The Writers in the Library series continues November 8 at 7 p.m. in the Hodges Library Auditorium with featured authors from Migrants and Stowaways, the new anthology from the Knoxville Writers Guild.
From bicycle trips through Europe to breaking the law in Kentucky to emotional rights of passage, the collection includes poetry, stories, essays, memoirs, and photography that all explore the theme of journeys. “There are many kinds of journeys,” said Emily Dziuban, the collection’s editor. “Some require long flights and tired eyes while others happen in our minds, our emotions, and our relationships.”
After culling through over 400 submissions, the editors had the difficult task of choosing the final 82 pieces from authors as close as Fort Sanders and as far away as Europe. The anthology has received rave reviews. It discusses “the place left behind,” said Michael Knight, director of the creative writing program at UT. “It’s a kind of longing, I think, for both the faraway and the near at hand. Beyond me to articulate but beautiful to read,” he said.
Speakers at this event include Don Williams, novelist and Knoxville News Sentinel columnist, who will read his short story “Her Vagabond Neon-Heart,” about an evolving relationship between a lawyer and a journalist/aspiring thespian. Judy DiGregorio, author and humorist, will read an essay about growing up as a tall woman. Laura Still, poet and USTA tennis umpire, will read her poem “Night Biking.” Jack Rentfro, author of Cumberland Avenue: Revisited, will read his island-inspired prose poem “Under a Blue Bimini: Key Largo.” Marilyn Kallet, poet and UT professor, will read a poem that honors her Great Aunt Hedwig, a holocaust survivor.
The Knoxville Writers’ Guild is a local non-profit organization founded in December 1992 and has over 200 members. Meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month at the Laurel Theater.
The WRITERS IN THE LIBRARY series is sponsored by the University of Tennessee Libraries and the Creative Writing Program of the UT English Department. For further information, contact JoAnne Deeken, Head of Technical Services (974-6905), or R.B. Morris, UT Libraries Writer-in-Residence (974-3004).