August Feature
Join us for a one-of-a-kind craft lecture with acclaimed poet, editor, and educator Marianne Worthington. Marianne will begin the evening with a reading from her newest collection, Water. Witness. Word. (Belle Point Press), before leading an immersive one-hour master class on navigating and mastering complex poetic forms. This event launches our new Master Class 101 series, an exciting expansion of the Hill Writers Reading Series that offers writers an intimate opportunity to learn directly from accomplished authors. Whether you're an emerging poet or a seasoned writer looking to sharpen your craft, this is a rare chance to work closely with Marianne and deepen your creative practice.
Writing Poems That Invite Dialogue
Craft Course (1 hour, 30 minutes)
This generative writing class focuses on practicing poetic forms that encourage interaction with other poems and poets, such as centos, golden shovels, contrapuntals, and other forms hat require the poet to engage with other works to create new poetic collaborations. All are welcome, no matter your level of experience with poetry.
Hill Writers Collective
Hill Writers Collective is a writing community and online reading series dedicated to uplifting Appalachian and Southern voices. Through a mix of in-person gatherings and virtual events, we create space for writers to explore in a supportive, low-stakes environment. Our online series primarily features the work of southeastern Appalachian authors, including an author reading, followed by engaging conversations on craft and the writing life. Each session incorporates generative writing prompts led by the featured authors and concludes with an open mic with participants invited their responses. With a growing Facebook community of over 300 members, Hill Writers Collective is a place for much more than free writing prompts and timely publishing opportunities, we're building a strong collective for the voices of our communities. Our mission is to amplify contemporary Southern and Appalachian perspectives, foster creative connection, and cultivate inclusive literacy across the region and beyond.
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Hill Writers Reading Series would like
to thank our community of featured authors:
2026 Features:
January ||| LeTonia Jones & Suz Spearman
February ||| Mandi Fugate & Karen Salyer McElmurray
UK-GARC Symposium Features
Leo Coffey, Samar Jade,
Willie Carver, & Ariadne Macquarie
March ||| Appalachian Studies Association Conference Features
Jim Minick, Kari Gunter-Seymour, & Matthew Sidney Parsons
April ||| Ariadne Macquarie & Anna Barnes
May ||| Christopher McCurry & Willie Carver
July ||| Samar Johnson & Clinton Waters
August ||| Masterclass 101 Series with Marianne Worthington
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2025 Features:
January ||| Shaun Turner & Karrington Aliyah
February ||| Jan LaPerle & Patsy Kisner
March ||| Willie Edward Carver Jr. & Amy Le Ann Richardson
April |||Kevin Nance & Jay McCoy
May ||| Pauletta Hansel & JC Mack
June ||| Katerina Stoykova & B Elizabeth Beck
July ||| Dr. Caleb Pendygraft & Shiloh Stump
August ||| Marianne Worthington & Belle Townsend
September ||| George Ella Lyon & Brandon Sun Eagle Jent
October ||| Jeremy Paden & Davis Shoulders
November ||| upfromsumdirt & Torli Bush
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