It's not often that a book reader is able to meet, much less have a conversation with a favorite author. It's rarer still to be able to mingle with 40 accomplished writers, but that is on the agenda for the SouthWord Literary Feast.
Hosted by the Fellowship of Southern Writers and presented by the Southern Lit Alliance, the two-day event will take place Friday and Saturday, Nov. 3-4, at UTC, Bessie Smith Cultural Center and Lindsay Street Hall.
Author/poet Wendell Berry is the keynote speaker on Friday evening and Southern Lit Alliance Executive Director Linda LeVan said that dinner is sold out.
LeVan said SouthWord is unusual for several reasons.
"The Fellowship of Southern Writers is unique in that it is peer-reviewed. These are Southern writers who are considered at the top of their league and to have 40 of them able to make it is something special."
Patrons will have the opportunity to sit in on panel discussions, workshops, meet-and-greet opportunities and in some cases, can even have lunch with some of the visiting writers.
"There are a lot of opportunities for book signings, discussions and interaction," LeVan said.
Among the topics to be discussed during panels will be villains, writing across gender, spirituality, race in Southern literature and the influence of Harper Lee.
Other authors in attendance will include poet T.J. Jarrett, author of "Ain't No Grave"; short story and novel writer Jill McCorkle, whose works include "The Cheer Leader" and "July 7th"; and Lee Smith, author of New York Times bestseller "The Last Girls."
Also, Charles Frazier, author of the 1997 National Book Award for Fiction, "Cold Mountain"; fiction writer and environmental activist Silas House, author of more than 100 published short stories and poems; and bestselling novelist, poet and short-story writer Ron Rash.
Tickets, which range in price from $25 to $50, are available online at SouthernLitAlliance.org or by calling 267-1218.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.
SouthWord schedule of events
Friday, Nov. 3
All events at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
9-10:15 a.m. FSW Poetry Reading and Discussion; Andrew Hudgins, Rodney Jones and C. Dale Young
9-10:15 a.m. FSW Prose Reading and Discussion; Elizabeth Cox, Bobbie Ann Mason, Terry Roberts and Tony Earley
10:30-11:45 a.m. FSW Poetry Reading and Discussion; Kate Daniels, T.J. Jarrett and T.R. Hummer
10:30-11:45 a.m. FSW Prose Reading and Discussion; George Singleton, Richard Bausch, Liza Wieland and Rion Amilcar Scott
Noon-2 p.m. FSW Awards Luncheon
2:15-3:30 p.m. Craft of Beginnings: How to Start a Novel or Short Story; Wyatt Prunty, Tom Franklin, Steve Yarbrough and Lee Smith read favorite beginnings, both their own and those by other authors, and discuss how to get a story off to a great start.
3:45-5 pm. Fact to Fiction; Jayne Anne Phillips, Jim Grimsley and Charles Frazier discuss bringing facts into colorful stories.
5:30-6:30 p.m. Keynote Speaker Wendell Berry
6:30–9 p.m. FSW Dinner and Business Meeting
Saturday, Nov. 4
8-11 a.m. Books for Breakfast at Lindsay Street Hall, 901 Lindsay St. Coffee, conversation and book signings with authors.
9-9:45 a.m. True Grit at Bessie Smith Hall, 200 M.L.King Blvd. Jill McCorkle, Brad Watson and Allan Gurganus discuss writing across gender to create powerful Southern characters.
10-10:45 a.m. Stories of the Southern Wilderness, Bessie Smith Hall; Maurice Manning, Tim Gautreaux, Silas House and Wendell Berry discuss the interplay of literature, advocacy and environmental consciousness.
11-11:45 a.m. I'll Fly Away at Bessie Smith Hall. Randall Kenan, Brooks Haxton and Fred Hobson discuss the crossroads of spirituality and race in Southern literature.
Noon-2 p.m. Pig vs. Cow Barbecue at Lindsay Street Hall. Keynote discussion by John Shelton Reed and Roy Blount Jr.
2-3 p.m. Villains panel discussion at Bessie Smith Hall. Beverly Lowery, Ron Rash and Robert Bausch read passages from their work featuring antagonists and discuss the character of villainy in literature.
3-4 p.m. Harper Lee discussion at Bessie Smith Hall. Allen Wier and Wayne Flynt discuss the legacy and influence of Harper Lee.
2-5 p.m. Book Signings: The Roots of Literary Music at Lindsay Street Hall. Stories and song with Matraca Berg, Lee Smith and Jill McCorkle
6 p.m. Ticketed private dinners with authors.