The Mountain Heritage Literary
Festival
June 12-14, 2009
We are now in our fourth year of the Mountain Heritage Literary Festival. This year we welcome one of Appalachia’s most respected and important writers, Denise Giardina, as our keynote speaker. Giardina is the author of Storming Heaven, The Unquiet Earth, both widely considered as classics, and her latest book, Emily’s Ghost. She is joined by our keynote musicians, the 23 String Band, a young and edgy band who respect the tradition of mountain music while tipping their hats to modern influences. Our Master Classes will be led by such great contemporary talents as Gwyn Hyman Rubio, author of Icy Sparks (fiction), Anne Shelby, author of The Adventures of Molly Whuppie (Young Adult/Children’s), Lyrae Van-Clief Stefanon, author of Black Swan (poetry), and Karen McElmurray, author of Surrendered Child (nonfiction). We’ll also be joined by master banjo-player and singer Donavan Cain, the band Public Outcry, photographer Chuck Summers, writer Chad Berry and Jason Howard, and Angelyn DeBord, who will put on our annual play and many other writers who will come to share their good words.
The Festival has grown every year and we trust that it is having a positive influence on the thriving, living literature of Appalachia. We started the Mountain Heritage Literary Festival at Lincoln Memorial University because our school has such a rich literary tradition, which includes graduates like James Still, Jesse Stuart, and Don West, as well as former artists-in-residence such as Emma Bell Miles (a spot I now proudly fill).
We believe that LMU is at the epicenter of the Appalachian literary movement. Situated at the historic Cumberland Gap, we have our feet firmly planted in the fertile soil of the past and the other in the promise of the future. Our festival not only celebrates the rich history of Appalachian literature, but also offers a guiding light for a new generation of writers who have been inspired by the writers who come from LMU and other writers of the Appalachian South. The Mountain Heritage Literary Festival celebrates our living history while also providing master classes, workshops, lectures and readings to entertain and inform writers of today's generation.
Besides the literary tradition that is still thriving at LMU, we also offer an amazingly beautiful space for writers to find inspiration. This is a festival that is completely down-home, accessible and fun– traits that Appalachians have rightly been known for. Instead of fancy meals, at the Mountain Heritage Literary Festival you'll be fed the food your grandmother might have prepared for you. You'll breathe in the crisp air of the Cumberland Mountains and be treated to traditional music strummed on an autoharp. There will be plenty of music to be heard, plays to be seen and good fellowship to be had.
We hope you'll join us at the Mountain Heritage Literary Festival. We'll be glad to see you. In the meantime, if you have any questions about our festival please feel free to drop me a line at silas.house@lmunet.edu. You can also always contact the co-director, Denton Loving, at 423.869.6432.
All best,
Silas House, Writer-in-Residence
Lincoln Memorial University
Cumberland Gap Parkway
P.O. Box 2005
Harrogate, TN 37752
Phone:
423.869.6432 or 800.325.0900, ext. 6432
