New book launch event: Foothills Voices: Stories of Southern Appalachia
Five (of the twelve) authors share their stories
Thursday, November 2, 2017, Reception 6:30 p.m., Program 7–8 p.m.
Blount County Public Library, Dorothy Herron Room A.
At this presentation, five of the anthology contributors will share their stories and something of the writing process in which they engaged. The presentation will be hosted by the Blount County Friends of the Library who sponsored this writing project to create an anthology of regionally-based creative non-fiction.
From the Library’s Press Release (October 23, 2017)
During the presentation, five “Foothills Voices” authors, Alice Kolbe, Joyce Leo, Cathy Madden, Cynthia Spitler and Faye Wooden, will speak about their experiences researching and writing their stories. Alice Kolbe, a native of Blount County, wrote a story about Decoration Day in the Smokies. Joyce Leo, a Maryville native who spent her professional life in New York as a teacher, explores family lore of a gold-digging murderer in the family tree. Cathy Madden, a former educator, tells about her parents’ life in a coal camp. Cynthia Spitler, a member of the Blount County Public Library staff, shares memories of growing up in the small town of Talbott. Faye Wooden, a professional storyteller, chronicles the tragic death of a little girl in the Smokies in 1910.
These writers “reveal the rich and varied heritage of Southern Appalachia while giving voice to stories that transcend regional limitations,” according to Brennan LeQuire, an anthology editor. Books will be for sale at the presentation, and plans for the next round of classes will be announced.
This project is sponsored by the Blount County Friends of the Library who also published the book through Amazon.com. Copies of the first edition of the book will be available for purchase at the presentation.
The anthology is the culmination of a ten-months-long research and writing class taught by librarians Jennifer Spirko and Brennan LeQuire and local author, Nancy McEntee, with the help of several guest speakers. Entitled The Foothills Voices Project, this venture grew out of a desire to build a writing community and preserve the culture of the area through stories.
The Foothills Voices research and writing course will occur every two years and is part of the library’s larger Southern Appalachian Studies program, which also includes the Appalachian Studies speaker series and Southern Appalachian Reads, a semi-monthly book discussion group.
Plans for the next round of research and writing classes will be announced at the November 2 event.
More about the book
The book is available now! Get your copy of Foothills Voices: Echoes of Southern Appalachia (paperback, $14.95) at Amazon, which offers “Look Inside the Book” and your usual Amazon payment method.
Your reviews encourage interest and help sales. We expect that copies of the book will also be available at the December, 2017 Friends of the Library Book Sale, as they were at the September sale. The Friends’ quarterly used book sale is held at Blount County Public Library, Lower Level (entrance inside the library building).
This anthology was written by participants in the Foothills Voices project, edited by Brennan LeQuire, Nancy McEntee and Jennifer W. Spirko, and underwritten by Blount County Friends of the Library.
From the description at Amazon.com:
Twelve East Tennessee writers share stories from their own experiences, their families and their communities. In this collection are true accounts of Revolutionary War-era ancestors, Native Americans, civil rights pioneers, coal miners, mill workers, teachers, soldiers, orphans, feuding mountaineers and even a murderer. These writers reveal the rich and varied heritage of Southern Appalachia while giving voice to stories that transcend regional limitations.
Contributors to the book include:
Cheryl Bennett-Land
A.J. Coulter
Valerie Humphrey Hendrix
Alice Kolbe
Joyce Williams Leo
Cathy W. Madden
Kay Tulloch Norton
Mary Pope
Linda Seals
Cynthia Day Spitler
Nancy Trotter Underwood
Faye Wooden
More information about the Friends of the Library Book Sale, which will be open to FOL members on Thursday, December 7, and to everyone on Friday and Saturday, December 8–9.
Open to the public, this program is hosted by the Blount County Public Library, located at 508 N. Cusick Street, Maryville. For further information about library programs or services, call the library at (865) 982-0981 or visit the Web site at www.blounttn.org/197/Public-Library
