Writers by the River: Reflections on 40+ Years of the Highland Summer Conference - Paperback

by Donia S. Eley (Editor), Grace Toney Edwards (Editor)

The Highland Summer Writing Conference (HSC), held each summer along the banks of the ancient New River at Radford University's Selu Conservancy, brings together and inspires writers as they participate in the communal art of creating and sharing. Over the years, many prestigious Appalachian authors have taught workshops to like-minded students, many of whom became published authors in their own right. This book, a celebration of the HSC, is a collection of reflective essays, poetry, fiction, and non-fiction contributed by 41 authors and student-authors who have taken part in the conference over a span of 43 years.

Author Biography

Donia S. Eley devotes much of her free time to causes throughout the New River Valley, among them the preservation and perpetuation of art, music, land conservation and Appalachian culture. She holds a post-bacc certificate and a graduate degree in Appalachian studies, and is the co-author of two books about Appalachian artist Willard Gayheart. Grace Toney Edwards is professor emerita of Appalachian studies and English and the founding director of the Appalachian Regional Studies Center at Radford University. For 27 years she served as the director of the Highland Summer Conference. Her life's work has been the study of the Appalachian people and the mountains they inhabit, and has edited two books about Appalachia.