WEST VIRGINIA WRITERS Members Live Reading Aug 28 - 30

(This news courtesy of George Lies)

WEST VIRGINIA WRITERS Members Read at Barnes & Noble Friday and Saturday

Morgantown Poets celebrates its one-year anniversary this weekend (Aug. 28-30) with a book fair event at Barnes & Noble. Besides some great musicians and authors, the MWG Writers have been invited to this fund-raiser.

Come hear WVW Writers Members:

-Mary Lucille DeBerry (Friday at 7:00 p.m.),
-George Lies (Saturday at 2:00 p.m.),
-Terry McNemar (Saturday at 2:30 p.m.)
-Patricia Patteson (Saturday at 5:00 p.m.),
-Joey Madia (Sunday 1:00 p.m.)

At Barnes and Noble this coming weekend, the three-day event will feature free and open public readings by West Virginia authors. The schedule follows below. The book fair will serve as a fund-raiser for Morgantown Poets so that the group can continue to conduct its monthly community-based literary arts gathering at the Monongalia Arts Center (MAC). Several musicians will be performing throughout the weekend. Barnes & Noble is located at the University Town Center, 3000 University Towne Centre Drive, off Star City exit off I-79, organtown.

SCHEDULE:

FRIDAY
The book fair kicks off with a reception from 6-7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28. Wayne Rowand, a classically trained guitarist, will be performing. Refreshments provided. Immediately following the reception, West Virginia poet Mary Lucille DeBerry (author of "Bertha Butcher's Coat") will read from 7-7:30 p.m., followed by poet Cheryl Denise ("I Saw God Dancing") from 7:30-8 p.m.

SATURDAY
On Saturday, Aug. 29, events begin with an 11-11:30 a.m. reading by Cari Carpenter ("Seeing Red: Anger, Sentimentality, and American Indians," a non-fiction book), which will be followed by poet Bonnie M. Brown from 11:30 a.m.-noon. Carpenter is a faculty member in the Department of English at West Virginia University, specializing in 19th century American literature and Native American literature. A published poet, Brown has performed her work throughout the country. Musician Ben Harki will be performing from noon-1 p.m.

George Lies, fiction author and steering committee member for the Morgantown Writers Group (MWG), with stories published in Mountain Voices, Mist on the Mon, and Hamilton Stone Editions, will read from 2-2:30 p.m. Then, fiction author T.W. McNemar ("Ragdoll Angel") will read from 2:30-3 p.m. McNemar is president of West Virginia Writers, Inc., the statewide organization that supports and encourages writing activities throughout West Virginia.

Also on Saturday (Aug. 29), fiction and non-fiction author Patricia Patteson will read from 5-5:30 p.m., followed by Mark Brazaitis (author of the recently released poetry book, "The Other Language") from 5:30-6 p.m. Brazaitis directs the Master of Fine Arts Program in Creative Writing in the Department of English at WVU.

Poet Lori Wilson ("House Where a Woman", Autumn House Press) will read from 7-7:30 p.m., and Suzanne Heagy (author of the novel "Meridian Inn," which has been recently accepted for publication by Diversion Press) will read from 7:30-8 p.m. Wilson is a computer systems analyst and a Master of Fine Arts student at Drew University. Heagy is a faculty member in the Department of Language and Literature at Fairmont State University.

SUNDAY
On Sunday, Aug. 30, events begin with a special reading from 1-1:30 p.m.. by Joey Madia (author of the fantasy/adventure novel, "Jester-Knight: Book One of the Ambir Dragon Tales"). Madia's reading of "Jester-Knight" will be enjoyed by older children and teens (ages 10 and up), as well as adults. In addition to his literary pursuits, Madia is the artistic director/resident playwright for New Mystics Theatre Company, Inc., which, according to its Web site, "uses the performing arts as a means of engaging young people, faculty, families, and communities in explorations of cultural and social issues affecting our lives.."

Immediately following the reading of "Jester-Knight," from 1:30-2 p.m., poet, artist and craftswoman Tonya Madia will conduct a special children's reading in the children's section at Barnes & Noble (ages 4-10). She will read from the well-known children's books, "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak and "King Bidgood's in the Bathtub" by Audrey Wood.

Musician and songwriter Jim Savarino, facilitator of the Songwriters Circle at the MAC, will perform from 3-4 p.m. on Sunday. Rounding out the weekend, Morgantown Poets will host an open reading with a sign up sheet for writers in the community from 4-5 p.m. Sunday. Poetry and short excerpts of fiction, non-fiction, essays and other forms of writing/literature suitable for the general public are acceptable for the open reading.

To assist Morgantown Poets, Barnes & Noble is providing vouchers in advance of the book fair which visitors should bring in for presentation when they check out over the weekend.. Barnes & Noble will use the vouchers as a way to donate directly to the MAC, a local, non-profit, community arts organization, to help cover costs associated with Morgantown Poets.