Reading and Book Signing: Cherokee Literature in Appalachian Heritage .
(Please go to http://ncpoetlaureate.blogspot.com/2009/11/appalachian-heritage-special-cherokee.html to see the post on this special issue. The Museum of the Cherokee Indian will host a reading and book signing Sunday afternoon January 17 from 2-4 pm in the Multi-purpose room of the Education and Research Center. Michell Hicks, Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, will introduce Cherokee writers featured in the new issue of AppalacAppalachian Heritage: A Literary Quarterly of the Appalachian South. This issue features works by twenty-one members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, with cover artwork and illustrations by Sean Ross, (EBCI.) Featured author of the issue is Robert Conley (Cherokee Nation) who is also Distinguished Sequoyah Professor at Western Carolina University and keeps office hours at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian as well.
This volume is the largest collection to date of contemporary literary efforts by members of the Eastern Band, and includes poetry, prose, essays, stories from oral tradition, and artwork. The Editor, George Brosi of Berea Kentucky, will attend the event, where Conley will read from his work. Authors will be available to sign copies, which will be sold through the Museum Store at $8 each.
I am exceedingly proud of my role in the development of this issue of Appalachian Heritage magazine. Some four months ago, George Brosi contacted me and asked me to identify some of the major creative talent on the Qualla Indaian Boundary. That was easy! I am especially proud of the fact that Dot Jackson and I succeeded in getting former chief, Robert Youngdeer into the Cherokee issue.
ReplyDeleteI think it is a wonderful thing to have this issue on the Cherokee and thanks for your part in it, Gary.
ReplyDeleteI'm also proud that Debora Kinsland Foerst has a poem in this issue. She was in my grad. poetry class years ago and has both a prose book on Cherokee stories and poems that are among the best I've seen from this neck of the woods. She will be a real voice from WNC and the reservation in the future.
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