ECU to celebrate a rising star of North Carolina literature

Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle will be at ECU on Oct. 4. (Contributed photo)

East Carolina University’s Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences will celebrate a rising star of North Carolina literature when it welcomes award-winning author Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle to campus on Oct. 4. The evening will begin at 6 p.m. with a limited attendance reception and discussion on the third-floor outdoor deck of the Main Campus Student Center, followed at 7 p.m. by a reading from “Even As We Breathe,” an audience question and answer period, and a book signing in the Main Campus Student Center, Black Box Theatre.

Clapsaddle holds degrees from Yale University and the College of William and Mary. She is an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and resides in Qualla, North Carolina, with her husband Evan and sons, Ross and Charlie.

Her debut novel, “Even As We Breathe,” was named a finalist for the Weatherford Award and one of National Public Radio’s Best Books of 2020. It received a 2021 Independent Publisher Book Award bronze medal in the category of literary fiction.

Clapsaddle’s work has appeared in Yes! Magazine, Lit Hub, Smoky Mountain Living Magazine, South Writ Large and The Atlantic. After serving as executive director of the Cherokee Preservation Foundation, Clapsaddle returned to teaching at Swain County High School in Bryson City. She is the former co-editor of the Journal of Cherokee Studies and serves on the board of trustees for the North Carolina Writers Network.

The evening is hosted by Whichard Distinguished Professor Kirstin L. Squint and ECU’s North Carolina Literary Review editor Margaret Bauer. The event will raise funds in support of the NCLR, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Clapsaddle’s book will be available for purchase at the event.

The events are free and open to the public, but an RSVP is required for the reception, which is limited to 60 guests. RSVP for the reception by Sept. 27 to thcas@ecu.edu. No RSVP is necessary for the 7 p.m. event.

Parking options for the Main Campus Student Center include the new parking deck at the rate of $1/hour. The deck is located behind the Student Center along 10th Street and is accessible by turning down Student Center Way.

This event is contingent on ECU’s Public Health Plan and is subject to change. For additional information, visit the Clapsaddle event page. Individuals requesting accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) should call 252-737-1018 or email ada-coordinator@ecu.edu at least 48 hours prior to the event.