Megan Bell has a children’s book, Roary Eyes His Cards, coming out with Reader’s Digest.
A.K. Benninghofen was awarded a Regional Artist Project Grant for 2012. She published a short story “Sidewalk” in Evergreen Review, a short story “Easier Than You Think” in Connotation Press, and a short story “Before We Were Almost Lovers” in Necessary Fiction. She was selected to be a fiction contributor at the 2011 Sewanee Summer Writers’ Conference.
Maryedith Burrell (faculty) is currently producing a feature documentary (Paws & Stripes) about veterans with PTSD and re-writing her original film, Dominion, for the producer of Super 8.
Juliana Caldwell has been accepted into the MFA-Creative Writing program at Goddard College. Her first term is this spring semester, and she will be attending the Port Townsend campus, outside Seattle. It is a two-year, low-residency program.
Elizabeth Canham’s book of reflections on the Psalms, titled Sing a New Song (Upper Room in Nashville, Tennessee) should be available in the fall.
Nancy Dillingham’s (faculty and student) book of poems Home was nominated for a 2011 SIBA award, and she has a collection of short stories and poetry entitled Americana Rural forthcoming from Wind Publications this summer or fall.
Caitlin Donovan (UNC A student and TGSR intern) had her short story “The Blank Space,” her nonfiction piece “Misadventures of Comic Book Girl,” and her poem “Pale Girl” accepted for publication in spring 2012 by the Headwaters Creative Arts Magazine. The nonfiction piece won this year's Wilma Dykeman award at UNC Asheville.
Tommy Hays’ (faculty) novel The Pleasure Was Mine, which has been used in numerous community reads, was the book selected for the Wayne County Read in Goldsboro, NC. He contributed a chapter to the collaborative novel, Naked Came the Leaf Peeper (Burning Bush Press), along with eleven other Western North Carolina writers. His new novel What I Came To Tell You has been accepted for publication by Egmont USA. An excerpt of the novel has been included in 27 Views of Asheville: A Southern Mountain Town in Prose and Poetry (Eno Publishers).
Tom Honea’s short story, “A Pig Picking,” will be included in Sweeter Than Tea, an anthology published by BelleBridge Books ( Memphis ) in May 2012.
Michael Hopping’s short story collection, MacTiernan’s Bottle, was recently published by Pisgah Press and has been reviewed enthusiastically in Mountain Xpress and The Asheville Citizen-Times.
John Huie published an interview with Denver Bailey in the December issue of Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine.
Nena Jobena had a piece, “Leaving,” published in the February issue of WNC Woman and will have another piece, “This Place,” in the April issue.
Barry Kelly revised the two-act play, “Goodnight Mister Lincoln,” written by his father and to be produced at the Burnsville Town Center on April 13, 14, and 15, by the Burnsville Little Theatre and the Yancey History Society.
Deanna Klingel’s book Just for the Moment: The Remarkable Gift of the Therapy Dog, published by Dog Ear, is still going strong. This book received the Seal of Approval of the Catholic Writers’ Guild. Her book, Avery’s Battlefield (published by BJU Press, Journey Fourth) has received Stars & Flags National Book Award, bronze award for children’s literature, 2011. Her book Avery’s Crossroad (BJU Press) was released October 2011. Both books are being featured at the Museum of the Albemarle, Elizabeth City, at the opening of their Civil War Sesquicentennial celebration. Her book Bread Upon the Water, will be released soon by Rafka Press, Phoenix.
Brian Lee Knopp (faculty) organized and wrote the first chapter for Naked Came the Leaf Peeper (Burning Bush Press), a collaborative novel that included twelve Western North Carolina writers.
Vicki Lane’s (faculty) fifth novel in her Elizabeth Goodweather series, Under the Skin, was published in November by Dell.
Elizabeth Lutyens (faculty) recently read from her novel, Medicine Island, in the Flood Series at Posana Café. Reading with her was poet Tina Barr.
Anne Maren-Hogan has published numerous poems this past year in WNC Woman. She also has a chapbook, The Farmer’s Wake, about to be published by Finishing Line Press.
Mesha Maren-Hogan’s story “Confluence” was recently accepted for publication on Harper Perennial’s website Fifty-Two Stories. Her story “Withdraw” was selected by Sherrie Flick for First Prize in Flash Fiction in the Press 53 Contest. “Withdraw” was also published in HOBART: another literary journal. “Confluence” was selected by Ron Rash for Second Prize in the NCSU Fiction Contest. Her poem “Hands” was published in Blood Lotus Journal. Her poem “Jimmy” was published in Headwaters Journal. The Juniper Bends Reading Series, a quarterly literary reading series which she co-hosts was selected by Mountain Xpress as one of the top ten literary events in Asheville in 2011.
