The writer Lee Maynard passed away on June 16, 2017, in New Mexico. He was an infamous son of the Appalachian literary scene due to his less than flattering depiction of growing up in West Virginia in his novel Crum--infamously banned from sale at Tamarack. What negative publicity it received, however, drew more attention to the book, which is, at its heart, a love letter to the state. For the past 15 years, Lee has been a regular presenter at the WV Writers Summer Conference, often accompanied by his friend and collaborator Pops Walker. In this episode we talk to Pops himself about Lee and his work. Also included are Lee's previous podcast appearances, including a recording of one of Lee's readings with Pops Walker, a resonant interview he did with Cat Pleska in 2009, and other recorded material. 

West Virginia Writers Podcast

Episode 76: Lee Maynard Remembered

 The Seward Whale Strike Tragedy, they called it.  Twenty-five people dead. The worst accident in Alaska’s tourism history since Will Rogers’ plane went down in ‘35.   Only one man left alive knows the truth of what really happened -- the man everyone agrees caused the tragedy to start with. And if there's one thing he's sure of, the thing they hit that day was no whale. Presented here is his testimony, as transcribed for an interview with Paranorm Violations Magazine. This podcast adapts the short story "The Ones that Aren't Crows" found in the collection A Consternation of Monsters.

WV Writers Podcast: Bonus 14 - A Consternation of Monsters episode

 Ed Davis is the WV-native author of the novels I Was So Much Older Then and The Measure of Everything. His third novel, The Psalms of Israel Jones was recently published by WV University Press. It tells the story of a legendary hard-living, hard-lovin', hard-drinkin', and hard-druggin' rockstar who, in his later years, develops something of a cult following. Literally. His son Thom, a conservative minister with some possible moral issues of his own, is called on to the tour by a mysterious phone call and finds himself once again thrust into his estranged father's chaotic world of tour busses, dive-bar shows, and... snake-handlers? In this episode, host Eric Fritzius sits down with Davis for an interview about the novel, as recorded during the Lewisburg Literary Festival on August 8, 2015.

Episode 75: interview with author Ed Davis

 In honor of the recent passing of poet Miles Dean, we present an encore of Episode 41 in which he and his poetry are featured. Miles Dean was not only a WV Writers member, and regular contributor to this podcast, but he was a prolific poet and one of the driving forces for the Raleigh County Library Writers Group.  In addition to being a multiple winner of the writers’ wall and people’s choice competitions at the WV Writers Summer Conference, Miles published three collections of his poetry, the most recent of which, New River Reflections, debuted in January. This recorded live reading comes from the September 16th Literary Tea session at the Greenbrier Valley Theatre in Lewisburg. WV Writers' featured reader is Miles Dean, won honorable mention in the Humor Category of the 2010 WVW Annual Writing Contest as well as voted the 1st place winner in poetry for the Writers Wall at the 2010 Summer Conference. Find other podcasts featuring Miles Dean at http://podcast.wvwriters.org/search/label/Miles%20Dean

ENCORE PODCAST: Episode 41 - Literary Tea Recorded Live Reading with Miles Dean

 Only a month late in posting this episode, this is the final prose recording from the 2014 Literary Tea series at the Greenbrier Valley Theatre in Lewisburg.  It features Rachel Garringer, the 2nd place winner of our 2014 Emerging Writers Prose category.   This recorded live reading comes from the October 13, 2014 Literary Tea session at the Greenbrier Valley Theatre in Lewisburg. We also mourn the loss of WV Writers member and podcast contributor Miles Dean, who passed on April 1.  You can hear other podcasts featuring Miles at http://podcast.wvwriters.org/search/label/Miles%20Dean

Episode 74: Literary Tea Recorded Live Reading with Rachel Garringer

 To help promote our annual writing contest, this year's Literary Tea readings featured winners from the 2014 WVW Annual Writing Contest.  The featured reader for this Tea is Janet Lilly, who won third place in the Writers Wall competition at the 2014 WV Writers Summer Conference.   This recorded live reading comes from the October 6, 2014 Literary Tea session at the Greenbrier Valley Theatre in Lewisburg.

