Book City ★ Roanoke

Larry I. Palmer, the author of Scholarship Boy: Meditations on Family and Race (Paul Dry Books, 2020), attended Phillips Exeter Academy at 14, boarding at the prestigious school, worlds away from his large St. Louis Family. Now his coming-of-age memoir highlights the strength of a family, the determination of parents, and, of course, the lessons of youth -- all in an era of dramatic upheavals and gradual change, spanning school desegregation and the fight for civil rights in the 1950s and 60s.

In a BOOK CITY ★ Roanoke conversation leading up to a 10/13/2020 Roanoke County Public Library author event, Palmer reflects on this season's theme: Alone/Together--on that which connects us and stands us apart.  

Roanoke native Kris Spisak writes, edits, and coaches writers through professional services, a podcast, a blog, two books, and creative workshops. In this conversation with BOOK CITY Roanoke's Douglas Jackson, Spisak discusses the thought process, common mistakes made by beginning writers, why grammar matters, and how it just might be fun.

Spisak is most recently the author of The Novel Editing Workbook. A former college writing instructor, having taught at institutions including the University of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University, Kris is now an active speaker, workshop leader, and freelance editor. She is the board chair of James River Writers and is a member of the Alliance of Independent Authors, the Virginia Writers Club, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association.

This season of the BOOK CITY Roanoke podcast is sponsored by www.Booknofurther.com.

Celebrating 10 years of "Word from the Appalachian South," The Revivalist's Mark Lynn Ferguson reflects on Appalachian craft, food and literature in a conversation with BOOK CITY ★ Roanoke's Douglas Jackson. 

Ferguson is co-owner of Crafteria in downtown Roanoke. The vendor-filled space celebrates contemporary makers of Southern Appalachia craft and includes a retail presence for his blog. In the conversation he discusses economic disparity, regional identity, and the resurgence of interest in Appalachian culture.

"Something like vinegar pie comes to mind," says Ferguson. "That kind of ingenuity is born of necessity."

Find the conversation wherever you get your podcasts, and get more information about our things literary at BOOKCITYRoanoke.com.

The sponsor for this season of the podcast is Book No Further.

Sandee McGlaun is an associate professor of English and the director of the writing center at Roanoke College. She writes nonfiction as well as poetry and plays. She has released her writing in two blogs, Still Life, Beyond Cancer and 40 Something First Time Bride.

"When I switched from fiction to nonfiction," says McGlaun, "I realized everything's a story. There's material everywhere. It's a matter of seeing it, looking at it." 

In addition to her work with students at Roanoke College, McGlaun has worked as an artist-in-residence at Carilion Clinic through the Dr. Robert L.A. Keeley Healing Arts program.

In this conversation with BOOK CITY ★ Roanoke's Douglas Jackson, she talks about her relationship to the written word, how a breast cancer diagnosis shaped her writing path, and crafting a voice in nonfiction.

Artist Napoleon Jones-Henderson recently installed a sculptural series, "Rhapsody in Knowledge," in front of Roanoke's Melrose Library. In this conversation with BOOK CITY ★ Roanoke's Douglas Jackson, the artist reflects on the role of books and libraries in his life, including the experience as a child of hearing Gwendolyn Brooks read poetry at Chicago's Hall Branch Library and the impact of the writings of James Baldwin on him as a young artist in Paris.

A founding member of the AfriCOBRA (African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists), Jones-Henderson discusses music, art, and the sense of purpose that connects the ten member artists, who after 50 years, he considers family. "All artists start out with a place they want their work to go... Only through the interaction and relationship with others does that work actually grow and manifest into what you want it to be in the end."

Hear Jones-Henderson on who's shaped him and the responsibility he feels for passing it on.

Urban gardener Cameron Terry began Garden Variety Harvests in 2017. The businesses borrows other people's land to grow fresh produce for the Roanoke market. In this episode of the podcast, Cam talks with BOOK CITY ★ Roanoke's Douglas Jackson about books that continue to shape the strategy and spirit with which he's connecting local residents with local food.

There's a real social mission behind this enterprise, and through collaborative and intentional strategies, Terry says it can make a difference. "I'm the kind of person, this small farm operation," he says, "who's going to be responsible for changing how our food system works and making it so that everyone can eat at that table."

Hear more about equity, local food, and the books that inspire this City Builder increasing access to healthy food in the city.

Mentioned in this episode.

Contemplative photographer and writer Ashley Wilson Fellers is creative on a number of fronts including poetry, painting, and photography. She's currently asking the question: "What can I do with my gifts?" 

Intentionally disrupting her life is a creative jolt jointly undertaken with husband Thomas Fellers. "I am at a place where I just want to let some of what I do exist in community with other people, and serve other people, and highlight the work of other people," says Fellers.

In a conversation with Douglas Jackson, Ashley lets us in on what this period is doing for her and what we might expect next.

Find session notes at BOOK CITY ★ Roanoke.

Get more on Ashley at ashleywilsonfellers.com 

Visit our sponsor Book No Further

Artist Katherine Devine joins host Douglas Jackson for a discussion of books that have shaped her identity as an artist. "Writing and Reading is really how I make decisions about my life," says Katherine.

In the sense of personal transformation, Katherine is steadily at work. If you're a fan of memoir and art, creative thought and reflection, you'll enjoy this conversation with a working artist.

Find links to the books Katherine mentioned at BOOK CITY ★ Roanoke.

Visit Katherine's website.

Lee Hunsaker returned to Roanoke to "live authentically" near the mountains and her family. She tells us about rediscovering her true love of writing and stories and the idea for a story hoedown that's grown into a tradition of Hoot and Holler storytelling evenings, featuring "Our Stories. Out Loud."

"I really push for honesty and truth, even if it's uncomfortable," says Hunsaker. "There's some element we can all relate to."

Listen to this interview on profound stories, new voices and the encouragement of a community as we continue exploring books, writing, and personal transformation.

Track Hoot & Holler here on Facebook.

★ The BOOK CITY Roanoke Podcast is sponsored by Book No Further, Puttin’ Ideas in Your Head since 2017.