Sebastian Matthews has a new book of poems Miracle Day, recently published by Red Hen Press.
Lynn McClure received first place in the Lymon Haiku Award contest and honorable mention in the Humorous Poetry contest, both from the NC Poetry Society. These appeared in Pinesongs. She also received first place and an honorable mention for two haibun in the annual haibun contest from The Haiku Society of America. Additionally two other haibun appeared in Frogpond, the haiku journal of the society.
Jennifer McGaha’s (faculty) recent publications include pieces in Smoky Mountain Living Magazine, Echoes Across the Blue Ridge: An Anthology of Southern Appalachian Literature, New Southerner, Wilderness House Literary Review, Fried Chicken and Coffee, WNC Woman, Muscadine Lines, BackHome Magazine, Queen City Review, USA Today Online, Women’s Places/Women’s Spaces (an anthology), The Portland Review, Compass Rose, Lumina, Slow Trains, The Great Smokies Review, Blue Mesa Review and Marco Polo Quarterly.
Miriam McNamara, after taking Joy Neaves’ class on writing for children, was accepted to Vermont College of Fine Arts Writing for Children and Young Adults low-residency MFA program and will be graduating this July.
Darlena Moore’s poem, “Ode to Myself,” was published in The Verge as part of The Inkling, an annual literary wordfest celebration in Augusta, Georgia.
Amy Musser published an article, “The Real Crawl Spaces of Buncombe County,” in the 2012 Green Building Directory published by Mountain Xpress.
Heather Newton (faculty and student) won the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award for 2011 for her novel Under the Mercy Trees, published by HarperCollins. She has a story in the collection 27 Views of Asheville: A Southern Mountain Town in Prose & Poetry (Eno Publishers).
Terry O’Keefe took a creative nonfiction course last spring with Sebastien Matthews. That class helped him hone his skills and raised his confidence levels. Since then, he have begun writing a weekly “Guest Columnist” column that runs in the Sunday Ideas section of the Asheville Citizen-Times.
Nancy Poling continues to promote her story collection, Had Eve Come First and Jonah Been a Woman. She has published several op-ed pieces in the Asheville Citizen-Times and is teaching a class on writing memoirs at the Black Mountain Library.
Jan Schochet has contributed a piece to 27 Views of Asheville: A Southern Mountain Town in Prose & Poetry (Eno Publishers).
Megan Shepherd recently sold her first novel, The Madman’s Daughter, to Balzer+Bray/HarperCollins as part of a three-book deal. It has since also sold in several countries abroad. It’s a YA historical thriller trilogy inspired by classic Gothic literature. It will come out in early 2013.
Katherine Soniat’s (faculty) new book of poems The Swing Girl (LSU Press) was selected as Best Collection of 2011 by The Poetry Council of North Carolina (Oscar Arnold Young Award). Her sixth collection—A Raft, A Boat, A Bridge—is forthcoming from Dream Horse Press in fall, 2012. Work is in recent issues of The Women’s Review of Books, Antioch Review, and Image: A Journal of Art, Faith, and Mystery.
Ricki Tannen has been asked by her publisher Routledge to write a second edition of The Female Trickster and to write another book on graceful, creative aging. Take a look at femaletrickster.com or rickitannen.com. Our community is saddened by the recent death of Ricki Tannen. Our condolences to her family and friends. To read her most recent instructor's reflection and tribute, please visit Vicki Lane's blog: http://vickilanemysteries.blogspot.com/2012/04/suddenly.html.
Kathy Weisfeld’s poem “My Neighborhood” was published in the Great Smokies Review. A poem, “Treasures” appeared in WNC Woman as did her poem “They Do It So I Don't Have To.” Also she is currently participating in the NC Poetry Society sponsored Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet Series. Joseph Bathanti is her mentor. He and his four mentees will read at the Cullowhee University Literary Festival March 19 at noon. Bathanti and Weisfeld will read at the Yancey County Library in Burnsville on April 16 at 7 pm.
Nancy Williams (administrator) writes a weekly column for the Asheville Citizen-Times.
Laurel Winter’s poem “Awkward Friends” which appeared in The Cancer Poetry Project, was recently included in a Topeka high school benefit show. Also, another “egg horror poem” is in the McDougal Littell 9th grade literature textbook.
Leni Zumas (former faculty), who is now an assistant professor in the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Portland State University, has her debut novel coming out in May 2012, published by Tin House Books.