| Submitted by Lisa Minney
Gilmer Public Library will be presenting a Literary Fall Fair on Saturday, September 28 from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.. Ten authors will be reading their work throughout the day; those with books will be also selling and autographing their published works. In addition, there will be a presentation and activity for all ages on Japanese poetry and Literature. There will be free coffee, hot tea, and baked goods available throughout the day.
Each author will be reading for up to 20 minutes, with time to sell and sign their books (if they have one) after their reading. The schedule of authors is as follows:
10:10 â Jessica Spruill Waggoner: Jessica is an English professor and graduate of the low-residency MFA program at West Virginia Wesleyan College. She is poetry editor for HeartWood, a literary magazine in association with the MFA at WVWC. Jessica is a Pushcart nominee whose work has appeared in Burnt Pine Magazine, The Pikeville Review, Still, and The Travelinâ Appalachians Revue. She resides in Charleston, WV with her family.
10:40 â Rachel Hicks: Rachel is a writer, teacher, and independent bookstore worker. She enjoys old typewriters, even older books, and indoor gardening. She received her MFA in Poetry from West Virginia Wesleyan College; MA in English from Marshall University; BA in English from Marshall University. She is currently working on a poetry chapbook.
11:10 â Mary Imo-Stike: Mary Imo-Stike was born and raised in Rochester, New York. She is the co-creator of More Than Words*, a monthly literary event in Hurricane, WV. Mary has worked non-traditional jobs as a railroad track laborer, a plumber, boiler operator and gas line inspector. She received her MFA from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 2015 and her poems have been published in many journals. Her chapbook, In and Out of the Horse Latitudes, was published in 2018 by Finishing Line Press.
11:40 â Robert M. Henry: Robert Henry is an artist, illustrator, and author. He has painted over 800 paintings for individuals, illustrated the interiors and covers for 400 books, and under the pen name “Lawrence Matzkin, Jr.” wrote Painting on Sunday at Walkerâs Point, No Longer Painting at Walkerâs Point, and Painting on Sunday in West (by God) Virginia, all fiction novels. He wrote and illustrated the childrenâs story Teddy Turtle, and wrote Uncle Jimmy, a book about a man who learned to read and write at 92 years old.
12:10 â Lisa Hayes-Minney: Lisa Minney is a writer, publisher, gardener, creator, book lover, porch sitter. She collects vintage typewriters, enjoys journaling, and serves as director of Gilmer Public Library. During her 20-year writing career, she has received awards from the West Virginia Press Association and WV Writers, Inc. She spent ten years as producer and publisher of Two-Lane Livinâ Magazine, and recently received her MFA in Creative Writing from West Virginia Wesleyan College.
2:10 â Linda Jones: Linda Jones has been writing for over thirty years, during which time she has self-published thirteen novels under the pen name of Daniel Rose. She holds a Bachelorâs Degree in English and Education, as well as a Masters Degree in Library Science. She has recently retired from the public schools and plans on devoting more time to her writing.
2:40 â Dr. Frederick Walborn: Dr. Walborn, a clinical psychologist, worked for a year and a half on the admissions unit of an asylum. After twenty years as a clinical psychologist, he now is a professor at Glenville State College in West Virginia. Inspired by true events, his new book, Two Days at the Asylum, could only be published as a novel to protect both the guilty and the innocent.
3:10 â Dr. Jonathan Minton: Jonathan Minton lives in central West Virginia, where he is an Associate Professor of English at Glenville State College. His books include Technical Notes for Bird Government, In Gesture, and Lost Languages. His poetry has appeared in Ecolinguistics, Conotation Press, Asheville Poetry Review, Oh One Arrow, Poems for Peace and other anthologies and journals. He edits the journal Word For/Word (www.wordforword.info).
3:40 â Dr. Ken Lang: Ken Lang is a retired 25-year law enforcement veteran from the Baltimore County Police Department and is becoming a premiere true crime author, drawing on his experiences and expertise as a former homicide detective. Now a Glenville State College Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, Lang is no stranger to sharing stories relating to some of his previous homicide cases. He has published a series of true crime books that recount his experiences including Walking Among the Dead: True Stories from a Homicide Detective, Standing in Deathâs Shadow: More True Stories from a Homicide Detective, and Death Comes Uninvited.
4:10 â Melissa Gish: During her 20-year writing career, Melissa Gish, a native of Minnesota, has written more than 100 books for young readers. Topics range from natural history, wildlife, and science to biography and cultural history. She currently teaches English courses at Glenville State College, advises GSCâs Science Fiction and Fantasy Guild, and participates in a variety of cultural activities hosted by the Department of Language and Literature.
Masahiro Yamaguchi, Japan Outreach Initiative Coordinator from Glenville State College will lead the presentation and activity on Japanese Poetry and Literature at 1 p.m.. The presentation is open to all ages.
All activities of the Fall Literary Fair are free to the public. Baked good snacks will be provided at no charge by Friends of Gilmer Public Library.
Gilmer Public Library is open Monday-Friday from 11 a.m. â 6 p.m. and on Saturdays from 11-4. The library offers 10 public access computers, free wifi 24/7, and more than 27,000 items in the collection that can be checked out by public patrons. Library card holders also have access to free online ebooks and audiobooks.
For more information, visit gilmerpublib.org or call 304-462-5620.
Friends of Gilmer Public Library is an independent organization that works to help support the library. They serve as a fundraising arm for GPL and represent the library at community events. Friends of GPL meets the 3rd Wednesday of every month at 2 p.m. at Gilmer Public Library. New members are always welcome, and there are no membership dues. For more information, call 304-462-5653 or email  FOLGilmer@gmail.com
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