Tremont Writers Conference hosts Appalachian Life in Literature, a public forum featuring renowned authors, October 26

Part of the Tremont Writers Conference, the free event is open to the public and held at Blount County Public Library in Maryville.

TOWNSEND, TN — Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont is pleased to announce Appalachian Life in Literature: A Public Conversation on Place-Based Writing, held Saturday, October 26, at Blount County Public Library. The free public forum brings together award-winning writers Frank X Walker, David Brill, Monic Ductan, and Maurice Manning to share stories and insights from their own experiences writing about the region’s beauty, culture, and challenges.

Appalachian Life in Literature is part of the Tremont Writers Conference, held October 23–27 on Tremont’s campus in Townsend, Tennessee. Led by faculty members Ductan, Manning, and Brill, the five-day conference invites 25 participants — chosen from over 200 applicants — to participate in daily workshops, one-on-one conferences with workshop leaders, and guided naturalist explorations meant to spark creativity. All spaces for the conference itself have already been filled, but the October 26 event is free and open to the public, with no ticket or registration necessary.

A teacher of literature and creative writing at Tennessee Tech University, Ductan is a multi-award-winning fiction writer. Her 2023 story collection “Daughters of Muscadine” focuses on a group of working-class Black women and families in rural Georgia. Manning has published eight collections of poetry, the most recent of which is 2023’s “Snakedoctor.” His fourth book, “The Common Man,” was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Brill is a nonfiction writer whose articles on science, ecology, the environment, business, health, fitness, parenting, and adventure travel have appeared in more than 25 national and regional magazines. He has written extensively about Great Smoky Mountains National Park, including in “Into the Mist: Tales of Death and Disaster, Mishaps and Misdeeds, Misfortune and Mayhem in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.” Walker, an esteemed guest author at the conference, is the first African American Kentucky Poet Laureate and the author of 11 books of poetry. Walker coined the term “Affrilachia” and has won multiple writing and Appalachian heritage awards.

Held in the Blount County Public Library, 508 N. Cusick St. in Maryville, Tennessee, the event will begin at 5:30 p.m. with detailed interviews and guided questions with the four authors, followed by book signings at 7 p.m. Books will be available for purchase during the event. Thanks to support from the Tennessee Arts Commission, Southland Books, the Blount County Public Library, and Smokies Life, and held in memory of Debbie Ellis, this event is free and open to the public.

“This is an incredible opportunity to learn from a panel of authors who have helped define this region in the literary world,” said Frances Figart, Creative Services Director at Smokies Life, who will be interviewing the authors alongside Tremont Institute’s Jeremy Lloyd during the event. “I am thrilled to listen to their unique perspectives on Appalachian life and compare their experiences with the broader community.”

Appalachian Life in Literature and the Tremont Writers Conference are hosted by Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont in partnership with Smokies Life. Learn more about the Tremont Writers Conference at writers.gsmit.org.

###

Tremont Writers Conference is a new venture in an ancient and wild setting, where writers can receive feedback from established authors, connect with writing peers, and find renewal and inspiration. Small-group morning workshops in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry take place outdoors and are led by faculty members, as well as a MacArthur Fellow and Pulitzer Prize-winning guest novelist. In addition to creative workshops, writers will join experienced Tremont naturalists for guided explorations that spark curiosity and wonder.

Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont provides in-depth experiences through educational programs that celebrate ecological and cultural diversity, foster stewardship, and nurture appreciation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Learn more at gsmit.org.

###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 10, 2024

Contact:
Erin Rosolina, Marketing Director
(865) 448-6709, [email protected]

###

###