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Appalachian literature is highlight of App State’s fall 2019 Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series

Hughlene Bostian Frank touched students’ lives through Appalachian’s Visiting Writers Series
Hughlene Bostian Frank touched students’ lives through Appalachian’s Visiting Writers Series
Aug. 27, 2019

Through Appalachian’s Visiting Writers Series, Hughlene Bostian Frank hoped to broaden students’ lives and open opportunities.

Read the story
By Jessica Stump
Posted Aug. 27, 2019 at 4:23 p.m.

BOONE, N.C. — The fall 2019 Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series at Appalachian State University will feature four acclaimed authors of Appalachian literature who are “deeply committed to Appalachia,” said Mark Powell, director of the series and associate professor of creative writing at Appalachian.

The 2019–20 series is dedicated to the memory of alumna Hughlene Bostian Frank ’68, for whom the series is named, and her husband, William “Bill” Frank. The Franks passed away in a home fire in Greensboro this spring. The fall portion of the series is co-presented by the university’s Appalachian Journal: A Regional Studies Review.

“This is a remarkable year for the Visiting Writers Series,” Powell said. “We are thrilled to be bringing writers of such talent and relevance to campus, particularly in light of Hughlene’s passing. She was devoted to the series, and I think she’d be proud of our fall lineup.”

Two notable authors — Ron Rash and Silas House — will visit Appalachian’s campus during the opening week of the series, the week of Labor Day.

Rash, a novelist and poet, is the Parris Distinguished Professor of Appalachian Culture at Western North Carolina, and House, a novelist, nonfiction author and playwright, serves on the fiction faculty in Spalding University’s MFA in creative writing program and as the National Endowment for the Humanities Chair at Berea College.

In addition to appearing in the series, novelist Kayla Rae Whitaker, the 2019–20 Rachel Rivers-Coffey Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing at Appalachian, will teach a creative writing seminar and conduct community outreach.

Novelist Jacinda Townsend, the fourth author in the series, is the Appalachian Writer-in-Residence at Berea College.

As part of the series, each author will read from and discuss their work, as well as lead talks on the craft of writing. These talks provide aspiring writers with examples on how to refine their writing techniques, develop sounder work habits and gain a greater appreciation of the writing process.

Of the series, Dr. Sandra Ballard, editor of the Appalachian Journal and professor in the university’s Department of English, said, “I am particularly happy the fall lineup includes these four writers with connections to Appalachia because there’s such range and variety in their work. Their diverse interests and talents will challenge and delight everyone who has fixed ideas about writing that comes out of this region.”

Powell provided highlights of the visiting writers — “the most important working writers in the U.S.,” he said — and their creative works:

“Ron Rash is a novelist, short story writer and poet; he’s also the unofficial dean of Appalachian literature.

“Silas House is a brilliant writer and an engaged activist. His novel ‘Southernmost’ is one of the most important books in recent memory.

“Kayla Rae Whitaker, who is in residence at Appalachian this fall teaching a writing workshop, exploded on the Appalachian literary scene two years ago with her amazing novel ‘The Animators.’

“Jacinda Townsend’s ‘Saint Monkey’ is an incredible novel about two girls coming of age in rural Kentucky and Jazz Age New York.”

Appalachian Chancellor Sheri Everts will share remarks about Hughlene Bostian Frank at the beginning of the series’ first event, after which professor Joseph Bathanti, North Carolina’s seventh poet laureate (2012–14) and former director of the Visiting Writers Series, will give a tribute to the series’ late benefactor.

Frank was a 2013 Appalachian Alumni Association Outstanding Service Award recipient and past member of Appalachian’s Board of Trustees and the Appalachian State University Foundation, as well as a generous supporter of Appalachian. She also served as a member on the College of Arts and Sciences Advancement Council and the Beaver College of Health Sciences Advisory Council.

Admission to all series events is free and open to the public. Book sales and signing will follow the talks and the readings.

