Tag: Crystal Wilkinson

“Three Women” to Discuss being African-American and Growing up in Appalachia

Last modified: May 15, 2018

Three Berea Women—Monica Jones, Dr. Alicestyne Turley, and Crystal Wilkinson—will be the featured speakers at the Berea College Appalachian Lecture on Thursday Apr. 5 at 3 p.m. in Phelps Stokes Chapel. This roundtable discussion will focus on what it was like being African American and growing up in Appalachia.

Jones currently serves as the director of the Black Cultural Center in the Carter G. Woodson Center for Interracial Education. A Zanesville, Ohio native and graduate from Ohio State University, Jones is no stranger to being the only African American in a room. She has used it as a way to stand out and excel in everything she sets her mind to. Continue reading “Three Women” to Discuss being African-American and Growing up in Appalachia →

bell hooks and Crystal Wilkinson Featured Speakers at Kentucky Book Fair

Last modified: May 15, 2018

bell hooks and Crystal Wilkinsonbell hooks and Crystal Wilkinson will be “In Conversation” at the Kentucky Book Fair Saturday, Nov. 18, 2017 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky. The annual event, presented by Kentucky Humanities, features more than 180 writers and speakers from across the country.

Continue reading bell hooks and Crystal Wilkinson Featured Speakers at Kentucky Book Fair →

2016 Weatherford Award Winners for Best Appalachian Books Announced

Last modified: March 12, 2019

The winners of the 2016 Weatherford Awards are Crystal Wilkinson’s The Birds of Opulence (fiction), Marc Harshman’s Believe What You Can (poetry), and Steven E. Nash’s Reconstruction’s Ragged Edge: The Politics of Postwar Life in the Southern Mountains (nonfiction).

The Weatherford Awards honor books that “best illuminate the challenges, personalities, and unique qualities of the Appalachian South.” Granted by Berea College and the Appalachian Studies Association for forty-seven years, the awards commemorate the life and achievements of W.D. Weatherford, Sr., a pioneer and leading figure in Appalachian development, youth work, and race relations, and of his son, Willis D. Weatherford, Jr., who was Berea College’s sixth President (1967-84). Continue reading 2016 Weatherford Award Winners for Best Appalachian Books Announced →

Wilkinson’s ‘Birds of Opulence’ Wins 10th Annual Ernest Gaines Award

Last modified: June 5, 2018

Prize Honors Rising Authors, Literary Legend Ernest Gaines

Kentucky writer, poet and educator Crystal Wilkinson’s novel, “Birds of Opulence,” has been named winner of the 2016 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence.

Wilkinson, who serves on the Berea College faculty as Appalachian writer in residence, said she reverted to her 12-year-old self, shrieking and squealing with glee upon hearing that she had won this award for literary excellence. Continue reading Wilkinson’s ‘Birds of Opulence’ Wins 10th Annual Ernest Gaines Award →

Notable Black Women Authors Captivated Audiences in Berea

Last modified: May 22, 2018

Ten national and regional black authors spoke recently at the inaugural Black Women Writers Symposium: Writing the Natural World, Appalachia & Beyond at Berea College. The day-long event, the first of its kind in the region, was presented FREE to the public. Continue reading Notable Black Women Authors Captivated Audiences in Berea →

Black Women Writers To Gather at Berea College Symposium

Last modified: October 12, 2018

Noted national and regional black women authors will be presenting at the Black Women Writers Symposium: Writing the Natural World, Appalachia & Beyond, to be held Friday, October 21 at the Loyal Jones Appalachian Center on the Berea College campus. The day-long event, the first of its kind in the region, is FREE and open to the public. Refreshments will be served throughout the day. Continue reading Black Women Writers To Gather at Berea College Symposium →

Largest Gathering of Appalachian Writers in History to Assemble at Berea College in September

Last modified: June 6, 2018

The largest gathering of Appalachian writers in history will happen at Berea College on September 9 and 10. The Appalachian Symposium will be two days of public conversations focusing on the current state of the region’s literature and will feature keynote addresses by famed feminist author and activist bell hooks as well as Pulitzer Prize finalist Maurice Manning.   Continue reading Largest Gathering of Appalachian Writers in History to Assemble at Berea College in September →