Author Events Schedule
In the Conservatory
In the Reader's Tent
In the Books at Sow's Ear Tent
In the Conservatory
12:00 Noon – 12:45 pm
Donald Harington
Revisiting Staymore
A reading from Donald Harington’s most recent novel, Farther Along, which explores universal themes of disillusionment and denial as a museum curator escapes city life to take up an isolated, Thoreau-like existence deep in the Ozark hills. Once again, the fictional hamlet of Staymore, Arkansas, plays a pivotal role.
1:00 pm – 1:45 pm
Carolyn Hart
Bits and Pieces
Yellow birds. A heartbroken cat. Fingers scratching on a window screen. These memories account for scenes in various of my books. Every character, every scene, every story has a reason for being. Authors note quirks of personality, recall snatches of conversation, absorb moods, reflect passions, face dark fears. “Come let me tell you about the bits and pieces that formed the books.”
2:00 pm – 2:45 pm
Michael Palmer
From County Doc to New York Times Bestseller – One Writer’s Story
Michael Palmer describes his growth and motivations as a writer and reveals how he has managed to combine two demanding professions and excel at both of them. His compelling thrillers consistently land on the New York Times Bestsellers List even as he continues to work as a physician.
3:00 pm – 3:45 pm
J.A. Jance
On Being a Late Bloomer…
Or why not being allowed in the Creative Writing Program at the University of Arizona was the best thing that ever happened to me.
4:00 pm – 4:45 pm
Stephen R. Donaldson
Why I Write Fantasy
Stephen R. Donaldson will guide listeners through an exploration of the universal themes that lay at the heart of all good storytelling. He offers a spirited defense of fantasy as a literary genre: one with an illustrious history and profound possibilities, and plans to gently but emphatically challenge the tendency of modern critical thought to assume that anything that can be seen as a form of escapism automatically must be that and nothing more. Prepare to come away with new insights and a deeper appreciation for this sometimes underestimated form.
In the Reader's Tent
12:00 Noon – 12:25 pm
Radine Trees Nehring
A River to Die For
Ms. Nehring specializes in mysteries set in the Ozarks and elsewhere in her adopted state. She will read from her latest book,
A River to Die For, which features the Buffalo River area. It is the fifth book in her “Die For” series.
12:30 pm – 12:55 pm
David Zimmermann
Dissipated Assets
This long-time poet and scholar will read selected poems from his newly published volume,
Dissipated Assets.
1:00 pm – 1:25 pm
Allison Wallace
A Keeper of Bees
Ms. Wallace will read from her acclaimed book,
A Keeper of Bees, and speak about her experiences with bee keeping and other pursuits that inspired the book.
1:30 pm – 1:55 pm
Grif Stockley
Race Relations in the Natural State
Arkansas race relations is the theme Mr. Stockley will explore as he talks about his lifelong interest in civil rights and how he expresses his beliefs on the subject through both his fiction and non-fiction work.
2:00 pm – 2:25 pm
Andrea Hollander Budy
Woman in the Painting
This accomplished, award-winning poet and writer-in-residence at Lyon College will present selected readings of her poetry.
2:30 pm – 2:55 pm
Steven Foster
Writing for Specialty Markets
How do you get noticed in the information age? Writing for specialty and niche markets offers the opportunity to use your experience and expertise as a means to attract new readers, listeners or viewers. Writers today must understand their audience and how to reach them. Mr. Foster will discuss his experience using blogs, websites, podcasts, and other new media in writing for the herbal specialty market.
3:00 pm – 3:25 pm
Barbara Youree
Courageous Journey
Her upcoming book,
Courageous Journey, is a narrative nonfiction account of the lives of two refugees from Sudan whom she mentored when they first came to the United States. Ms.Youree will speak of how this experience inspired her to write about it. She will also read from her compilation volume of historical romance novels, Renaissance Brides.
