News, Events, and Awards
If you or your organization would like to host a reading, workshop, or event, please contact Jim.
The Roanoke Times published a great review. Read it here.
For a print interview from the Southwest Times, visit here.
For a recent audio interview with About Harvest creator, Nancy O'Mallon, visit here.
Upcoming Presentations
1/27-28/12 Roanoke Regional Writers Conference, Hollins U.
2/23/12 Appalachian State University, Boone, NC.
3/18/12 Arts Array/Washington County Public Library, Abingdon, VA, 3:00.
3/23-25/12 Appalachian Studies Conference, Indiana University of PA.
4/24/12 Northeast Tennessee Tech and Comm College, 6:00.
5/5/12 Harvest Table Restaurant, Meadowview, VA, paperback book release and benefit for Appalachian Sustainable Development, 5:00.
5/11/12 Greenville, SC. TBA.
5/22/12 Quail Ridge Bookstore, Chapel Hill, NC, 7:30.
6/15-17/12 Mountain Heritage Literary Festival, Lincoln Memorial University.
6/23/12 Whitesbog Blueberry Festival, Whitesbog, NJ.
6/26-28/12 Pearl Buck Homestead Museum and Allegheny Echoes Conference, WV.
6/17-18/12 Appalachian Writing Project, Breaks Insterstate Park.
9/14-15/12 On the Same Page Book Festival, Ashe Co, NC.
Recent Readings and Events:
12/16/11 Heartwood, Abingdon, VA.
11/8/11 Radford University, Bonnie 249, 7:30. Reading w/ David Floyd to benefit RU's Womens Basketball Club.
11/2/11 New River Bird Club, Karr Center, Warm Hearth, Blacksburg, 7:30.
10/29/11 Writing Workshop sponsored by ETSU's Professional Development and Farmhouse Gallery and Gardens, Unicoi, TN.
10/28/11 Walters State Community College, Morristown, TN, 6:30.
10/21-23/11 Southern Appalachian Writers Cooperative annual gathering. New Market, TN.
10/21/11 Local Food Summit, Milligan College, 1:00.
10/19-20/11 Southwest Virginia Community College, Public Reading, 7:00 on the 19th.
10/18/11 New River Community College, 6:30.
10/4/11 McDaniel College, Westminster, MD, 5:00, Richwine Rm, 3rd floor, Hoover Library.
10/1/11 Interview on WUVT Radio, 8:00 AM.
9/17-18/11 Southeast Independent Booksellers Alliance Convention, Charleston, SC.
8/27/11 Wytheville Farmers Market, 9-11.
7/31-8/5/11 Appalachian Writers Workshop, Nonfiction Teacher, Hindman Settlement School, Hindman, KY.
7/26/11 "There Are No Sides" on WVTF Radio
7/21/11 Watermark Books, Wichita, KS, 7:00.
7/15-17/11 Alabama Writers Conclave, Huntsville, AL.
7/7-13/11 Writer-in-Residence, VA Governor's School, Radford University.
6/24/11 Keynote,Chautauqua Festival, Wytheville, VA.
6/10-12/11 West Virginia Writers Conference, Cedar Lake Conference Center, Ripley, WV.
6/10/11 Taylor Books, Charleston, WV, 11:00-1:00
5/16-20/11 Guest Lecturer/Writer-in-Residence at the Table Rock Writers Workshop, Retreat at Glendale Springs, NC.
5/13-15/11 South Carolina Book Festival, Columbia, SC
5/13/11 Fiction Addiction, Greenville, SC, 2:00-4:00.
5/12/11 Hub City Books, Spartanburg, SC, 5:30-7:00.
5/11/11 Christiansburg Library, 6:30.
5/1/11 Barnhill's Books, Winston-Salem, NC, 2:00-4:00.
4/30/11 Keynote for Moravian Conference on Environmental Stewardship, Laural Ridge, NC
4/29/11 Flyleaf Bookstore, Chapel Hill, 7:30.
4/21/11 Radford University Highlander Literary Festival, along with Cathy Hankla, Jeff Mann, and John Lang. 7:00-9:00. Hurlburt.
4/16/11 Wytheville Museum, Signing, 1:00-2:00.
4/16/11 Christiansburg Barnes & Noble, 3:00-5:00.
4/5/11 University of Kentucky, Niles Gallery, 6:00-7:30.
4/5/11 Class visit to Cumberland Gap High School.
4/5/11 Class visit to Middlesboro High School.
4/4/11 Lincoln Memorial University, 6:00.
3/25/11 Reading/class visit to Oak Ridge High School.
