Wendell Berry to be keynote speaker for SouthWord Literary Fest

In addition to penning more than 40 works of fiction, nonfiction and poetry — which have won him numerous awards, including a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship and a National Institute of Arts and Letters award for writing — SouthWord keynote speaker Wendell Berry has farmed a Kentucky hillside for more than 40 years.
In addition to penning more than 40 works of fiction, nonfiction and poetry — which have won him numerous awards, including a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship and a National Institute of Arts and Letters award for writing — SouthWord keynote speaker Wendell Berry has farmed a Kentucky hillside for more than 40 years.

SouthWord Literary Fest, a biennial event presented by the Fellowship of Southern Writers, will feature Wendell Berry as its keynote speaker on Friday, Nov. 3, at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The event will take place at UTC, the Bessie Smith Cultural Center and the Lindsay Street Hall.

The two-day festival is hosted by the FSW and is presented by the Southern Lit Alliance, a literary arts organization based in Chattanooga since 1952. It brings together poets, authors and playwrights who participate in workshops and panel discussions, signing copies of their works and also meeting with patrons to talk about their work and writing in general.

It is a rare and intimate opportunity to dig deep into the world of Southern literature with the people who create it.

Forty members of the FSW will be in attendance.

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"; Lee Smith, the author of New York Times bestseller "The Last Girls"; Charles Frazier, the author of the 1997 National Book Award for Fiction winner, "Cold Mountain"; fiction writer and environmental activist Silas House, the author of more than 100 published short stories and poems; and bestselling novelist, poet and short story writer Ron Rash.

Berry has written numerous novels, short stories, poems and essays. He received the National Humanities Medal, and the Jefferson Lecturer for 2012. He is also a 2013 Fellow of The American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Berry was named the recipient of the 2013 Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award.

Tickets, which range in price from $25 for one-day student passes to $90 for two-day general admission, to SouthWord, are available online at SouthernLitAlliance.org or by calling 267-1218.

Schedule of events

​Friday, Nov 3FSW Poetry Reading and Discussion9–10:15 a.m. at UTC​Andrew Hudgins, Rodney Jones, and C. Dale YoungFSW Prose Reading and Discussion9–10:15 a.m. at UTC​Elizabeth Cox, Bobbie Ann Mason, Terry Roberts, and Tony EarleyFSW Poetry Reading and Discussion10:30–11:45 a.m. at UTC​Kate Daniels, T.J. Jarrett, and T.R. HummerFSW Prose Reading and Discussion10:30–11:45 a.m. at UTC​George Singleton, Richard Bausch, Liza Wieland, and Rion Amilcar ScottFSW Awards LuncheonNoon–2 p.m. at UTCAwards from the Fellowship of Southern Writers and induction of new members,​​Craft of Beginnings (Panel Discussion//FSW): How to Start a Novel or Short Story2:15–3:30 p.m. at UTCWyatt Prunty, Tom Franklin, Steve Yarbrough, and Lee SmithPanelists read favorite beginnings, both their own and those by other authors, and discuss how to get a story off to a great start.Fact to Fiction3:45–5 PM at UTCJayne Anne Phillips, Jim Grimsley, and Charles FrazierFSW Discuss the process of bringing facts into colorful storiesKeynote SpeakerWendell Berry5:30–6:30 PM at UTCPrivate FSW Dinner and Business Meeting6:30–9 p.m. at UTC​​Saturday, November 4, 2017Books for Breakfast8:00 – 11:00 AM at Lindsay Street HallInformal coffee, conversation, and book signing with authorsTrue Grit (Panel Discussion//FSW)9:00 – 9:45 AM at Bessie Smith HallJill McCorkle, Brad Watson, and Allan GurganusPanelists discuss writing across gender to create powerful Southern characters.Stories of the Southern Wilderness (Panel Discussion//FSW)10:00 – 10:45 AM at Bessie Smith HallMaurice Manning, Tim Gautreaux, Silas House, and Wendell BerryPanelists discuss the interplay of literature, advocacy, and environmental consciousness.​I’ll Fly Away (Panel Discussion//FSW)11:00 – 11:45 at Bessie Smith HallRandall Kenan, Brooks Haxton, and Fred HobsonPanelists discuss the crossroads of spirituality and race in Southern Literature.Pig vs. Cow BBQNoon – 2:00 PM at Lindsay Street Hall​With keynote discussion by John Shelton Reed and Roy Blount, Jr.​Villains (Panel Discussion//FSW)2:00 – 3:00 PM at Bessie Smith HallBeverly Lowery, Ron Rash, and Robert BauschPanelists read passages from their work featuring antagonists and discuss the character of villainy in literature.​Harper Lee (Panel Discussion//FSW)3:00 – 4:00 PM at Bessie Smith HallAllen Wier and Wayne FlyntPanelists discuss the legacy and influence of Harper Lee.Book Signings: The Roots of Literary Music2:00 – 5:00 PM at Lindsay Street Hall​Stories and Song with Matraca Berg, Lee Smith and Jill McCorkle​Ticketed private dinners with authors– FSW Members TBD6:00 PM at various locations

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