3:30 pm – 3:55 pm
Carla Kilough McClafferty
Inside Secrets
Carla Killough McClafferty will share the backstory about details found in her award-winning nonfiction books, including how she gained access to X-rays of Egyptian Pharaohs.
4:00 pm – 4:25 pm
Christine Matthews and Robert J. Randisi
The Rat Pack and Hollywood and Crime
This husband and wife writing duo will take turns reading from each other’s work, with Ms. Matthews reading from Rat Pack, while Mr. Randisi reads from his wife’s contribution to their compilation called
Hollywood and Crime. Together they will talk about how the shared work came together and reveal some secrets to their publishing success.
4:30 pm – 4:55 pm
Veda Boyd Jones
Story Development and Readings
With more than forty books to her credit in a broad variety of genres, including twenty-one children’s biographies, Ms. Jones will talk about how she develops story ideas, as well as read excerpts from her work.
Tim Ernst
Mr. Ernst will be available at his booth to speak about his photography and popular guides to Ozark trails, rivers and waterfalls.
Jeff Greenwald
Mr. Greenwald will be available all afternoon speaking about his travels across five continents and his work as an artist, writer, and photographer. Look for him in his booth!
In the Books at Sow's Ear Tent
The authors listed below will be in the Sow’s Ear Tent throughout the day of the festival.
Wayne Clark
The Letters and Diaries of Isaac Clarke
Wayne Clark is a life long Carroll County resident and spent many years compiling the Civil War era letters and diaries of Isaac Clarke into a fascinating and comprehensive look at the events and circumstances faced by Ozark Mountain peoples during the formative stages of our State’s history.
T.R. Coatney
Memoirs of an Ozark Pioneer and Civil War Soldier – Private James Frances Coatney, First Arkansas Union Cavalry, Company D
Written by T.R. Coatney, who resides in Cassville, MO.,
Memoirs of an Ozark Pioneer and Civil War Soldier – Private James Frances Coatney, First Arkansas Union Cavalry, Company D will both entertain and educate you with tales of a simple pioneering family trying to survive in their beloved homeland during the Civil War.
Don Ericksen
The Shadows and the Darkness
Don Ericksen, taught writing and English and Victorian literature at the universities of Illinois, Arizona, and Illinois State. He now lives with his wife Jean on a hilltop in the Boston Mountains in northwestern Arkansas and spends his time writing fiction. He's currently at work on a detective thriller and a sequel to
The Shadows and the Darkness.
The Shadows and the Darkness brings to life the age-old struggle between freedom and tyranny in a thrilling story that follows Orrey and Dann, two young men who somehow must survive in societies torn apart by intrigue and war. Both are tested by fearful events that culminate in an epic battle that determines the future of their world. With the help of Arvan, the mysterious leader of the Searchers, and Crelar Born, their older mentor and friend, they overcome the fearful terrors of their separate journeys to manhood.
Lanny Gibson
The Magic of Scrub Holler and Scrub Holler Revisited
To readers throughout the United States, Gibson's popular books of original short stories bring insight into the life of Ozark Mountain people. These compelling stories show readers that Ozark Mountain life is not always as easy as it is hilarious.
One of Lanny Gibson's grandfathers was born in Indiana, the other in Tennessee; nevertheless, having farmed all his life, he considers himself an Ozark native. He graduated from the University of Arkansas and taught English at Berryville for a long, long time.
Harvey G. Cragon
The Eureka Springs Railway: An Automobile Trip Into the Past
Harvey G. Cragon is a retired electrical engineer who spent much of his career at Texas Instruments. He then spent 16 years as a professor of Computer Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. His interest in the history of computers led him to write
From Fish to Colossus, the story of the breaking of a German cipher in WWII at Bletchley Park, England, followed by another WWII computer book,
The Fleet Submarine Torpedo Data Computer. Many of the photographs in this book were taken on the
USS Razorback, a submarine museum tied up in the Arkansas River at North Little Rock.