3/24-26/11 Tennessee Mountain Writers 23rd Annual Conference, Oak Ridge, TN.
3/24/11 Keynote for John Fox, Jr. Festival, Mountain Empire Community College, Goodloe Center. 10:00 AM.
3/23/11 East Tennessee State University, Rogers-Stout 118, 7:00.
3/17/11 Virginia Book Festival, Charlottesville, VA, 8:00, Blue Ridge Outdoors, 1125 Emmet St.
3/16/11 Aaron's Books, Lititz, PA, 6:30.
3/15/11 Slow Food Harrisburg, Hotel Hershey, PA, 6:00. $45 includes meal.
3/11-13/11 Appalachian Studies Association Conference, Eastern Kentucky U, Richmond, KY
12/10/10 "Bowls of the Self" aired on WVTF Radio
4/19/10 “Sheet Music” aired on WVTF Radio. Listen here.
Previous Readings (a sampling):
TV/Radio: Interviewed for WDBJ7, Roanoke, WCYB, Bristol, and “With Good Reason,” VA Public Radio; Essays read for WVTF Public Radio.
Readings/lectures for libraries and bookstores in the following communities:
In Virginia: Floyd, Wytheville, Radford, Blacksburg, Roanoke, Abingdon, Warm Springs, Galax, Independence, Rocky Mount, Rural Retreat, Pulaski, Shawsville, Hardy, Christiansburg, Crozet, Fredericksburg, Richmond.
Elsewhere: Asheville, NC, Charlotte, NC, Boone, NC, Morgantown, WV, Shippensburg, PA, New Market, TN, Wayne, PA, Knoxville, TN, Nashville, TN, Durham, NC, Kernersville, NC, Pittsboro, NC, O.Henry Hotel, Greensboro, NC, Sylva, NC.
Readings/lectures for the following organizations:
Virginia Festival of the Book, Land Institute’s Prairie Festival (KS), University of Virginia’s Central Virginia Writing Project (Visiting Writer),Virginia Highlands Festival, West Virginia Book Festival, Hindman Writers Workshop, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Appalachian Studies Association, Franklin County Book Festival (VA), New River Symposium (keynote), SWVA CREP consortium training, Coalfield Folklife Festival, Grundy (VA), West Virginia Writers Conference, Mt. Rogers Naturalist Rally, Blacksburg Unitarian Universalists, Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, Daytona Beach, FL, Southern Festival of the Book, Nashville, TN, Winghaven, Charlotte, NC, French Broad Institute, Marshall, NC.
Readings/lectures for the following schools:
Carson-Newman College, Radford University, Wytheville Community College, Marshall University, Bluefield College, Rocky Gap High, Roanoke Higher Education Center, VT Panel on Forestry, Salem High (webcast), Roanoke College, Northeast Tennessee Technical Community College, Virginia Intermont College, East Tennessee State University, Lycoming College.
Awards:
- The Blueberry Years, 2010 Finalist for Best Nonfiction Book of the Year from Southern Independent Booksellers Association.
- The Blueberry Years, Second Place in the 2010 Reed Book Award from Southern Environmental Law Center.
- Burning Heaven, winner of the 2008 Jefferson Cup Award from the Virginia College Stores Association.
- Third Place in The Heartland Review’s Joy Bale Boone Prize, national poetry contest (2008).
- Two-time winner of the Appalachian Writers Association Wilma Dykeman Award for Essay (1991, 1992); second place (2003).
- Winner of the Appalachian Writers Association James Still Award for Poetry (1991); second place (2002).
- Winner of Radford University’s Faculty Scholarly Lecture Series Contest for Dusk, a chapbook of poems which became Her Secret Song (2002).
- A 14-day residency at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (2002).
- First Place, Poetry and Essay in the Chautauqua Writing Contest (2001).
- The Denny C. Plattner Award from Appalachian Heritage (1997).
- Winner, Now and Then Essay Contest (1996).
GRANTS (selected)
*Virginia Commission for the Arts to attend the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.
*RU Green Initiative: Environmental Campus Audit and Campus Greening Proposal.
Co-Authored with Judy Guinan and Rick Roth.
*Writing Fellowship for a residency at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.
*Project Coordinator with Grace Edwards, JoAnn Asbury, Ann Moser and Ricky Cox of the Appalachian Arts and Studies in the Schools Program, a mentor program for high school students.
*Since 1990, I’ve been awarded several different grants to host a wide range of writers at Radford University. These have included Maurice Manning, Frank X Walker, Jack Higgs, Dana Wildsmith, Ron Houchin, Crystal Wilkinson, Gurney Norman, Jim Wayne Miller and Marilou Awiakta.