Every other Wednesday night at 16 West, truths are served up. The spoken word night, Soul Sessions, offers community members 5 minutes of stage time in a supportive, nonjudgmental environment. There is little room for negativity in a space meant to bridge. "We learn from each other's words," says organizer Bryan Hancock, "and those words connect us."… Continue reading ★ Soul Sessions’ Bryan Hancock: What we bring and what we do with it
Author: Douglas Charles Jackson
Roanoke VA based writer and community coach.
★ Inside the writer’s studio with MMT’s Moonlight and Magnolias
Take a break from writing for a light look at the creative process. Mill Mountain Theater opens the 2017 Main Stage season with a play about adapting a book for a film - specifically Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind. Moonlight and Magnolias (Ron Hutchinson, 2004) imagines a last-minute collaborative push. Everything's ready to go; Selznick just needs a… Continue reading ★ Inside the writer’s studio with MMT’s Moonlight and Magnolias
★ Groundhog Poetry Press Launch April 13
Head to Hollins Thursday evening to celebrate the launch of Groundhog Poetry Press, Richard Dillard's new habitat for poets. The poets will read. Books will be sold. Thursday, April 13, 2017 | 8:15pm Green Drawing Room, Hollins University THE POETS: Jack Christian earned an M.A. in creative writing from Hollins in 2003 and is also a graduate of the University… Continue reading ★ Groundhog Poetry Press Launch April 13
★ Roanoke’s readers: The Day Avenue Book Club
The Raleigh Court Branch Library Book Group recently read and discussed three short stories, all taking place in libraries. There were thematic similarities across fiction by Bradbury, Borges, and Murakami. The library, it seems, is a pretty apt metaphor for how we try to make sense of a world that we can't fully comprehend. We may never get to… Continue reading ★ Roanoke’s readers: The Day Avenue Book Club
★ The dimensions of a creative community with Cara Ellen Modisett
Since returning to Roanoke, Cara Ellen Modisett has revived the monthly community reading series that was shepherded for a time after her departure by Dwayne Yancey of The Roanoke Times and faculty at Community High School. The busy musician and writer slowed down enough to share with us some of the thinking behind Words3, the encouraging environment… Continue reading ★ The dimensions of a creative community with Cara Ellen Modisett
★ Area writers at Virginia Festival of the Book
Several local authors participated in the 23rd annual Virginia Festival of the Book. A program of the Virginia Center for the Book and produced by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, the event attracts more than 20,000 participants over 5 days. Beth Macy, Elizabeth Poliner, and Cathryn Hankla read from recent works and sold books. Melody Warnick was a featured… Continue reading ★ Area writers at Virginia Festival of the Book
★ Kalanithi Memoir chosen for 2017 Roanoke Valley Reads
The memoir of the late surgeon Paul Kalanithi has been chosen as the book for the 2017 Roanoke Valley Reads. When Breath Becomes Air (Random House, 2016) includes the physician's final reflections after his 2013 diagnosis with stage IV lung cancer. The book topped The New York Times Bestseller list and is frequently listed as one of the best books of 2016. Roanoke Valley Reads, a program of Blue Ridge… Continue reading ★ Kalanithi Memoir chosen for 2017 Roanoke Valley Reads
★ Liz Long’s Welcome Invasion: Saturday, April 8
Liz Long is a force. By day, the LeisureMedia360 associate editor writes for the leading regional glossies. Then she heads home to fill volumes with tales of the super-powered. In April, she'll open the Star City for an invasion of more than a hundred authors of Young Adult fiction from up and down the East Coast. And… Continue reading ★ Liz Long’s Welcome Invasion: Saturday, April 8
★ Hoot and Holler: Our Stories. Out Loud. April 13
Lee Hunsaker received a warm reception at Big Lick SOUP, positioning Hoot and Holler: Our Stories Out Loud as a community building strategy. “Hearing each other’s stories connects us,” she said. “I want to use this as a platform for those in our community who haven’t had a voice in the past.” Expect Hunsaker to… Continue reading ★ Hoot and Holler: Our Stories. Out Loud. April 13
★ This is what we’re talking about: Art and commerce
Check out this morning's spot-on Roanoke Times editorial. As we like to do around here, the piece looks at other communities for a model to replicate, but that's okay. At least this time the community pointed to was Austin, not Asheville. There, South by Southwest grew the economy with an entrepreneurial arts-based venture. The point: like the traditional mountain music along… Continue reading ★ This is what we’re talking about: Art and commerce
BOOK CITY ★ Roanoke 