Parking on Appalachian’s campus is free after 5 p.m. Convenient parking for series attendees is located in the College Street Parking Deck next to Belk Library and Information Commons (from King Street, turn down College Street at the First Baptist Church). To reach the Plemmons Student Union, cross College Street and follow the walkway between the chiller plant and the University Bookstore, passing the Post Office and entering the union on the second floor. For further parking information or a map, visit parking.appstate.edu.

Fall 2019 schedule

Ron Rash – Craft Talk: “In Conversation with Mark Powell”
Sep
3
Ron Rash – Craft Talk: “In Conversation with Mark Powell”

Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series

Sep. 3, 2019
3:30 - 4:45 p.m.
420 Plemmons Student Union (Parkway Ballroom)

Ron Rash is the author of the 2009 PEN/Faulkner finalist and New York Times bestseller “Serena,” “The Risen,” and “Above the Waterfall,” in addition to four prizewinning novels, including “The Cove,” “Saints at the River,” and “The World Made Straight.” Twice the recipient of the O. Henry Prize, he is also a Sherwood Anderson Prize recipient, received an Appalachian Book of the Year award for “One Foot in Eden,” and has been inducted into the South Carolina Academy of Authors.

Learn more
Ron Rash
Sep
3
Ron Rash

Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series

Sep. 3, 2019
7:30 p.m.
420 Plemmons Student Union (Parkway Ballroom)

Ron Rash is the author of the 2009 PEN/Faulkner finalist and New York Times bestseller “Serena,” “The Risen,” and “Above the Waterfall,” in addition to four prizewinning novels, including “The Cove,” “Saints at the River,” and “The World Made Straight.” Twice the recipient of the O. Henry Prize, he is also a Sherwood Anderson Prize recipient, received an Appalachian Book of the Year award for “One Foot in Eden,” and has been inducted into the South Carolina Academy of Authors.

Learn more
Silas House – Craft Talk: “The History of Every Country: Writing Place”
Sep
5
Silas House – Craft Talk: “The History of Every Country: Writing Place”

Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series

Sep. 5, 2019
2 - 3:15 p.m.
201B Plemmons Student Union (Table Rock)

Born in Lily, Ky., in 1971, Silas House is a New York Times bestselling author of six novels, including “Clay's Quilt” (2001), “A Parchment of Leaves” (2003), “The Coal Tattoo” (2005), “Eli the Good ”(2009), “Same Sun Here” (2012) and, most recently, “Southernmost” (2018), as well as a book of creative nonfiction and three plays.

Learn more
Silas House
Sep
5
Silas House

Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series

Sep. 5, 2019
7:30 p.m.
201B Plemmons Student Union (Table Rock)

Born in Lily, Ky., in 1971, Silas House is a New York Times bestselling author of six novels, including “Clay's Quilt” (2001), “A Parchment of Leaves” (2003), “The Coal Tattoo” (2005), “Eli the Good ”(2009), “Same Sun Here” (2012) and, most recently, “Southernmost” (2018), as well as a book of creative nonfiction and three plays.

Learn more
Kayla Rae Whitaker – Craft Talk
Oct
3
Kayla Rae Whitaker – Craft Talk

Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series

Oct. 3, 2019
12:30 - 1:45 p.m.
201B Plemmons Student Union (Table Rock)

Kayla Rae Whitaker was born and raised in Kentucky. Her first novel, “The Animators,” was named a best debut novel of 2017 by Entertainment Weekly and a best book of 2017 by NPR, Kirkus Reviews, and BookPage. Her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Lenny, Buzzfeed, Literary Hub and elsewhere. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, and will be in residence at Appalachian as the 2019-20 Rachel Rivers-Coffey Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing from mid-August to mid-October 2019.

Learn more
Kayla Rae Whitaker
Oct
3
Kayla Rae Whitaker

Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series

Oct. 3, 2019
7:30 p.m.
201B Plemmons Student Union (Table Rock)

Kayla Rae Whitaker was born and raised in Kentucky. Her first novel, “The Animators,” was named a best debut novel of 2017 by Entertainment Weekly and a best book of 2017 by NPR, Kirkus Reviews, and BookPage. Her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Lenny, Buzzfeed, Literary Hub and elsewhere. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, and will be in residence at Appalachian as the 2019-20 Rachel Rivers-Coffey Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing from mid-August to mid-October 2019.

