2019 Art Contest Winner Announced

Posted on March 29, 2019March 29, 2019 by CM Lit Fest

The 14th Annual Carolina Mountains Literary Festival is pleased to announce that a watercolor by Claire Simpson Jones has been chosen to represent the Festival theme of On The Move- stories of migration, immigration and travel. The Festival will be September 5-7, 2019 in Burnsville, NC. Claire Simpson Jones has also supported the Festival as she and her visual arts classes at N. Buncombe High School make Altered Book Centerpieces for the Banquet tables and the Silent Auction. She worked f...

The Obsessions, the Overall Work: An Interview with James Reston, Jr.

Posted on March 3, 2019March 3, 2019 by CM Lit Fest

CMLF volunteer, Maureen Thornton, interviewed James Reston, Jr., the 2017 Saturday night Keynote Speaker. With a bibliography that ranges from playwriting and fiction to nonfiction works on science, politics, medieval history, and current events, James Reston Jr. could be called a modern Renaissance man. My first acquaintance with the author was through the movie Frost/Nixon (2008), which was based on The Conviction of Richard Nixon, Reston’s 2007 book about his role as David Frost’s advisor...

2019 Carolina Mountains Literary Festival Art Contest

Posted on October 22, 2018October 22, 2018 by CM Lit Fest

Art Contest Rules: 1. Contest open to artists of all ages. 2. Please send a high resolution photograph of your painting, collage, photograph, computer generated or art in any media to cmlitfest@gmail.com Put ART CONTEST in the subject line. 3. All art must be created by the submitting artist. 4. Art must reflect the festival theme : ON THE MOVE 5. The winning artist must give written permission for the image to be altered to fit the festival needs: bookmark, poster, website, Facebo...

Gail Godwin: “A Summa Cum Laude Literary Festival”

Posted on September 17, 2018September 17, 2018 by CM Lit Fest

We are deeply honored by Gail Godwin's piece on the Carolina Mountains Literary Festival on her own blog: http://www.gailgodwin.com/blog/2018/09/16/a-summa-cum-laude-literary-festival/

Gail Godwin’s Keynote Speech written for the 2018 Carolina Mountains Literary Festival theme – Surface and Rise

Posted on September 9, 2018September 17, 2018 by CM Lit Fest

Gail Godwin delivering the keynote address at the 2018 Carolina Mountains LitFest

The Desperate Place [De-esperare; de=reverse the action of—hope] I can’t see a way out of this. Things will not necessarily get better. This is my life, but I may not get to do what I want in it. This is the language that speaks to you in the desperate place. A place from which you lack the means or power to escape. A place in which you realize that someone you love does not, and will not ever, love you back. A place in which you acknowledge your steep falling off in health, or...

An Interview with Kevin Watson

Posted on August 20, 2018September 17, 2018 by CM Lit Fest

The Carolina Mountains Literary Festival has been fortunate over its thirteen years of bringing literary arts to Western North Carolina, to have many illustrious participants and champions. Among the Festival’s most ardent supporters is Kevin Morgan Watson, founder of Press 53, an independent publishing house located in Winston Salem. Press 53 authors have had a presence at the Festival every year since 2006. They have included the likes of John Ehle, who captured the spirit of the people and ...

N. Buncombe HS Students Help Carolina Mountains Literary Festival

Posted on August 10, 2018September 17, 2018 by CM Lit Fest

The 13th Annual Carolina Mountains Literary Festival in Burnsville, NC will be on September 6-8, 2018. All day on Friday and Saturday over 25 authors will give free readings and discussions. There are also four 3-hour writing workshops in fiction, memoir, poetry and non-fiction. ( Pre-registration $30) The Festival begins on Thursday night at 7 p.m. with National Poetry Slam Finalist, Hip Hop artist Kane Smego who topped the Spotify Viral 50 Billboard for his appearance on King Mez's Grammy ...

Something For Everyone at Carolina Mountains Literary Festival

Posted on August 10, 2018September 17, 2018 by CM Lit Fest

Whatever your reading preferences, there will be something for you at the Carolina Mountains Literary Festival on September 6-8, 2018 in Burnsville, NC. Authors will give free readings and discussions in fiction, memoir, poetry, non-fiction and young adult and children’s literature. National Poetry Slam Finalist and spoken word Hip Hop artist, Kane Smego will start the Festival on Thursday evening with a free performance on Thursday night. Readers of fiction and writers in all genres wi...

History Buffs Will Enjoy Carolina Mountains Literary Festival

Posted on August 10, 2018September 17, 2018 by CM Lit Fest

If you enjoy reading and learning about history, come to the Carolina Mountains Literary Festival on September 6-8, 2018 in Burnsville, NC. You will hear authors of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and memoir read and discuss events in US history. Novelist Daren Wang tells a Civil War story about a runaway slave. The setting is based on a real town, the only secessionist town north of the Mason-Dixon Line. Abigail DeWitt also writes a based in truth novel set in WW II which is a story of loss and...

Gail Godwin at Carolina Mountains Literary Festival

Posted on August 10, 2018September 17, 2018 by CM Lit Fest

Novelist Gail Godwin will be the Saturday night Keynote Speaker at the Carolina Mountains Literary Festival which takes place in Burnsville, NC on September 6-8,2018, While author readings all day on Friday and Saturday are free, registration and a fee of $20 is required for the Saturday Keynote. Seats are filling, so preregister before August 31. cmlitfest.org Godwin is the author of 14 novels, 2 short story collections, 3 works of non-fiction and 10 libretti. This best selling author is...