Images from the 2008 Festival

Marlin Barton reads at the Design Gallery from a yet unpublished novel.

John Ehle reads from his book on the Trail of Tears.

Members of the Steering Committee listen to Anthony Grooms' kenote address on Friday afternoon in which he challenged attendees to continue in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of seeking reconciliation between people of disparate beliefs through non-violent means.

Zack Allen and his daughter Sarah Addison Allen in the Town Center.

Saturday Kids Events

A full day of programs for children and teens is slated for Saturday, September 13 at the Carolina Mountains Literary Festival.
Books aren’t what they used to be. You can find a story in a graphic novel, a comic, even the internet. You can buy a story, print it, hear it, and even make one up yourself. The Carolina Mountains Literary Festival is celebrating all the ways we read.
Kids of all ages are invited to participate. Learn about new and exciting books from an editorial panel of high schoolers.
On Friday and Saturday, September 12 and 13, the festival will highlight award winning novelist Alan Gratz, author of Samurai Shortstop, and Something Rotten, a contemporary young adult murder mystery based on "Hamlet." Graphic novelist Mark Kneece and comic book creators from Hardway Sudios will also present. These sessions target teens, not necessarily fuddy-duddy adults or elementary aged students.
For the younger set, the world famous art school, Penland School of Crafts, will hold a workshop on book and paper making on Saturday morning. Miller will also present on the topic of her book Monsters and Water Beasts: Creatures of Fact or Fiction.

What's Going ON?

NASCAR at the Literary Festival?
You bet. Neal Thompson will be read from his book Driving with the Devil: Southern Moonshine, Detroit Wheels, and the Birth of NASCAR at 2:30 on Saturday in the Town Center. This history takes a look back at the 1930s and 40s when moonshiners were first fixing up cars to outrun the cops. Additionally, Appalachian State University will have a display from their archives which is the best collection of information on stock car racing in the US.

Graphic Novels for Teens
It’s not as bad as it sounds… it’s just comic books that are of novel length and subject. For teens (emphasis on teen), these sessions look at traditional novels and how graphic novels have similarities and differences. (All teen and children’s session are on Saturday.)

Mountain Mysteries
If you’re hooked on mysteries, come hear a panel called Beyond the Mystery: Addressing Problems in the Beloved Community (While Telling a Cracking Good Story & Finding Out Whodunnit) at 2:30 in the Town Center’s Area C. Or come to any of the individual sessions of Sallie Bissell, Rose Senehi, Vicki Lane or local favorite Peggy Poe Stern.

Love of Nature
For those who love a good hike out in nature, be sure to attend Danny Bernstein’s talk at the History Museum at 10 on Friday morning. Her book Hiking the North Carolina Mountains has become very popular since it came out. Or check out George Ellison’s Edible Medicine and Utilitarian Plants used by the Cherokees directly following it.

Appalachian History
An engaging speaker, Jeff Biggers will read from his book US of Appalachia: How Southern Mountaineers Brought Independence, Culture and Enlightenment to America. Festival favorite from last year Tim Silver returns to talk on the history of the Black Mountains. Other historians include Michael Joslin, John Alger, and biographer Joanne Mauldin who will speak about Thomas Wolfe—in particular his time in Burnsville. There will even be a presentation on our own Otway Burns given by historian Dr. Dennis Conrad.

Southern Women
Strong female characters are vital to Southern Literature and are created by equally incredibly women authors. New York Times Bestselling author Sarah Addison Allen will give a unique session with her father, Burnsville resident Zach Allen. Pamela Duncan, Catherine Landis, and Susan Woodring are also novelists of note on this subject.

Beloved Community
New to the festival this year is a Friday afternoon keynote address by Anthony Grooms who will expound upon the theme, examining how literature plays a vital role in advancing understanding and reconciliation between people and should invoke a contemplation of truth. Hear him at 1:15 on Friday in the Town Center.

Andrew Jackson and the Cherokee Removal
To further explore literature as a way to reconcile people, the festival presents a panel on Friday morning entitled Healing Historical Trauma: the Cherokee Removal. Consisting of spokespersons for the Cherokee, a distinguished historian of the Nation, and a noted Jackson biographer, they will explore the sensitive issues surrounding the event that displaced the original inhabitants of our region, opening it for settlement by many of our own ancestors.

Quaker Turned General
Recently released, Nor the Battle to the Strong: A Novel of the American Revolution in the South delves into the Southern Campaign of General Nathanael Greene. Burnsville author Charles Price has given many readings throughout Western North Carolina and his novel has been nominated as one of the Together We Read selections for 2009. He will read from it and moderate a panel with noted Greene historian Dr. Dennis Conrad and biographer Gerald Carbone.

Delays on 19E Coming to the Festival

Top of Madison Mtn. to Jack's Creek Intersection- General Rule for Commuting Hrs- Two lanes will remain open from 6am to 9am and 4pm to 7pm. Expect lane narrowing or lane closures from 9am to 4pm.

Beloved Community Found in Book Art

Hand-made books are the hot new art collectibles and we are pleased to have The Slow Book Salon, a group of Western North Carolina artists, using the festival's theme "The Beloved Community" as a focus for a book art show at The Design Gallery, 7 South Main Street, Burnsville. The show will be up through September 27. For more information, call the Gallery at 828-678-9869.

