Lee Maynard, Pops Walker and Kipyn Martin at The Lewisburg Literary Festival

The Lewisburg Literary Festival welcomes Lee Maynard and Pops Walker to The Lewis Theatre on Saturday, August 4th from 5pm to 6pm.  Lee Maynard, author, educator and humanitarian, will be reading from his works to the music accompaniment of Pops Walker, a veteran, a musician and a writer.  This event is free to the public and seating is offered on a first come, first served basis.

Brutal, poignant, honest, vivid and breathtaking.  These are the words that describe the works of Lee Maynard. From the "hollers" of West Virginia to the jungles of Central America, Lee's novels take his readers on a series of incredible journeys that not only capture the imagination, but also touch the soul.

Lee Maynard was born and raised in the hardscrabble ridges and hard-packed mountains of West Virginia, an upbringing that darkens and shapes much of his writing. He has received the National Endowment for the Arts Literary Fellowship. As a journalist, Maynard was an assignment writer for Reader's Digest for more than two decades. His journalism and non-fiction work has appeared more than 100 times in publications as diverse as The Saturday Review, Rider Magazine, Washington Post, Country America, Dual Sport News and Christian Science Monitor. His latest novel, The Scummers, the final novel in the trilogy that includes the oft-banned Crum and Screaming with the Cannibals, was published in April by Vandalia Press.

Pops Walker retired from the US Army in 2003 and entered into to his second career as a performing singer/songwriter.   On the day of his retirement, he packed his guitars into his car and drove to Charlestown, WV, where he was the opening act for the Mountain Stage New Song Festival.  Since then, he’s enjoyed a reputation as one of the most passionate solo performers in his field, playing at festivals, acoustic listening rooms, theaters, and his favorite venues: house concerts.  Listening to any of his seven CDs, one can hear dashes of folk, jazz, country, and a tidy little genre called Southern Fried Zen Mojo, a phrase coined just for him.  

Later that evening at 9pm, enjoy the free music performance by Pops Walker, with special guest, Kipyn Martin at Del Sol Cantina & Grille.   Pops and Kipyn will entertain their audience with blues, folk and jazz.

Composer Kipyn Martin comes from the Shenandoah Valley—an area well-known for Appalachian folk music.  Often compared to Joni Mitchell, Dar Williams, and Joan Baez, Kipyn sings from the core. She was a semi-finalist in the 2007 New Song Academy Songwriting Competition, and a finalist in the 2009 Shenandoah Valley Acoustic Roots Songwriting Competition.  Also, Kipyn has shared stages with such artists as Chuck E. Costa, Trina Hamlin, Beaucoup Blue, and as on this night, Pops Walker. Kipyn is a versatile performer, mostly operating within blues and folk genres. Listeners can expect no frills, just soul.

The Lewisburg Literary Festival is a vibrant two day event, featuring authors, outdoor art installations, musical entertainment and performance art, all inspired by literature.  The festival takes place annually on the first Friday and Saturday in August.  This year, 2012, the event will be held on August 3^rd & 4^th. 

For updates on the festival, log onto the Festival website at www.lewisburgliteraryfestival.com.  Information is also available at 800-833-2068 or follow us on Facebook as a friend of the Lewisburg Literary Festival.