On the same page,

Ashe County’s Literary festival,

announces 2012 authors and dates

 

Libby Bagby, Tim Gautreaux, Georgann Eubanks, Gyleen Fitzgerald, Vicki Lane,

D.G. Martin, A.J. Mayhew, Jim Minick, and Lee Smith will share their own writing journeys, as well as the journeys of characters in their recent works.

  • In its fifth year, On the Same Page welcomes back Lee Smith, author of a dozen novels and several collections of short stories, as well as part-time Ashe County resident.
  • The annual festival takes place in West Jefferson, NC.
  • The 2012 festival will run from Wednesday, September 12 – Saturday, September 15, 2012.
  • The festival includes Preface and Postscript events beginning with a Community Read of Lee Smith’s Mrs. Darcy and the Blue-Eyed Stranger.

WEST JEFFERSON, NC . . . On the Same Page, Ashe County, NC’s Literary Festival, is celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2012 with talented, well-known authors, as well as plans for a festival filled with reading, drama, a book fair, a book release, writing, a gallery crawl, a farmers market, quilts and more, according to Jane Lonon, executive director of the Ashe County Arts Council and chairperson of the festival. This year’s festival is scheduled for Wednesday – Saturday, September 12th – 15th.

“The 2012 On the Same Page festival promises to be our most exciting yet,” Lonon went on to say. “Starting with an exceptional group of authors who will share their work, to the special events and opportunities that will take place throughout the festival, Ashe County will simply be the place to be this September for those who enjoy the arts and the great outdoors.”

Authors who will read from their works, participate in question and answer sessions, talk with fans at “lunch with an author” events, and/or serve on a panel for a special discussion at venues across West Jefferson, NC, include D.G. Martin, the host of UNC-TV’s “North Carolina Bookwatch,” as well as:

Libby Bagby                                                   After rescuing an injured dog she named Lucky, she decided to make it her life mission to spread the word about North Carolina’s courageous hunting hound.  She began by writing a children’s book, Lucky’s Plott, A Plott Hound Tale. It is the heart-warming story of her Plott Hound’s journey into her life.

Tim Gautreaux                        He is the author of three novels and two collections of short stories, one of which, Welding With Children, was selected by The New York Times as a Notable Book of the Year. His fiction has appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, Harper’s, GQ, and Zoetrope, and also in volumes of The O. Henry Prize Stories, Best American Short Stories, and New Stories from the South. He is a professor emeritus/writer in residence in the English Department at Southeastern Louisiana University and a part-time resident of Ashe County.

Georgann Eubanks                        A festival favorite, she returns to give us an update on her Literary Trails series and to conduct her popular writer’s workshop. She has published stories, poems, reviews and profiles in magazines and journals including: The Washington Monthly, Oxford American and Boston Globe Sunday Magazine. She is director of the Table Rock Writers Workshop.

Gyleen Fitzgerald                        Both author and artist, she achieved “Best in Show” recognition as an artist, and with Quilts: Unfinished Stories with New Endings, she achieved award-winning status as a writer and publisher.

Vicki Lane                                                      Our mystery lovers’ guest this year is a North Carolina mountain writer. She will read from and discuss her Elizabeth Goodweather mystery series. The latest of her books is Under the Skin.

A.J. Mayhew                                                   With her first novel, The Dry Grass of August, she has captured the attention and loyal following of readers.

Jim Minick                                                      His non-fiction Blueberry Years: A Memoir of Farm and Family was the Southeastern Independent Booksellers Association non-fiction book of the year in 2011.

Lee Smith                                                      A Southern favorite, she has written twelve novels and four collections of short stories. She is a recipient of the Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the North Carolina Award for Literature and a Southern Book Critics Circle Award.

The Festival will be preceded by a Community Read of Lee Smith’s recent collection of short stories, Mrs. Darcy and the Blue-eyed Stranger.

The 2012 Festival focuses on the theme of “Journeys,” and festival authors will share their personal journeys of the writing life, the role of journeys in their writing and in the lives of their characters, and attendees will experience the journey of the written word in the capable hands of master storytellers.

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For more information about the festival’s history, about Ashe County, and more, visit:  www.onthesamepagefestival.org.