When travels brought him and his wife to Eureka Springs, he noticed the remains of a railroad traveling northwest from Eureka Springs. Research into period documents, helpful conversations with local residents, and exploring the route of the railroad provided the material for
The Eureka Springs Railway: An Automobile Trip Into the Past.
He is now back into computer history, working on a new project: the WWII Norden Bombsight. This computing device was used for precision bombing by the US Air Force in Europe and Asia.
Ron Horton
Peace Corps Syndrome and Carrie Nation’s Hatchet or How Jesse James Met His Demise
Ron Horton is a retired university professor, biologist, and environmentalist. He lives on a small organic farm high above the White River near Beaver, Arkansas with his wife and his dogs, Courage and Banner. He is the author of two books that have ties to the Ozark region.
Sharon LaBorde Horton
A Year in the Heartland
Sharon Laborde Horton has had a long career in public education, primarily in Alabama and Arkansas. She is the author of
A Year in the Heartland and the publisher of Happenstance Books of Beaver, Arkansas. An avid gardener and artist, she is the mother of two grown children. She is currently at work on a new novel.
A. A. Riley
The Key of Aramath
A.A. Riley, a native of Rogers, Arkansas and member of both the Ozark Writers League and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, specializes in ‘tween fantasy. Her first book,
The Key of Aramath, has met with unparalleled success in North America and Europe. A.A. Riley is currently at work on the second book,
The Tale of the Tamochanter, in this thrilling five part series. When not writing, Ms. Riley enjoys reading, music, sports, traveling, learning foreign languages, eating, forensics, and just about everything else. A.A. Riley, who has a master’s degree in forensic anthropology from the University of Arkansas, is currently teaching a lively forensic anthropology course at Northwest Arkansas Community College this semester.
Riley’s book,
The Key of Aramath, is the story of Annie Marshall, a thirteen-year-old girl, who learns to believe in herself and her own abilities by banding together with her friends to thwart the plans of a despicable sorcerer bent on universal domination. As time runs out to save the world, only Annie is in a position to intercede. And she does so wonderfully, making many new friends along the way.
Jody Stephenson
Faltering Towards Perfection: Art, Faith, & Everything In Between
Jody Stephenson and her husband, Ron Lutz, live and work at Studio 62, their gallery in beautiful Eureka Springs, Arkansas, where they are proud to be a part of the thriving arts community. Jody's work has been represented by many fine galleries and is collected all over the country. Her fine art note cards have been featured in Barnes & Noble Booksellers and Neiman Marcus stores across the nation. Jody received her B.A. Degree in Art History from the University of Kansas. Post-graduate art studies include the Loveland Academy of Fine Arts, Central Missouri State University, University of Iowa, and University of Arkansas.
Faltering Towards Perfection: Art, Faith, & Everything In Between is an extended visual meditation based on her own paintings, artist/author. Stephenson examines the artistic and spiritual processes that propel the creative life. Through relationships and rejections, disappointments and expectations, the life journey of the artist is explored. Woven through its pages are personal perspectives on the quest for perfection, vocation and depression, and living the life of faith in the world of art. A transparent look into the soul of an artist trying to make sense of the divine mystery in which we live, this book offers an audacious claim to be certain of the hope that is available to us all.
Jim Young
My Spiritual Awareness Series
Dr. James H. Young, a former University president and chancellor now living in NW Arkansas, is an award-winning spiritual writer and poet, and a widely collected documentary/fine art photographer. Young is a ministerial graduate of the Pecos Benedictine Monastery’s ecumenical school for spiritual directors, and a metaphysician who invokes the reframing of spiritual perspective and perception in his life’s work. A cofounder and facilitator for the Arkansas Metaphysics Society, he is an ardent student of religion and spirituality. Young is an inspirational teacher who leads participants to the threshold of their own Truth, and is available for workshops, seminars, and presentations.
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