Jim Minick
Two area writers are featured in the annual “Sunday with Friends” literary series during February at the Washington County Public Library in Abingdon. Both events occur at 3 p.m.
On Feb. 4, Jim Minick from Wythe County, Virginia, whose prolific writing career has encompassed fiction, non-fiction, poetry and memoir, is the guest speaker.
His new book, “Without Warning: The Tornado of Udall, Kansas” tells the story of the deadliest tornado in Kansas history. It follows the story of the event, minute-by-minute, from the perspective of the survivors. The tornado killed 82 people and injured 270 others, more than half of the town’s population of approximately 600. One of Minick’s purposes in the work is to point out how we in America are increasingly being shaped by the weather as our climate seems to be drastically changing.
Patricia Hudson visits Feb. 18. Her debut novel, “Traces,” tells the story of one of America’s most iconic figures, Daniel Boone, and the westward expansion that he was central to — from the perspective of Rebecca Boone, Daniel’s wife, and their two eldest daughters, Susannah and Jemima. Hudson corrects history, giving voice to the independent and resourceful women who struggled for survival on the frontier.
Hudson lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, and has coedited “Listen Here: Women Writing in Appalachia,” and coauthored “The Carolinas and the Appalachian States,” a volume in the Smithsonian Guide to Historic America series.
The series is sponsored by the Friends of the Washington County Public Library, a volunteer, non-profit organization whose purpose is to help strengthen the resources of the library and to make it a dynamic force in the community.
Additional speakers in the series include Diane Flynt, Anna Zeide, Linda Parsons and other poets, Jamila Minnicks, Ed Ayers and Clint Miller.
There will be refreshments as well as book sales and signings after the events. For more information, contact the event’s coordinator, Ben Jennings, at ben.h.jennings@gmail.com.
