Participation Type
Panel
Session Title
Women Writing Appalachia: A WVU Press Panel
Session Abstract or Summary
From Harriett Simpson Arnow to Ann Pancake to Crystal Wilkson, the list of women who have written about Appalachia is long, and their subjects are varied. This panel brings together four fiction writers who have published books with West Virginia University Press. They will discuss their approaches to writing Appalachia: What makes their stories Appalachian? Is theirs a gendered Appalachia? How do their stories reflect the region differently from other writers, both men and women?
Each author will discuss her approach to writing the region, as well as read a short selection from her book that highlights her approach to the region. Abby Freeland, Fiction Editor extraordinaire with WVU Press, will act as respondent, commenting on what drew her to the fiction in question.
Presentation #1 Title
Reading from Jaws of Life
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Laura will discuss her collection of short stories and read a short selection from Jaws of Life
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Laura Leigh Morris lives in Greenville, South Carolina, where she teaches creative writing and literature at Furman University. Before that, she spent three years as the National Endowment for the Arts/Bureau of Prisons Artist-in-Residence at Bryan Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas. She’s previously published short fiction in Appalachian Heritage, Louisville Review, Notre Dame Review, and other journals. Originally from north central West Virginia, all of her fiction is set there, the place she is most at home. From the landscape to the rich variety of people to the long history of resource extraction, the region serves as a rich backdrop to both her life and her stories. Her first book, Jaws of Life: Stories was published by West Virginia University Press in 2018. She is currently hard at work on her first novel.
Presentation #2 Title
Reading from The Sound of Holding Your Breath
Presentation #2 Abstract or Summary
Natalie will discuss her collection of short stories and read a short selection from The Sound of Holding Your Breath
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Natalie Sypolt lives and writes in West Virginia. She received her MFA in fiction from West Virginia University and currently teaches writing and literature. Her work has appeared in Glimmer Train,Kenyon Review Online, Willow Springs Review, Appalachian Heritageand other literary journals. Natalie serves as a literary editor for theAnthology of Appalachian Writers and runs the high school portion of the West Virginia Writers Workshop. Her first book, The Sound of Holding Your Breath, came out in 2018 from West Virginia University Press.
Presentation #3 Title
Reading from Out of Peel Tree
Presentation #3 Abstract or Summary
Laura will discuss her collection of fiction and read a short selection from Out of Peel Tree.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3
Laura Long is the author of the novel Out of Peel Tree and co-editor of the anthology Eyes Glowing at the Edge of the Woods: Fiction and Poetry from West Virginia, both from WVU Press. She has also published two poetry collections, Imagine a Door and The Eye of Caroline Herschel. She teaches writing and literature at the University of Lynchburg in Virginia.
Presentation #4 Title
Panel Respondent
Presentation #4 Abstract or Summary
As fiction editor at WVU Press, Abby will act as respondent to each of the authors on the panel.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #4
Abby Freeland is the sales and marketing director and fiction editor at West Virginia University Press.
Presentation #5 Title
Reading from Monsters in Appalachia
Presentation #5 Abstract or Summary
Sheryl will discuss her collection of short stories and read a short selection from Monsters in Appalachia.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #5
Sheryl Monks is the author of Monsters in Appalachia, published by Vandalia Press, the creative imprint of West Virginia University Press. She holds an MFA in fiction from Queens University of Charlotte. Her stories have appeared in Rkvry Quarterly, Electric Literature, The Butter, The Greensboro Review, storySouth, Regarding Arts and Letters, Night Train, and other journals, and in the anthologies Surreal South and Eyes Glowing at the Edge of the Woods: Contemporary West Virginia Fiction and Poetry, among others. Monsters in Appalachia is a Weatherford Award finalist, a Southern Book Prize finalist, and a Foreword Indies Book finalist. Sheryl lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where she works for a peer-reviewed medical journal.
Reading from Jaws of Life
Laura will discuss her collection of short stories and read a short selection from Jaws of Life
