The two-day 2023 Spring Literary Festival, presented by the Bert C. Bach Written Word Initiative, kicked off Wednesday with a total of eight different sessions to appeal to literary enthusiasts of all tastes.
A highlight of the festival was the reading of new poetry from two writers with ties to ETSU: Joshua Martin and Rachel Bates.
Joshua Martin, an adjunct English professor at ETSU, opened the session and read a total of five poems, including two odes and one ghazal poem.
Rachel Bates, an ETSU alumni, followed Martin and read a total of eight poems from her book “Dear River,” including one new poem she described as a “work in progress.”
Both Martin and Bates grew up in Appalachia, and many of their poems contain Appalachian themes and memories.
Following the reading, Jesse Graves, the director of the Bert C. Bach Written Word Initiative and ETSU’s poet-in-residence, opened the floor to questions from the audience; this sparked conversation where Martin and Bates shared their thoughts about Appalachian culture, personal inspirations and mentors, as well as working through frustrations when writing.
The session with Martin and Bates was just the second event scheduled for the 2023 Spring Literary Festival, which will continue into Thursday, April 13, at the Reece Museum.
Graves shared that the annual Literary Festival presents a rare opportunity for the ETSU campus and the surrounding community.
“There aren’t many occasions in the region where this many great writers are in the same place at the same time,” Graves said. “We want the whole community to come.”
This year, the Literary Festival was proud to present author Daniel Wallace as the keynote speaker. Wallace is the author of many works, including the novel “Big Fish,” which was later adapted into a movie by Tim Burton.
Other featured presenters included author Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, poet Adrienne Su and author Austin Bunn.
Graves said a goal of the annual Spring Literary Festival is to bring the community of readers and writers together to learn more about the craft. In doing so, Graves said all presenters are chosen for not only being great writers, but also for being great teachers of writing.
“I feel like there’s a little bit of a myth of writers working in isolation,” Graves said. “I think writers love to work and thrive working in community.”
As an ETSU professor, Graves also sees the Literary Festival as an opportunity for his students to see the value of writing outside of an academic setting.
“It’s good for our students to see writing as a lifetime adventure,” Graves said.
For those disappointed that they missed this year’s festivities, the good news is that there is always next year; Graves shared that the Bert C. Bach Written Word Initiative is already in the planning stages for the 2024 Spring Literary Festival, continuing the tradition of providing the community with a hub to foster the written arts.
“So many people are lifetime readers and writers and they’re pursuing their own creativity and their own imagination,” Graves said. “I think it’s good for our students and our community to be with another in that cause.”
For more information on future Spring Literary Festivals or any other event presented by the Bert C. Bach Written Word Initiative, visit their website: www.etsu.edu/cas/litlang/writingfestival/.
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