by Angela Reinhardt, Staff Writer
originally published in the Pickens County Progress, Thursday, February 6, 2020
As part of plans to revamp and reinvigorate the club in 2020, the Sassafras Literary Exchange has invited guest speaker William Walsh, author and director of the Etowah Valley M.F.A. Program at Reinhardt University, to speak at their February meeting.
Walsh will discuss and read a few selections from his new collection of poetry, Fly Fishing in Times Square. He also will touch on his own writing career – from mistakes to triumphs – and give tips about how to be a successful writer. The public is invited to attend.
William Walsh is the author of four books of poetry, four novels, three film screenplays, a collection of interviews, an anthology of contemporary American poetry, and a collection of essays. He has received the 2018 Cervena Barva Press Edition Book Series Award, Georgia Author of the Year, and has been recognized by the Association of American University Presses as a Selection for Public and Secondary Libraries. He teaches graduate and undergraduate creative writing and literature at Reinhardt University.
Renowned poet David Bottoms says of Fly Fishing in Times Square, “With amazing vision and linguistic skill Walsh explores the desires and realities of domestic life in America. Reading these fine poems we are drawn into a complex world of family where separation is natural and memory provides the only means of holding on.”
Walsh’s work has appeared in AWP Chronicle, Cimarron Review, Five Points, Flannery O’Connor Review, The Georgia Review, James Dickey Review, The Kenyon Review, Literary Matters, Michigan Quarterly Review, North American Review, Poetry Daily, Poets & Writers, Rattle, Shenandoah, Slant, and Valpraiso Poetry Review.
He is known for his literary interviews with notable writers like James Dickey, Pat Conroy, David Bottoms, and many others.
The Sassafras Literary Exchange invites the public to attend this event, which will be held at the Southern Appalachian Folk School on Thursday, February 20 at 6:30 p.m. Books will be available for purchase. The Southern Appalachian Folk School’s mission is to support and share regional arts, crafts, and stories. Learn more at www.safsga.org.
The Sassafras Literary Exchange has hosted the annual Creative Writing Contest for 38 years. They have changed their monthly meetings, which will now be held on the third Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m. Meetings will be held at the Southern Appalachian Folks School.
Keep up with events at the Sassafras Literary Exchange Facebook page.