Three Lee students were awarded 2016 Earl Hamner scholarships to attend the 10th annual Mountain Heritage Literary Festival. The students, Hannah Cole, Kristen Ton, and Lori Williamson, were accompanied by Dr. William Woolfitt, assistant professor of creative writing at Lee, who presented at the conference.
The Hamner scholarships, intended to foster new writers who are unknown, unpublished, and possibly unaware of their own talent, offer each student all-expenses paid passes to the Mountain Heritage Literary Festival at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tenn. Winners were selected by submission of essay.
Ms. Cole is a graduate English-writing major from Athens, Ga.; Ms. Ton is a graduate English-writing major from Franklin, Tenn,; and Ms. Williamson is a rising senior English-writing major from Ocilla, Ga.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the literary festival, and I hope that other students apply in the future," said Ms. Cole. "There were many writers and other individuals with resumes far superior to my own, but they were laid back and desired to learn just as I did. The writers' workshop with poet Rose McLarney brought different kinds of writers together in one place for the purpose of learning more about what we love. I appreciate being chosen, and I was grateful to spend quality time with other students and writers.”
The three-day festival is filled with inspiring workshops, panels, presentations, readings, music and more. The staff line-up included Ed McClanahan as the guest writer-in-residence, keynote speaker Mary Hood, fiction instructors George Singleton and Crystal Wilkinson, poetry instructors Jesse Graves and Rose McLarney, and nonfiction instructor Jeremy B. Jones.
“Festival directors Darnell Arnoult and Denton Loving do a superb job of putting together an event that offers something to writers from all walks of life, at all levels of experience,” said Dr. Woolfitt. “I appreciate the festival’s camaraderie, encouragement, and inclusiveness.”
At the festival, Dr. Woolfitt read poems from “Charles of the Desert,” his novel-in-verse about Charles de Foucauld, hermit and writer of “The Prayer of Abandonment.”
The scholarships are named after Earl Hamner, Jr., due to his generosity and support to the Mountain Heritage Literary Festival. Mr. Hamner is an author of several classic books, and the creator of the well-known television series, “The Waltons.” Originally from Schulyer, Va., he was the 2007 keynote speaker at the festival and embodied the spirit and kindness found in Appalachia.
For more information about the Mountain Heritage Literary Festival, visit http://www.lmunet.edu/about-lmu/community/mountain-heritage-literary-festival.