Annual Literary Homecoming set for Sept. 20, 21
Celebration of the state’s literary traditions at the 10th Eastern Annual North Carolina Literary Homecoming will include authors pictured above.
East Carolina University will honor the region’s literary traditions Sept. 20 – 21. The Eastern North Carolina Literary Homecoming presented by the “North Carolina Literary Review” and Joyner Library will offer interactive writing workshops in addition to panel presentations. This year’s theme, “North Carolina: A State of Change, A Changing State,” focuses on change in North Carolina and how it is reflected in the state’s literature.
For ten years, the ENCLH has been nourishing and revitalizing the creative spirit for writers as the event provides a place where artists and community members can interact and share ideas. The theme of the annual event mirrors the theme of the award-winning “North Carolina Literary Review’s” special feature section. The writers coming to ECU are featured in the pages of NCLR’s current and forthcoming print and online issues.
Each year, the Literary Homecoming kicks off on Friday evening with the presentation of the Roberts Award for Literary Inspiration. This year the award will be presented to former North Carolina Poet Laureate and UNC–Greensboro Professor Emeritus Fred Chappell for his significant influence upon the literature of North Carolina.
Also on Friday evening, guests can enjoy a reading from Wiley Cash, author of “A Land More Kind than Home,” and music by poet-musician Jim Clark of Barton College.
“Joyner Library is pleased to host the Literary Homecoming again this year,” said Jan Lewis, interim dean of the library. “The Friday evening dessert reception, sponsored by the Friends of Joyner Library, is always a wonderful way to start the weekend. We invite members of the community to celebrate the literary traditions of North Carolina with us during this two-day event.”
On Saturday, several North Carolina writers will take part in two different panels. The first will focus on “Tarheel Literature in Black and White.” The second will focus on the emerging Latina/o voices among North Carolina writers and the resulting literary and cultural production that represents the experiences, needs, and aspirations of the Latino communities in the state.
Javier Lorenzo, chair of the Spanish Curriculum Committee at ECU, said, “Given the extraordinary growth of the Hispanic population in Eastern N.C., there is no better time to meet the authors featured in the Homecoming and to get acquainted with a literature that reflects the changing face of our state.”
At the lunch Saturday, Fred Chappell will present the 3rd James Applewhite Poetry Prize to the 2013 recipient, and Anna Jean Mayhew, author of “The Dry Grass of August,” will read from her new novel in progress, “Tomorrow’s Bread.”
The afternoon will feature six different workshops with visiting authors, covering the writing and presenting of poetry, fiction, playwriting, and memoir.
NCLR Editor Margaret Bauer invites everyone to read interviews and essays from many of the writers participating in this year’s Literary Homecoming, in the recently released 2013 issue of the “North Carolina Literary Review,” and then meet the authors in person.
All events, except for Saturday author’s luncheon ($12), are free and open to the public. For program and registration information, go to www.ecu.edu/lithomecoming, call 252.328.1537, or e-mail lithomecoming@ecu.edu.
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The event is a recognized program for Certificate Renewal Credit for teachers. Contact Dawn Wainwright for CEU credit information at wainwrightd@ecu.edu or 252.328.4090.