Blog Post
This first sample of my writing is a blog post that was also shared on Western Carolina University's Literary Festival social media accounts. The blog post was intended to both entertain and educate people about attending a literary reading. The post also served to promote the Spring 2018 Literary Festival. I was the sole author of this blog post.
Tips for Attending a Literary Reading
If you’ve never attended a literary reading before, check out Western Carolina University’s Spring 2018 Literary Festival running April 2-5. It’s going to be a lot of fun!
- Arrive Early
- Give the Author Your Full Attention
- Ask Short and Thoughtful Questions
- When Getting Your Book Signed, Keep it Short and Sweet
- Have Fun!
If you’ve never attended a literary reading before, check out Western Carolina University’s Spring 2018 Literary Festival running April 2-5. It’s going to be a lot of fun!
Author Biography
The second writing sample is a brief biography that I wrote for the author Silas House. The biography is one of eight that I wrote to validate the prospective 2019 Western Carolina University Literary Festival author’s credentials to obtain a grant for the festival. I was the sole author of this biography.
Silas House
Silas House was born in rural Lily, Kentucky. House earned his BA in English at Eastern Kentucky University, and his MFA in creative writing from Spalding University. House is the author of five nationally bestselling novels, Clay’s Quilt (2001), A Parchment of Leaves (2003), The Coal Tattoo (2005), Eli the Good (2009), and Same Sun Here (2012). House is the co-author of a book of creative nonfiction, Something’s Rising (2009), and he has written three plays. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Salon, Oxford American, Narrative, Blackbird, and Newsday. House is the recipient of three honorary doctorates and is the winner of the Nautilus Award, and EB White Award, and the Lee Smith Award, among many others. Currently, House serves on the fiction faculty at the Spalding MFA in Creative Writing and as the NEH Chair at Berea College.
Silas House was born in rural Lily, Kentucky. House earned his BA in English at Eastern Kentucky University, and his MFA in creative writing from Spalding University. House is the author of five nationally bestselling novels, Clay’s Quilt (2001), A Parchment of Leaves (2003), The Coal Tattoo (2005), Eli the Good (2009), and Same Sun Here (2012). House is the co-author of a book of creative nonfiction, Something’s Rising (2009), and he has written three plays. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Salon, Oxford American, Narrative, Blackbird, and Newsday. House is the recipient of three honorary doctorates and is the winner of the Nautilus Award, and EB White Award, and the Lee Smith Award, among many others. Currently, House serves on the fiction faculty at the Spalding MFA in Creative Writing and as the NEH Chair at Berea College.
Book Review
The third example of my writing is a book review that I wrote for Glenn Taylor’s 2015 novel “A Hanging at Cinder Bottom.” Taylor was one of the authors who attended the Spring 2018 Literary Festival at Western Carolina University. The book review was written to encourage engagement with the work of the authors who attend the festival. I was the sole author of this book review.
Finding poetry in flatulence jokes and backwoods characters is not a feat that is achieved easily or very often, and yet West Virginia native Glenn Taylor manages to find the poetry in these unlikely places in his 2015 novel “A Hanging at Cinder Bottom.” The novel is the third for Taylor, and in this case, the third is certainly a charm. Taylor’s familiarity with the landscape and locals of his home state help set the tone of the novel and place readers right in the heart of Cinder Bottom. Set in the early years of the twentieth century, the novel opens with a condemned man and woman who are doomed to hang.
Cinder Bottom is the lowly, red-light district of Keystone, West Virginia, where cards, alcohol, and prostitution bring in the money for the residents. The condemned man is Abe Baach, a card shark gambler, and his beloved Goldie Toothman, who is the madam of Fat Ruth’s brothel, is the condemned woman. Their crime is the suspected murder of Keystone’s lowlife mayor, Henry Trent. The narrative unfolds in a large flashback and ends where it began. Taylor has a knack for humor and his colloquialisms keep the story interesting and the setting prevalent in the reader’s minds. There is a type of poetry and musicality to the words that Taylor employs on his pages. As a native Appalachian, the attention to truthful details and depictions of both people and place was appreciated.
The bulk of the novel is centered on an elaborate con that is cooked up by Abe Baach to right the wrongs that were done to his family by those in power in Cinder Bottom. Both Abe and Goldie are clever and use their card skills to their full advantage. Readers are taken on a ride in which the stakes are high, and the cards are stacked. The novel reminds us that the past cannot be evaded forever, and we are all simply trying to get by with whatever cards we were dealt in life.
The ins and outs of the cons are elaborate, and sometimes difficult to follow if you are not paying close attention to every detail. There is also a high number of characters, whose names can be difficult to keep up with and distinguish from one another. Several of Taylor’s wild metaphors and yarns can go over a reader’s head, if they don’t make them blush. Overall, the story is an entertaining romp through a colorful landscape, with interesting characters, and an intricate con. Taylor’s love of his home state is apparent, as there are no stereotypes of Appalachia or of working class people trying to get ahead in life. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants an unexpected laugh, and who enjoys poetic justice.
Cinder Bottom is the lowly, red-light district of Keystone, West Virginia, where cards, alcohol, and prostitution bring in the money for the residents. The condemned man is Abe Baach, a card shark gambler, and his beloved Goldie Toothman, who is the madam of Fat Ruth’s brothel, is the condemned woman. Their crime is the suspected murder of Keystone’s lowlife mayor, Henry Trent. The narrative unfolds in a large flashback and ends where it began. Taylor has a knack for humor and his colloquialisms keep the story interesting and the setting prevalent in the reader’s minds. There is a type of poetry and musicality to the words that Taylor employs on his pages. As a native Appalachian, the attention to truthful details and depictions of both people and place was appreciated.
The bulk of the novel is centered on an elaborate con that is cooked up by Abe Baach to right the wrongs that were done to his family by those in power in Cinder Bottom. Both Abe and Goldie are clever and use their card skills to their full advantage. Readers are taken on a ride in which the stakes are high, and the cards are stacked. The novel reminds us that the past cannot be evaded forever, and we are all simply trying to get by with whatever cards we were dealt in life.
The ins and outs of the cons are elaborate, and sometimes difficult to follow if you are not paying close attention to every detail. There is also a high number of characters, whose names can be difficult to keep up with and distinguish from one another. Several of Taylor’s wild metaphors and yarns can go over a reader’s head, if they don’t make them blush. Overall, the story is an entertaining romp through a colorful landscape, with interesting characters, and an intricate con. Taylor’s love of his home state is apparent, as there are no stereotypes of Appalachia or of working class people trying to get ahead in life. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants an unexpected laugh, and who enjoys poetic justice.
Facebook Post
This fourth and final sample of my writing is a Facebook post that was used to promote a campus event that featured the work of one of the authors who was attending the Spring 2018 Literary Festival. The post was shared on the Literary Festival’s Facebook page. The post was intended to promote both the campus discussion, and the Literary Festival. I was the sole author of this post.
*I have professional writing samples that do not pertain to the Western Carolina Spring Literary Festival, these are just the most recent examples of my digital marketing/professional work.