Four award-winning authors — Anna Deavere Smith, Charles Dodd White, Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle and Carter Sickels — will pay a virtual visit to App State this spring as part of the university’s Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series. Novelists White, Clapsaddle and Sickels will read from their work and give talks on the craft of writing, and playwright Smith will give a storytelling presentation.

App State’s Zöe Benfield, a senior English–creative writing major, is the spring 2021 recipient of the Rogers and Janice Whitener Scholarship, which recognizes performance in creative writing for a majoring student, as well as active, positive citizenship in all courses, including those in creative writing.

Allison Bennett Dyche, news adviser for App State’s student newspaper, The Appalachian, returned to App State a month prior to Election Day after serving four years as director of student media at Virginia Commonwealth University. Dyche previously worked as App State’s assistant director for student media.

The Appalachian Energy Summit reports, from 2002–03 to 2018–19, the UNC System, together with industry partners, has saved North Carolina more than $1 billion in avoided energy costs — including water use reductions. App State has realized more than $30.3 million in avoided energy and water costs over the same time period.