Episode 73: Literary Tea Recorded Live Reading with Janet Lilly

 This recorded live reading comes from the September 29 Literary Tea session at the Greenbrier Valley Theatre in Lewisburg. To help promote our annual writing contest, this year's Literary Tea readings featured winners from the 2014 WVW Annual Writing Contest.  The featured reader for this first reading is Audrey Stanton Smith, who placed in the Humor, Stageplay and Children's Book categories. (If you're a member or extended friend of WV Writers, Inc. we invite you to submit your own recorded live readings to wvwpodcast@gmail.com.)

Episode 72: Literary Tea Recorded Live Reading with Audrey Stanton Smith

 This recorded live reading comes from the September 22 Literary Tea session at the Greenbrier Valley Theatre in Lewisburg. To help promote our annual writing contest, this year's Literary Tea readings featured winners from the 2014 WVW Annual Writing Contest. The featured reader for this first reading is Dawn A. Baldwin, who placed both honorable mention and 1st place in the Pearl S. Buck Award for Writing for Social Change category of the 2014 contest. (If you're a member or extended friend of WV Writers, Inc. we invite you to submit your own recorded live readings to wvwpodcast@gmail.com.)

Episode 71: Literary Tea Recorded Live Reading with Dawn A. Baldwin

 ContestCAST 2015 is your one-stop primer for all information about the 2015 West Virginia Writers Annual Writing contests, which accepts entries from January 2 through March 31. Joining host Eric Fritzius for the third year in a row is 2015 Contest Coordinator... Eric Fritzius.

Episode 70: ContestCAST 2015

 In honor of April being National Poetry Month, the WV Writers Podcast presents a recorded live reading captured at the 2013 Literary Tea Poetry Edition at the Greenbrier Valley Theatre in Lewisburg, WV. Featured are poets and readers Lori Evans, Barry Rich, Miles Dean, Micah Labishak, Sammye Lewis, and Wolf Knight.

Episode 69: Literary Tea Poetry Tea

 ContestCAST 2014 serves as your primer for all things related to the WV Writers Annual Writing Contest for 2014, which accepts entries from January 2 through March 31. Joining host Eric Fritzius for the second year in a row to help explain all the whys and wherefores of the contest is the 2014 Contest Coordinator... Eric Fritzius.

Episode 68: ContestCAST 2014

 Born in Hillsboro, WV.  Pearl S. Buck was a Pulitzer Prize winning author known the world over for such books as The Good Earth.  The child of missionary parents, she grew up in China, and her writing later in life greatly influenced the change in Western perceptions of that nation.  As part of the WV Writers Annual Writing Contest, our organization has teamed with the Pearl S. Buck Birthplace Foundation in Hillsboro to sponor the Pearl S. Buck Award for Writing for Social Change category of our 2013 contest.   Joining host Eric Fritzius to talk about the award and about Pearl Buck herself, are Jolie Lewis,vice president of the board of directors for the Pearl S. Buck Birthpalce Foundation, and Dr. Edwina Pendarvis, a biographer of Buck's.  

Episode 67: The Pearl S. Buck Award for Writing for Social Change

 ContestCast 2013 serves as your primer for all things related to the WV Writers Annual Writing Contest for 2013, which accepts entries from January 2 through March 31. Joining host Eric Fritzius to help explain all the whys and wherefores of the contest is the 2013 Contest Coordinator, Eric Fritzius.

Episode 66: Contestcast 2013

 For a special Christmas Bonus Show, we're playing a recorded live reading of a Christmas-set short story by our own podcast host, Eric Fritzius. This story was recorded at the November 16 Brown Bag Reading he did at Carnegie Hall WV in Lewisburg. Introducing the show, unfortunately, are Eric's usual Bonus Show co-hosts, his dogs, with a Christmas story of their own.

Bonus Show 12 - Christmas Bonus Show with Live Readings and Vicious Dogs (REPOST)

 As you may have read in the most recent WV Writers print newsletter, or seen in announcement form on the WV Writers website, we have a one day Fall Conference in the works coming up on November 3 in Elkins, WV.  In this episode, we chat with WV Writers President Teresa Newsome as well as Fall Conference Presenters Sandy Tritt and Christina Freeburn regarding the conference.  You'll get an overview of what is planned as well as some specifics on the workshops being offered there by Sandy and Christina.

Episode 65: 2012 Fall Conference Primer

 The ongoing podcast for West Virginia Writers, Inc., hosted by Eric Fritzius.  Each show will feature interviews and discussion with and about Appalachian writers as well as news of WV Writers related events.

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West Virginia Writers Podcast

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