A love of reading and writing brings people together when the Virginia Highlands Festival celebrates its Writers & Readers Days with an expanded two-day schedule Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29.
Friday, July 28, features three-hour immersive workshops; Saturday, July 29, has a variety of sessions for readers as well as writers. On-site registration begins both days at 8 a.m. at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon. Workshops are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The annual event isn’t just about the authors. It’s about the readers, too.
“Literature is a circle of communication, and readers are the integral completion of that circle,” said Greg Lilly, co-chair of the event. “Writers work to communicate, and you have to bring the audience into that circle. Otherwise, you’re just writing for yourself.”
This year, a line-up of three-hour immersive workshops Friday give readers, aspiring writers and seasoned authors an opportunity to become immersed in new genres of writing.
Mary Munsey leads Introduction to Songwriting. Munsey, music director at Virginia Highlands Community College, introduces students to basic steps for writing a song, such as finding a message and a tune that fits the mood. Participants discuss favorite songs and why they like them before choosing writing prompts.
Rick Rose leads Writing for the Stage: The Fundamentals and Complexities. Rose, former producing artistic director of Barter Theatre, outlines how to write, explore, share and learn about the various fundamentals and complexities about writing plays for the theater. The workshop includes discussion and exercises in writing for the stage, introduction to the major components of writing for the stage; emphasis on dramatic action, character development and dialogue; familiarize tools and techniques of playwriting; and inspiring imagination and creativity to help find your voice as a playwright. Bring writing supplies and be prepared to share.
Hannah Harvey guides Do Tell! – Intergenerational Storytelling. Harvey leads an interactive workshop designed to help community members tell their stories across generations. First, participants learn why storytelling is important and how it shapes our perceptions of who we are. An Appalachian oral history story is performed by the leader. Participants try out different storytelling techniques and models, which may include storyboarding, rites of passage, the “Hero’s Journey,” visualization, characterization and perspectives. Working with partners, participants focus on conversational story-building, practicing what they’ve learned.
Felicia Mitchell leads Creating Poetry from a Symbolic Memory Jug. Conducted by local author, Mitchell, this workshop addresses the poetic tradition of the “objective correlative,” T.S. Eliot’s idea that the best way to talk about a memory or feeling is to connect it with an object, events or a particular story. Participants use the African American tradition of the memory jug concept to explore how personal symbols can create a collage of values, objects, and memories. Students leave the workshop with a draft of a poem or even a completed poem.
Jo Allison guides History in Service of the Story: Realistic Worldbuilding. Allison explores the ways history can bring stories to immediate life. Worldbuilding is the part of the writing process that establishes where a story takes place, the landscape where characters will inhabit and the tone of the story. Using their own historical interests, participants examine the difference between big history and little history; offer suggestions on research; examine the difficult questions of sensitivity; and the use of real people and more.
On Saturday, several presenters conduct 90-minute sessions addressing a variety of topics. Those presenters are Janie Hull, children’s literature; Rick Van Noy, fiction and non-fiction; Bekah Harris, young adult; Karen Spears Zacharias, non-fiction and fiction; Sally Jones, book clubs; and George Ella Lyon, poetry.
Lyon writes in many genres for readers of all ages. A native of Harlan County, Kentucky, she is an Al Smith Fellowship recipient and a recent inductee into the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame.
Among her books are “With a Hammer for My Heart,” a novel; “Don’t You Remember?” a memoir; and “Many-Storied House: Poems,” and “Voices of Justice: Poems About People Working for a Better World.”
Recent picture books include “Trains Run!” written with her son Benn Lyon, and “Time to Fly.” Her eighth poetry collection, “Back to the Light,” came out in 2021 from the University Press of Kentucky and was a runner-up for the Weatherford Award.
Her books have been chosen for the Appalachian Book of the Year award, the Aesop Prize, American Library Association’s Schneider Family Book Award, the Jane Addams Honor Book, the Golden Kite Award, the New York Public Library’s Best Book for Teens list and the Parents’ Choice Silver Medal.
On-site registration for Writers & Readers Day is offered from 8 to 9 a.m. at the executive auditorium of the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center on the days of the events, Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29.
For advance registration (which includes a Zoom option) and to learn more about Writers & Readers Day, visit www.vahighlandsfestival.com/writers-and-readers-day.
