Appalachian Visions series to host award-winning author Sharyn McCrumb
October 07, 2003

Appalachian Visions, Mountain State University's popular series of lectures, performances, and discussions, will host an evening with New York Times bestselling author Sharyn McCrumb on Saturday, October 25, at Tamarack's Gov. Hulett C. Smith Theatre. In a reading-performance program with musician Jack Hinshelwood, McCrumb will examine the musical connections in her acclaimed "ballad novel" series, which includes her most recent work, Ghost Riders, as well as earlier novels The Songcatcher, The Ballad of Frankie Silver, The Rosewood Casket, She Walks These Hills, The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter, and If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O.

Cosponsored by the West Virginia Humanities Council and Tamarack, the event is free and open to the public. A book signing will follow the discussion. Books will not be available at the site but can be obtained in advance at the MSU Bookstore and other local bookstores.

McCrumb's award-winning novels, which celebrate the history and folklore of Appalachia, have received scholarly praise and been ranked on the New York Times bestseller lists. Her books have been named Notable Books for the Year by the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.

Honored for Outstanding Contribution to Appalachian Literature by the Appalachian Writers Association in 1997, McCrumb has also received the Sherwood Anderson Short Story Award; Appalachian Writer of the Year Award in 1999 from Shepherd College; the Flora McDonald Award; Morehead State University's Chaffin Award; and the Plattner Award from Berea College. Her work has twice received the Appalachian Writers Association's Best Appalachian Novel Award.

For nearly a decade, the Appalachian Visions series has worked to bring the best of regional scholarship and arts to southern West Virginia. The popularity of the series reflects not only its diversity-with programming drawn from Appalachia's history, culture, literature, music, and traditional arts-but also its relaxed atmosphere that encourages broad participation and open discussion. All Appalachian Visions events are free and open to the public.

The series is made possible in part through the financial support of private donors. For more information on upcoming programs and opportunities for support, contact Sally Sale at Mountain State University (304.929.1409) or e-mail appyvisions@mountainstate.edu.