this time around, so put down that quill pen and visit www.cmlitfest.org for more information.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

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.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.