Author Talks

Join us for a virtual author talk with Rita Sims Quillen on September 16th at 7:00 pm on Google Meet. We’ll be discussing her novel Wayland, the sequel to her earlier novel Hiding Ezra.

Rita Quillen’s novel Hiding Ezra was published in 2014 from Little Creek Books; it was a finalist in the 2005 DANA Awards competition, and a chapter of the novel is included in the new scholarly study of Appalachian dialect just published by the University of Kentucky Press entitled Talking Appalachian.

KIRSTIE GOODE is a contemporary romance author. She enjoys writing real and raw emotion into her books and relatable characters you are sure to fall in love with. She loves a good plot twist and likes to keep things exciting and full of suspense. She lives in East Tennessee with her husband and three wild and crazy boys, who have taught her how to wrestle appropriately. She can't imagine her life without books, her Mac, and all of her "book boyfriends" that live in her imagination. She adores traveling to new places, football, and living out her very own happily ever after.

J. Dianne Dotson

J. Dianne Dotson dreamed up other worlds and their characters as a child in the 1980s in East Tennessee. She formed her own neighborhood astronomy club before age 10, to educate her friends about the universe. In addition to writing stories, she drew and painted her characters, designed their outrageous space fashions, and created travel guides and glossaries for the worlds she invented. As an adult, Dianne earned a degree in ecology and evolutionary biology, and spent several years working in research.

Larry D. Thacker

Larry D. Thacker is a Kentuckian writer, artist, and educator now hailing from Johnson City, Tennessee. His poetry is in over 170 publications, including Spillway, Still: The Journal, Valparaiso Poetry Review, Illuminations, American Journal of Poetry, Poetry South, The Southern Poetry Anthology, and Appalachian Heritage. His short stories can be found in past issues of the Still: The Journal, Fried Chicken and Coffee, Dime Show Review, Vandalia Journal, Story and Grit, Pikeville Review, and FEED. His stories have been nominated for Pushcart and Best of the Net recognitions.

Hannah B. Olsen

Join bestselling author Hannah B. Olsen, in conversation with Kate Woodworth of Kingsport Public Library, as she chats about her debut YA fantasy novel A KNIGHT FOR A QUEEN, an exciting, action-packed, gender-swapped retelling of Cinderella!

Sharon Cameron & Rupa Sepetys

Ruta Sepetys is in conversation with Sharon Cameron. Sharon is the author of one of Reese Witherspoon’s Book of the Month Club picks and Ruta has written several NYT’s Best sellers—among them is “Between the Shades of Grey” about Lithuanian citizens taken to a Soviet prison camp in Siberia during WWII and was made into the movie “Ashes in the Snow”. Both writers now live in Nashville.

Dr. Kellie Brown

April 8th, Holocaust Remembrance Day, we are pleased to host Dr. Kellie Brown, author of The Sound of Hope: Music as Solace, Resistance and Salvation during the Holocause and World War II. Dr. Brown has received much attention for her work both nationally and internationally and we look forward to having her share with us about the role music played during this time in our history on this special Day of Remembrance.

Robert Gipe

Kingsport native Robert Gipe, a nationally recognizedauthor and community arts organizer, will share with us the third novel in his successful Canard County trilogy, Pop: An Illustrated Novel on March 11th. Pop follows three generations of a family as they reckon with the changing landscape of Appalachia during the Trump era.

Angie Hyche

Kingsport organizational expert, Angie Hyche will discuss her new book, Unholy Mess--What the Bible says About Clutter. In our culture of abundance, we are called to have a healthier relationship with our belongings.

Charles Dodd White

To begin our series, Charles Dodd White will join us to discuss his book How Fire Runs: A Novel, the Southern Independent Bookseller's 2020 Fall Book Pick. Charles received the 2018 Appalachian Book of the Year from the Appalachian Writer's Association for his earlier book In the House of Wilderness.

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