Carolina Mountains Literary Festival

The festival idea was born when a small group of local citizens and businesspersons spontaneously came together ten years ago around the goal of giving greater exposure to the art of writing and the joys of reading in an area already famed for its colony of artists in other media. Originally, that group consisted of literacy advocate Myrna Stephens; Wendy Reid, owner of The Design Gallery; poet Britt Kaufmann; children’s book author Karen Miller; artist Anne Sabri, and health care consultant and aspiring writer Ruth Perschbacher Price and her husband, historical novelist Charles F. Price. Now it also includes Dr. Dan Barron, former director of the Avery-Mitchell-Yancey Regional Libraries, downtown booster Lucy Gregory Doll, poet and community volunteer Kathy Weisfeld, librarian, runner, super-mom and new director of the Avery-Mitchell-Yancey Regional Libraries Amber Westall Briggs, artist and arts advocate Jane Brown Willig, and many others.