The display consists of three parts. Using Britt Kaufmann's festival-commissioned poem These Three Counties, artists have created a collaborative piece, using various media to express individual interpretations of Britt's words. Other artists used the festival's overall theme to present their ideas of a beloved community. The third display includes traditional hand-made journals and books.

Stretching the definition of a book, the book art includes calligraphy, poetry, clay shapes, photo collages, water colors, and mica pages. One display, Renaissance by Moe Hoxie, includes three small books held inside a wood structure created from the off-cuts of her husband's furniture making.

Each book traces the origins of the Renaissance period of art and culture, symbolizing the arts impact on community and the renaissance artists experiences when they create.
The Village Idiot by Margaret Cogswell is a wire structure with dunce caps at its top; in the middle a small book titled Beloved Idiots is tenderly held in a wire circle. Carol Norby's book illustrates Kaufmann's poem with water-colors, photos, and words.

Annie Cicale's Elements and Principles delivers her interpretations through distinctive calligraphy, quotes that evoke conversation between the authors of the words, and color-work. This show's variety of book expressions offers multiple points of entry for the viewer.

Three years ago the Slow Book Salon formed to provide an opportunity for people interested in the book arts to interact, share ideas, offer technical support, and ward off artist loneliness.

Preview of the 2008 Festival

Now in its third year, the Carolina Mountains Literary Festival is scheduled for September 12 and 13. Once again regionally and nationally known authors will convene in Burnsville to give readings, lead workshops, answer questions, and sign books.

Unlike many festivals and book fairs, this event is not about selling or buying and is geared for those who love to read as much as it is for the aspiring writer. For this reason, the great majority of events are free and open to the public.

Organizers have received an overwhelmingly positive response from authors and nearly 60 are scheduled for this fall's festival. Included among them are former North Carolina Poet Laureate Fred Chappell, novelist John Ehle, poet MariJo Moore, novelist Pamela Duncan, New York Times bestselling author Sarah Addison Allen, local favorite Peggy Poe Stern, novelist Ron Rash, teen novelist Alan Gratz, mystery writer Vicki Lane, and best-selling authors Jeff Biggers and Neal Thompson.

The theme for the 2008 Carolina Mountains Literary Festival is "The Beloved Community," a phrase made famous by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as expanded by the distinguished Georgia novelist and short story writer Anthony Grooms (who will attend the 2008 festival).
Writers and artists, Grooms believes, can and should play a vital role in advancing understanding, reconciliation and redemption among the nation's many racial, ethnic and cultural interests.

At last year's festival, panelists examined the American Revolution, which began the process of defining America's civil rights and freedoms. The 2008 festival will focus on the ways the country has been working to broaden that definition to include Native Americans, African Americans, people with other distinctive cultures such as found in Appalachia, women, immigrants from all nations. This work, which of course remains far from finished, cries out continually for more positive action, especially from the writers and artists whose highest responsibility is to invoke a contemplation of truth and the creation of the beloved community.

Festival organizers want to recognize those of our own community who have become early sponsors of the festival: Young & McQueen, the Design Gallery, Garden Deli, the Grapevine, Yummi Mud Puddle, the Rotary Club, and the Parkway Playhouse.

To become a sponsor and benefit from our web advertising, to volunteer, or to simply learn more about the festival visit cmlitfest.org.

Books Bringing Us Into The Beloved Community

The bookmarks to promote the festival are in. All 10,000 of them!


You may start seeing them around. Don't be scared to pick up a few and hand them out to friends.


The image of the "paper doll chain" made from bandsawed books is intended to reflect the idea that books bring us into community with each other. (Thank you to Steve Workman's bandsaw and talent.)


Yes, booklovers, real books were cut for this... however, they were outdated books slated for destruction that were then saved for a higher purpose: art and the promotion of other works of literature. We hope we have not horrified anyone.


Check your local NC library for a bookmark.

Authors Already Confirmed for 2008

Suzanne Adair, John Alger, Marlin Barton , Tamara Baxter, Danny Bernstein, Sallie Bissell, Jack Buchanan, Gerald Carbone, Judy Carson, Jim Clark, Carol Conrad, Dennis Conrad, Abigail DeWitt, Myrtle Driver, Barbara Duncan, Pamela Duncan, John Ehle, George Ellison, Georgann Eubanks, Tony Grooms, Tom Higgins, Michael Joslin, Catherine Landis, Vicki Lane, Dorianne Laux, Joanne Mauldin, Joe Millar, Karen Miller, Mari Jo Moore, Myra MacPherson, Ron Rash, Rose Senehi, Tim Silver, Peggy Po Stern, Neal Thompson, Barbara Webster, Seabrook Wilkinson, Susan Woodring

The Beloved Community: Theme for the 2008 Festival

The theme for the 2008 Carolina Mountains Literary Festival is "The Beloved Community," a phrase made famous by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as expanded by the distinguished Georgia novelist and short story writer Anthony Grooms. Writers and artists, Grooms believes, can and should play a vital role in advancing understanding, reconciliation and redemption among the nation’s many racial, ethnic and cultural interests.

At last year's festival we examined the American Revolution, which began the process of defining America’s civil rights and freedoms. In 2008 we will focus on the ways the country has been working to broaden that definition to include Native Americans, African Americans, people with other distinctive cultures such as found in Appalachia, women, and immigrants from all nations. This is an ideal which of course remains far from finished and cries out continually for more positive action, especially from the writers and artists whose highest responsibility is to invoke a contemplation of truth in an effort to heal historic trauma and nurture the beloved community.