Southern Homecoming Planned for Writers Week at UNC Wilmington, Nov. 2–6
10/23/2009 2:09:31 PM
E-Mail | Print
The University of North Carolina Wilmington's Department of Creative Writing presents "A Southern Homecoming" during its annual Writers Week. Distinguished members of the Fellowship of Southern Writers, including poet James Applewhite, fiction writer Allan Gurganus and fiction writer Elizabeth Spencer, will be the keynote speakers. Gurganus, described by the American Scholar as "the rightful heir to Faulkner and Welty," will read from his work at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 3 in Kenan Auditorium. Elizabeth Spencer, author of The Light in the Piazza, will read from her work at 2:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 3 in Kenan Hall, Room 1111 and James Applewhite, professor emeritus at Duke University and author of A Diary of Altered Light, will read at 7 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 5 in Dobo 103.
Writers Week, which takes place Nov. 2–6, brings together visiting writers of local and national interest, UNC Wilmington students and members of the general public with an interest in literature and writing. Activities throughout the week will include workshops, panels, readings and manuscript conferences.
James Applewhite has written numerous books of poetry, including the award-winning Daytime and Starlight and A Diary of Altered Light. He is the recipient of the Ragan-Rubin Award from the North Carolina English Teachers Association, the 1998 Brockman-Campbell Award from the North Carolina Poetry Society and the North Carolina Award in Literature. He is a Guggenheim Fellow and received the American Academy of Arts and Letters Jean Stein Award in Poetry. Applewhite was inducted into the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame in 2008. He teaches creative writing at Duke University.
Allan Gurganus, a native of Rocky Mount, N.C., is the author of novels, essays and short stories. His novels include Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All and Plays Well with Others. His short fiction includes White People and The Practical Heart: Four Novellas. Gurganus's stories have been honored with the O. Henry Prize and included in Best American Stories and The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. He also served as first writer-editor of Best New Stories of the South. He was awarded the Sue Kaufman Award from the American Academy for Best First Work of American Fiction, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction for White People, the Lambda Literary Award and the National Magazine Prize for The Practical Heart. His books have been translated into 16 languages.
Elizabeth Spencer, acclaimed author of numerous books of fiction and a memoir, is a five-time recipient of the O. Henry Award for short fiction. Her books include The Night Travellers, The Light in the Piazza, Jack of Diamonds and The Southern Woman: New and Selected Fiction. Her novella, The Light in the Piazza, was adapted for Broadway in 2005 and has garnered six Tony Awards. Spencer is a founding member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
The week will feature a live performance of The Bible Salesman by Clyde Edgerton and songwriting partner Mike Craver. Biographies of other visiting writers, editors and agents for the 2009 Writers Week, as well as a detailed schedule of events, are available on the Department of Creative Writing Web site, www.uncw.edu/writers/news_writers_week.html.
All events are free and open to the public. Receptions sponsored by the department and book signings sponsored by Pomegranate Books will follow readings.
For further information on UNCW's programs and events in creative writing, please contact the Department of Creative Writing at 910.962.7063.
|