Learn more
Jacinda Townsend – Craft Talk
Nov
12
Jacinda Townsend – Craft Talk

Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series

Nov. 12, 2019
3:30 - 4:45 p.m.
417 Plemmons Student Union (Beacon Heights)

Jacinda Townsend is the Appalachian Writer in Residence at Berea College. She is the author of “Saint Monkey” (Norton, 2014), which is set in 1950s Eastern Kentucky and won the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize and the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for historical fiction. “Saint Monkey” was also the 2015 Honor Book of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association.

Learn more
Jacinda Townsend
Nov
12
Jacinda Townsend

Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series

Nov. 12, 2019
7:30 p.m.
417 Plemmons Student Union (Beacon Heights)

Jacinda Townsend is the Appalachian Writer in Residence at Berea College. She is the author of “Saint Monkey” (Norton, 2014), which is set in 1950s Eastern Kentucky and won the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize and the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for historical fiction. “Saint Monkey” was also the 2015 Honor Book of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association.

Learn more

For additional information about the fall 2019 series, click here and/or contact the series coordinator, Susan Weinberg, at 828-262-2871 and/or weinbergsc@appstate.edu.

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Hughlene Bostian Frank touched students’ lives through Appalachian’s Visiting Writers Series
Hughlene Bostian Frank touched students’ lives through Appalachian’s Visiting Writers Series
Aug. 27, 2019

Through Appalachian’s Visiting Writers Series, Hughlene Bostian Frank hoped to broaden students’ lives and open opportunities.

Read the story
The Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series
The Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series

The Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series, named in honor of late alumna Hughlene Bostian Frank ’68, brings distinguished and up-and-coming creative writers to the Appalachian State University campus throughout the year to present lectures and discuss their works. Frank, who was a generous supporter of Appalachian, served as a past member of Appalachian’s Board of Trustees and the Appalachian State University Foundation Inc. She was awarded the Appalachian Alumni Association’s Outstanding Service Award in 2013.

Learn more

About the Department of English

The Department of English at Appalachian State University is committed to outstanding work in the classroom, the support and mentorship of students, and a dynamic engagement with culture, history, language, theory and literature. The department offers master’s degrees in English and rhetoric and composition, as well as undergraduate degrees in literary studies, film studies, creative writing, professional writing and English education. Learn more at https://english.appstate.edu.

About the College of Arts and Sciences

The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at Appalachian State University is home to 17 academic departments, two centers and one residential college. These units span the humanities and the social, mathematical and natural sciences. CAS aims to develop a distinctive identity built upon our university's strengths, traditions and unique location. The college’s values lie not only in service to the university and local community, but through inspiring, training, educating and sustaining the development of its students as global citizens. More than 6,400 student majors are enrolled in the college. As the college is also largely responsible for implementing App State’s general education curriculum, it is heavily involved in the education of all students at the university, including those pursuing majors in other colleges. Learn more at https://cas.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the Southeast, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls nearly 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.

Hughlene Bostian Frank touched students’ lives through Appalachian’s Visiting Writers Series
Hughlene Bostian Frank touched students’ lives through Appalachian’s Visiting Writers Series
Aug. 27, 2019

Through Appalachian’s Visiting Writers Series, Hughlene Bostian Frank hoped to broaden students’ lives and open opportunities.

Read the story
The Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series
The Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series

The Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series, named in honor of late alumna Hughlene Bostian Frank ’68, brings distinguished and up-and-coming creative writers to the Appalachian State University campus throughout the year to present lectures and discuss their works. Frank, who was a generous supporter of Appalachian, served as a past member of Appalachian’s Board of Trustees and the Appalachian State University Foundation Inc. She was awarded the Appalachian Alumni Association’s Outstanding Service Award in 2013.

Learn more

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Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

The migration of materials from other sites is still incomplete, so if you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Additional feature stories may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • Photo galleries and videos published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian

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Archives

Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

The migration of materials from other sites is still incomplete, so if you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Additional feature stories may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • Photo galleries and videos published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian
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