Went to Nashville today to visit with a friend, and she took me to McKay’s bookstore. I thought I’d buy 1-2 books, but I wound up with all these, plus a blank journal not pictured here. Money well-spent! ❤️❤️❤️
McKay’s Bookstore
My New Poem in Women Speak Anthology
This year’s installment of Women Speak is almost out, and here’s the cover. So proud to be included alongside so many wonderful women writers. Yay!
West TN PBS | Tennessee Writes
West TN PBS | Tennessee Writes
— Read on www.westtnpbs.org/tv-schedule/tennessee-writes/
Proud to have been interviewed about my book Daughters of Muscadine on the local PBS station in Jackson, TN. Shout out to Peter Noll and Baily Luther for inviting me! ❤️
Story Works Podcast
Recently, I was on a panel for a podcast called Story Works. Our topic was “What Makes Writing Objectively Good?” Big thanks to Alida Winternheimer for inviting me, and a shout out to all my other co-panelists: Mark, Daniel, Miriam, Liz, and Kathryn. Here’s the link to the episode:
Women Speak (Vol. 10)
The newest Women Speak anthology is out. I’m proud to have three poems in it. The anthology focuses on women writers in Appalachia. In this issue, Volume 10, you will find work by Sheila Carter-Jones, Natalie Sypolt, Linda Parsons, Chrissie Anderson Peters, Lisa Kwong, and so many others! It’s edited by Ohio poet laureate, Kari Gunter-Seymour. Buy it here:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VFPMU4FHXUN9L
Tennessee Book Award
Y’all, I have exciting news! My book, Daughters of Muscadine, has just won the Tennessee Book Award in fiction! This is a huge honor. It comes with a $2,500 cash prize, and I’m invited to give a talk with Denton Loving and Rachel Louise Martin, the poetry and nonfiction winners, at the Southern Festival of Books this Sunday. I’m grinning big as can be! ❤️❤️❤️
Madison Book Fest
I’ll be signing books Saturday, September 28th at Madison County Book Festival in Richmond, KY. Excited for this event. I also attended last year and it was among my favorite author events!
My Interview at Shelf Unbound
Big thanks to Christina Consolino at Shelf Unbound for this wonderful interview and for helping me promote Daughters of Muscadine. Here’s the link:
Orchard Keeper Writer’s Residency
I had the pleasure of staying for one week at the Orchard Keeper farm this summer. My time at the orchard was my first residency, and I spent it in the hills and mountains of northeast Tennessee near the Cumberland Gap. Though I wasn’t as disciplined as I would have liked to have been, I did get quite a bit of work done. The orchard is the perfect place for solitary writing time. No wifi. No tv. Just me and my computer’s word processing program. Needless to say, I felt a little lonely at times, but the solitude was perfect for my writing. Denton Loving, the man who owns the farm, was welcoming and super helpful. If you’re looking for a residency or a retreat, consider applying to this one.
My Favorites
I’m an English teacher and have also worked at a public library, which means people often ask which authors and books I enjoy. I have a penchant for Southern fiction, working-class literature, and African-American literature. Here’s a short list of some of my favorite works:
Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody
Outer Banks by Anne Rivers Siddons
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
Upstate by Kalisha Buckhanon
Gap Creek by Robert Morgan
Big Stone Gap by Adriani Trigiani
“The Shipfitter’s Wife” by Dorianne Laux”
“What Do Women Want” by Kim Addonizio
“Scheherazade” by Richard Siken
Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison
The Color of Water by James McBride
“Going to Meet the Man” by James Baldwin
“Ruby Tells All” by Miller Williams
“The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara
The Road to Memphis by Mildred D. Taylor
“When We Were Young and Confederate” by Jeremy Collins
“Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie
“Barn Burning” by William Faulkner
Saving Grace by Lee Smith
Heavy by Kiese Laymon
Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King
”The Third and Final Continent” by Jhumpa Lahiri
“Nilda” by Junot Diaz
”Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Bullet in the Brain” by Tobias Wolff
“Time and Distance Overcome” by Eula Biss
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass
Maude by Donna Mabry
Monic Ductan 