High Country Humanities

Kathryn Kirkpatrick is the author of eight collections of poetry, including three recipients of the NC Poetry Society’s Brockman-Campbell award. “The Fisher Queen: New and Selected Poems” (Salmon, 2019) received the NC Literary and Historical Society’s Roanoke-Chowan Poetry Prize. She has lived in the Blue Ridge Mountains for many years, where she teaches environmental literature, animal studies, Irish studies, and creative writing as Professor of English at App State.

Kathryn Kirkpatrick is the author of eight collections of poetry, including three recipients of the NC Poetry Society’s Brockman-Campbell award. “The Fisher Queen: New and Selected Poems” (Salmon, 2019) received the NC Literary and Historical Society’s Roanoke-Chowan Poetry Prize. She has lived in the Blue Ridge Mountains for many years, where she teaches environmental literature, animal studies, Irish studies, and creative writing as Professor of English at App State.

Kira Rockwell is an Atlanta-based playwright and educator, originally from the heart of Texas. She is an Artist Fellow in Dramatic Writing with the Mass Cultural Council, a recipient of the Judith Royer Excellence in Playwriting Award, second-place recipient of the Paula Vogel Playwriting Award from the Kennedy Center, three-time finalist for the O’Neill NPC, runner-up for the Princess Grace Award, and more.

Tim Earley is the author of five collections of poems, including “Poems Descriptive of Rural Life and Scenery” (Horse Less Press, 2014), winner of the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Award, and “Linthead Stomp” (Horse Less Press, 2016). He lives in Asheville, North Carolina, and teaches online courses in creative writing, Appalachian literature, British literature, and fantasy literature for the University of Mississippi.

Tim Earley is the author of five collections of poems, including “Poems Descriptive of Rural Life and Scenery” (Horse Less Press, 2014), winner of the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Award, and “Linthead Stomp” (Horse Less Press, 2016). He lives in Asheville, North Carolina, and teaches online courses in creative writing, Appalachian literature, British literature, and fantasy literature for the University of Mississippi.

Lillian-Yvonne Bertram is an African American writer, poet, artist, and educator who works at the intersection of computation, AI, race, and gender. They are the author of Travesty Generator (Noemi Press), which received the Poetry Society of America’s 2020 Anna Rabinowitz prize for interdisciplinary work and was longlisted for the 2020 National Book Award for Poetry. They direct the MFA in creative writing program at the University of Maryland and are a 2024 Foundation for Contemporary Arts poetry grant recipient and 2024 Ruby’s Grant recipient.

Lillian-Yvonne Bertram is an African American writer, poet, artist, and educator who works at the intersection of computation, AI, race, and gender. They are the author of Travesty Generator (Noemi Press), which received the Poetry Society of America’s 2020 Anna Rabinowitz prize for interdisciplinary work and was longlisted for the 2020 National Book Award for Poetry. They direct the MFA in creative writing program at the University of Maryland and are a 2024 Foundation for Contemporary Arts poetry grant recipient and 2024 Ruby’s Grant recipient.

Gary Wheeler is an award-winning writer, producer, and director with over thirty years of experience in the film and television industry. He has made more than forty motion pictures, which have been seen by millions of viewers on platforms including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Peacock, iTunes, PBS, and many more. He is a graduate of Appalachian State University.

Gary Wheeler is an award-winning writer, producer, and director with over thirty years of experience in the film and television industry. He has made more than forty motion pictures, which have been seen by millions of viewers on platforms including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Peacock, iTunes, PBS, and many more. He is a graduate of Appalachian State University.