Robert Morgan
Robert Morgan headlines two days of immersive workshops and presentations at this year’s Writers & Readers Days at the Virginia Highlands Festival, Abingdon, Virginia. The activities are Friday, July 26, and Saturday, July 27, from 8 a.m. until 4:15 p.m. each day at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon.
During the two-day event, writers and readers interested in the writing process can choose from an array of presentations about fiction, poetry, nonfiction, playwriting and songwriting.
Robert Morgan has been one of the Appalachian region’s leading writers for a generation. Perhaps best known for his novel “Gap Creek,” he is also a skilled poet, historian and biographer. He is the author of “Lions of the West” and “Boone: A Biography.” He will be the opening speaker on Saturday, discussing “Writing Across Genres.”
The opening speaker on Friday is Steven James, who is widely known for his works about the “craft” of writing. He is the author of “Story Trumps Structure” and is a contributing editor to “Writer’s Digest Magazine.” He will be speaking on the inspirational topic of finding stories all around you in “untouched moments.”
On Friday also conducting workshops is Virginia fiction writer John Copenhaver on character development and writing mysteries. Darnell Arnoult, the founder of the Mountain Literary Heritage Festival, conducts workshops on writing a narrative poem or a “flash memoir” as well as crafting short stories. Jo Allison discusses the varieties of non-fiction, and Victoria Fletcher discusses careful planning of children’s stories and the variety of publishing options.
On Saturday, besides Robert Morgan’s opening address, his protégé Jesse Graves, one of the region’s leading poets who teaches creative writing at East Tennessee State University, will lead a wide-ranging conversation with his friend and mentor. Graves received his M.F.A. from Cornell University, studying under Morgan.
Of special note, on Saturday there are two extended workshops, one on playwriting with Nick Piper, an Associate Director of Barter Theatre in charge of new play development and Director of Barter’s Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrighting.
The other extended workshop features Ed Snodderly, an accomplished musician and songwriter. He was one of the co-founders of Down Home, the premier music venue in the Tri-Cities, and recently completed his 10th album. He is known regionally as one half of the duo The Brother Boys with Eugene Wolf.
Also, on Saturday Greg Lilly discusses how to write about “true crime,” based on his experience in writing his new book “Abingdon’s Boardinghouse Murder.” Matthew Kelley from Emory & Henry College discusses poems and stories about art, and Lisa Kwong from Radford University discusses how to develop family stories as narrative poems. A concluding session will be a publishing panel discussing the road to publication for aspiring writers.
Registration for Writers & Readers Day is $70 for two days or $40 for a single day. Participants can register to participate in person or by Zoom. Early registrants will automatically receive a Zoom link. To find complete information and to register, go to Virginia Highlands Festival website, www.vahighlandsfestival.com.
High school and college students are admitted free with their student ID card. Continuing education certificates for public school teachers are available on request.
