UVa-Wise Coffee Night to feature Appalachian author Rita Quillen

Rita Quillen, Appalachian novelist and poet, will be the featured writer at Coffee Night, the bi-annual event sponsored by the Department of Language and Literature, the Department of Communication Studies and the “Jimson Weed” literary journal. Coffee Night begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Chapel of All Faiths on Tuesday, Nov. 6.

Coffee Night is a reading and performing event dedicated to the poetry and prose of the campus and community creative writers.

Quillen will share her most recent poetic works from her new book of poetry “Her Secret Dream: New and Selected Poems.” Other presenters will include: “Fall Highland Voices: Writers and Performers of the College and Community,” including “Papa” Joe Smiddy, Billie Jean Scott, Stephen Mullins, Gary Crum, Jade Bolling, Colin Cox, Sharyn Martin, Lavonne Baker, Frankie Holbrook/Jo Stewart, Stephanie Casssell, Christopher Scalia, Rebecca D. Elswick, Pamela Gilmer, Amanda Piper, Erin Dalton, Emahunn Raheem Ali Campbell and more.

Also, the Fall 2007 issue of the “Jimson Weed” will be premiered at the event.

A native of Scott County, Quillen is the author of “October Dusk,” “County the Sums,” and “Looking for Native Ground: Contemporary Appalachian Poetry.” Her work is also featured in many periodicals and anthologies. Her work “Five Poems” appears in the “Anthology of Southern Appalachian Women Writers.”

Quillen’s novel “Hiding Ezra” was a semifinalist for the DANA Award in 2005. In 2006, she was one of the featured poets at The Southeastern Association of the Modern Language Association Conference in Charlotte, NC.

She received her Master of Arts degree from East Tennessee State University. Quillen is currently an associate professor of English at Mountain Empire Community College.

Coffee Night is free and open to the public. Students will receive cultural credit for attendance.

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

Posted November 5, 2007