Carson-Newman’s Appalachian Cultural Center announces fall events lineup

Carson-Newman University’s Appalachian Cultural Center announces its fall events lineup. Events are free and open to the public. The offerings continue a rich tradition of celebrating the Appalachian region’s culture, people and talents.

“We are excited to feature a program that honors the history of our region, the achievements of our faculty and alumni, and our place in a global community,” said Dr. Wesley McMasters, director of the center. “From shape note singing to a celebration of the career of the recently retired Dr. Susan O’Dell Underwood, the Appalachian Cultural Center is excited for our fall lineup.”

Exploring the Shapes: A New Harp of Columbia “Mini” Singing School with Mandy Askins
Wednesday, Sept. 6, 4 p.m.
Thomas Recital Hall

Shape note singing and singing schools are a distinctly American form of music education and community music making dating back to pre-Revolutionary War days. It is also a living tradition still being practiced in the East Tennessee mountains today. The event offers an immersive learning opportunity that delves into the history of shape note singing in America, early American tunes, singing schools and singing shapes.

A Celebration of Susan O’Dell Underwood
Friday, Sept. 22, 4 p.m.
Appalachian Cultural Center

An afternoon celebrating the work and career of Dr. Susan O’Dell Underwood. A reading will feature Dr. Underwood and several of her past students. Visiting readers will include alumni Kelsey Solomon, Gabriel Reed, Kate Barber, David Austin, Kayla Beth Moore and Ah-reum Han.

A Poetry Reading with Grace Wilentz
Wednesday, Oct. 18, 4 p.m.
Appalachian Cultural Center

Born in New York City, Grace Wilentz grew up in Greenwich Village. A graduate of Harvard University, with postgraduate degrees from Oxford University and University College Dublin, she has published poems in such literary publications as “The American Poetry Journal,” “Cyphers,” “The Harvard Advocate,” “The Irish Times” and “The Seneca Review.” Her first collection, “The Limit of Light,” was published by The Gallery Press. She also published a chapbook, “Holding Distance,” and received a bursary from The Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon. She has taught creative writing at University College Dublin and now lives in Dublin.

The Henrietta Jenkins Memorial Homecoming Reading
Donna Doyle
Friday, October 27, 4 p.m.
Thomas Recital Hall

A Knoxville native, Donna Doyle is a poet, photographer, and educator whose work has been published in literary and medical journals including “New Millennium Writings,” “Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine,” and “Poets Reading the News, Still: The Journal.”  Her poems have been anthologized in “Knoxville Bound,” “Motif 3: Writings About Work” and “Southern Poetry Anthology Volume III: Contemporary Appalachia.” Her awards include the Libba Moore Gray Poetry Prize, the Tennessee Mountain Writers Sue Ellen Hudson Award for Excellence in Writing, and the Letheon Poetry Prize. Doyle served as poet-in-residence at the University of Tennessee Medical Center Preston Medical Library. In addition to her work as an adjunct writing instructor at the Cancer Support Community of East Tennessee, she has taught wellness and reflective writing classes for medical students, physicians, nurses, hospital chaplains, and support groups.

A Sense of Place in Appalachia: Readings from C-N’s International Community
Nov. 15, 4 p.m.
Thomas Recital Hall

This annual reading from Carson-Newman’s international community highlights the concepts of place, home, and belonging.