recap of the 2026 carolina mountains literary festival
Many moons ago with my first novel, I was a lucky author presenter at the Carolina Mountains Literary Festival in Burnsville, North Carolina. It was one of my favorites of the literary festivals I’d ever attended, as reader or writer: intimate, authentic, big-hearted, and packed with ridiculously talented N.C. authors. What a gift it was to be invited back this year to share The Miniaturist’s Assistant, and to find that the only thing that had changed was that the Carolina Mountains Literary Festival had become even better!
Authors are some of the most generous folks I’ve met in this life, and this especially goes for those hailing from the South. Cathy Rigg, author of the beautiful historical novel That Which Binds Us (also a Virginia girl, a fellow Clemson University grad, and now, my dear friend), invited me to stay at her and her husband’s mountain home near Burnsville for the duration of the festival. So, in addition to getting to take part in the festival, hear and learn from authors I’ve looked up to and wanted to know for years, I also got to wake to Western North Carolina mountain views, listen to the wind in the trees, snuggle with Stella the dog, and share food and life with Cathy. How lucky can a girl get?
The festival began Thursday night and went through Saturday night; my two sessions took place at the fantastic Plott Hound Books and the First Baptist Church, both located just on and a stone’s throw from the picturesque town square in downtown Burnsville. The toughest thing about the festival was that it was so packed with fantastic sessions, I inevitably ended up missing ones I wanted to see.
On Friday, I gave my first presentation (Writing Revolutionary Women) to a packed house over at Plott Hound Books, listened to Archer Sullivan (interviewed by Wes Browne) talk all about growing up in Appalachia and her newest Annie Gore novel, Brimstone Hollow; signed books at the Town Center and meet the loveliest of readers, and attended the Banquet that night—Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle accepted the Charlie Award (for doing good), and Crystal Wilkinson told us stories from Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks, as we dined on delicious food inspired by her culinary memoir.
One of the neatest and (unexpectedly) poignant parts of the festival was hearing authors introduce these folks who’d changed their lives: poet and teacher Willie Carver Jr.’s introduction of Crystal, who had been his mentor, was so very moving.
On Saturday, The Miniaturist’s Assistant and I were introduced in the First Baptist sanctuary by author and Director of Travel and Tourism Sue Wasserman, I heard Linda Marie Barrett (interviewed by Constance Lombardo) discuss creating community and more in her book Creating a Salon: The Magic of Conversations That Matter, had another fun book-signing session, heard Ann Batchelder discuss her moving memoir Craving Spring: a mother’s quest, a daughter’s depression, and the Greek myth that brought them together; laughed aloud (and learned a ton) at Zackary Vernon’s talk on his newest book, Eating on a Mountain at the End of the World, and sat in awe as Cathy Rigg spoke of her 1860s-set historical novel, That Which Binds Us, beside one of her oldest friends, photographer Julie Williams Dixon, and the talented author and musician Michael Amos Cody played an original song he’d written for the book.
Festival organizers were so generous with us presenting authors, and so we enjoyed meal vouchers to a host of fabulous restaurants around town. I loved my lunch at Carriage House Sundries, and my delicious supper (and gloriously smoky Old Fashioned) at Live Oak Gastropub. One of favorite parts of the festival was dinner with fellow authors—many of whom I’d been social media friends with but had not yet met in person. This is the best part of literary festivals: fellowship with book people. (Who are, of course, the best people.)
Readers and writers both: Put the Carolina Mountains Literary Festival on your calendar for 2027! You do not want to miss this incredibly special weekend.
