Public invited to Coffee Night at UVa-Wise Nov. 16

The Department of Language and Literature, the Department of Communication Studies and the Jimson Weed staff at The University of Virginia’s College at Wise invite the community to join in Coffee Night, a reading/performing event dedicated to the poetry and prose of campus and community creative writers on Thursday, Nov. 16.

Coffee Night begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Chapel of All Faiths.

Appalachian poet and novelist Rita Quillen of Mountain Empire Community College will be the featured writer. She will share selections from her forthcoming book of poetry, “Her Secret Dream: New and Selected Poems.”

A native of Scott County, Quillen is the author of “October Dusk,” “Counting the Sums” and “Looking for Native Ground: Contemporary Appalachian Poetry,” a critically acclaimed study of contemporary Appalachian poets. Quillen's work is also featured in many periodicals and anthologies. Her most recent publication "Five Poems" appears in the Anthology of Southern Appalachian Women Writers and her personal essay "Counting the Sums" is included in the award-winning Bloodroot: Appalachian Women Writers. Her short story, "Elizabeth's Lovelife," earned an Honorable Mention in the Harriette Arnow Short Story competition of the Appalachian Writer's Association in 2002. Her novel Hiding Ezra was a semifinalist for the DANA Award competition in 2005. She is also one of the featured poets at this year's Southeastern Association of the Modern Language Association Conference, Charlotte, North Carolina.

Quillen received her master's degree from East Tennessee State University and has taught literature, writing and creative writing at ETSU-Kingsport Center, Northeast State Technical Community College and Mountain Empire Community College. Currently, she is associate professor of English at MECC.

Coffee Night also features "Fall Highland Voices: Writers and Performers of the College and Community": Neva Hamilton, John Reeves, Sarah Davis, Erin Dalton, Jade Bolling, Sharyn Martin, Swadu Natasha Beckley, Magdalene Waithaka, Emahunn Raheem Ali Campbell, Mary Darcy, Colin Cox, Laura Miller, and  Mountain Empire Community College writers Adam Tabor, Stephanie Cassell, Rita Justice, Robin Charles and others.

For more information, contact the Office of College Relations, (276) 328-0130.

Posted November 14, 2006