17th annual Spring Literary Festival brings different voices with views, vision
A resonance of contemporary themes in America as seen through the perspective of poetry, fiction, nonfiction and documentary will be featured this month during Western Carolina University鈥檚 17th annual Spring Literary Festival.
Cristina Henr铆quez
All events will be held at the A.K. Hinds University Center and are free and open to the public. Directed by Pamela Duncan, an associate professor in WCU鈥檚 Department of English, the festival has a long tradition of bringing established and emerging literary talent to the community.
鈥淭here鈥檚 something for everyone,鈥� Duncan said. 鈥淏esides being a showcase for amazing talent representing the best of literature, there鈥檚 an opportunity to hear thoughts and opinions from some outstanding writers on creativity and the complexity of today鈥檚 world.鈥�
Fiction and nonfiction writer Cristina Henr铆quez will speak Thursday, March 21, in the university center鈥檚 Grandroom at 7:30 p.m. Her breakout novel 鈥淭he Book of Unknown Americans鈥� is the university鈥檚 One Book selection, an activity intended to engage first-year students and the campus community in a common experience of critical thinking and open conversation. The profound, emotional story of immigrants is a Washington Post 鈥淣otable Book,鈥� an NPR 鈥淕reat Read鈥� and one of Amazon鈥檚 "10 Best Books of the Year."
Henr铆quez is author of 鈥淭he World in Half鈥� and 鈥淐ome Together, Fall Apart: A Novella and Stories,鈥� and her nonfiction has appeared in the New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Wall Street Journal and Oxford American. Her presentation will be the final event of the WCU Distinguished Speaker Series for the academic year.
Marilynne Robinson and Barack Obama
鈥淚鈥檓 very excited to be coming to North Carolina 鈥� not least because it promises to be warmer than Chicago, where it鈥檚 12 degrees at the moment 鈥� and am happy for the opportunity to meet everyone at WCU, especially the students,鈥� said Henr铆quez. 鈥淚鈥檒l be doing an onstage conversation around my novel, 鈥楾he Book of Unknown Americans.鈥� I鈥檓 grateful to everyone at WCU who has made it possible for me to come.鈥�
The festival鈥檚 keynote speaker will be author and essayist Marilynne Robinson, known as one of former President Barack Obama鈥檚 favorite writers and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction and the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction. Known for topics including the relationship between religion and science, nuclear pollution, American politics, faith and rural life, Robinson will speak Thursday, March 28, at 7:30 p.m. in the center鈥檚 Grandroom.
Other events include:
- U.S. Army veterans and writers Laurie Jean Cannady, author of the memoir 鈥淐rave: Sojourn of a Hungry Soul,鈥� and Tom Baker, author of the novel 鈥淭he Hawk and the Dove,鈥� will hold a reading and panel discussion with members of the military and veterans Monday, March 25, at 7 p.m. in the center theater.
- A. Van Jordan, winner of a Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, Whiting Writers Award, Pushcart Prize and Lannan Literary Award in Poetry, will present his evocative poetry influenced by music, film, race, history and pop culture during a "Defining America" campus theme event Wednesday, March 27, at 7:30 p.m. in the center theater.
- Silas House, an Appalachian writer, novelist, playwright and executive producer of the documentary 鈥淗illbilly,鈥� will present the film at 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, in the center theater, followed by a panel discussion where he will be joined by Jason Howard, editor of Appalachian Heritage literary quarterly, and Ricardo Nazario-Colon, co-founder of the Affrilachian Poets and WCU鈥檚 chief diversity officer.
WCU sponsors include the Campus Learning Theme Committee, College of Arts and Sciences, Division of Student Affairs, Department of English, Hunter Library, Office of Communications and Public Relations, Office of Research Administration, Office of the Chancellor, Office of the Provost and the Office of Residential Living.
Off-campus sponsors are City Lights Bookstore, Fontana Regional Library and the N.C. Poetry Society. The festival also receives support from the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.
For more information about the festival, visit or contact WCU鈥檚 English department at 828-227-7264.
