Union Ave Books is proud to present 23 Tales: Appalachian Ghost Stories, Legends, and Other Mysteries: An Anthology Event.
This reading will take place on September 24, 2023 at 3 pm in our store in downtown Knoxville.
While this is a free event, we ask that you register for your spot AT THIS LINK.
About 23 Tales:
"Throughout Appalachia, a long history of mysteries, experiences, and strange beings defy rational explanation—things that force us to rub our eyes because surely they’re playing tricks on us. Unknown voices and footsteps on empty stairs. Quilts and bathrobes that move on their own, in the middle of the night. We’ve told these stories at the kitchen table and around campfires and in the living room as night falls. They often start with words to this effect: What I’m about to tell you is true. These stories of the uncanny are worth preserving, which led us to publish: 23 Tales: Appalachian Ghost Stories, Legends, and Other Mysteries
The words by twenty-three writers are captured here in a mix of ghost stories and paranormal experiences, mysteries from history that persist to this day, and weird beings that haunt the backwoods and pierce the night with mournful wails. These stories will raise the hair on your neck, prompt you to visit nearby haunts, touch you and make you laugh a little, too.
The writers of 23 Tales had just one main charge from Howling Hills: The stories could not be fiction. So, pull up a chair. What these writers are about to tell you is true…"
About Our Readers:
Jeannette Brown’s work has been in Bellevue Literary Review, Southwestern American Literature, Descant, Steel Toe Review, and other publications. She is co-editor of Literary Lunch, a food anthology. She has enjoyed residencies at the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, Rivendell Writers’ Colony, and Hedgebrook/India. Her novel, The Illusion of Leaving, was published by Texas Review Press. Her play, Cuba Libre, is in development with the Tennessee Stage Company.
Judith Duvall’s poems and fiction have been published by Greyhound Books, Tellico Books, Kudzu Literary Anthology, Motif, The Tennessee Magazine, and anthologies published by The Knoxville Writers’ Guild and others. Her book of poetry, Unrationed Hope, was published by Iris Press. She attributes much of her writing success to the support of fellow members of the Knoxville Writers’ Guild. After years of moving around the USA and other countries, she now lives, dreams, and writes near English Mountain and Douglas Lake in Jefferson County, Tennessee.
Patty Ireland holds a master’s degree in creative writing from the University of Tennessee Knoxville and is associate professor of English at Pellissippi State Community College, where she directs its Young Creative Writer’s Workshop. In addition to writing fiction and poetry, Ireland is a lyricist/composer. Her work has appeared in Still: The Journal, 100 Days in Appalachia’s “Creators and Innovators,” and Appalachia Bare, among others. She is currently writing a novel and a debut memoir entitled East Ridge As Eden, which chronicles her story of growing up with a mother who suffered from Early Onset Alzheimer’s Disease and an uneducated but wise Appalachian father.
Daniel Ray lives in East Tennessee and spends his time writing novels, short stories and screenplays. His stories have received numerous awards and prizes, including the Sue Ellen Hudson Award for Excellence in Writing, the James Still Prize for Fiction, and the Jesse Stuart Prize for Young Adult Fiction. Though he’s never seen a ghost, he enjoys the stories people tell about them.
Candance Reaves has been published in New Millennium Writings, Still: The Journal, Motif: Writing by Ear, Homeworks: A Book of Tennessee Writers, Appalachian Life Magazine and several anthologies of The Knoxville Writers Guild. She lives near the Great Smoky Mountains where she finds a lot of her inspiration for writing.
Kevin Saylor is the product of a misspent youth watching Unsolved Mysteries and Friday the 13th movies and reading J.B. Stamper’s Tales for the Midnight Hour books. So far he's never seen a ghost. But he is father to three messy children, which is basically the same as having a poltergeist.
Suzy Trotta lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, with her husband, their baby angel puppy Jolene, and two cats, Thelma and Louise. She posts personal essays on her site, www.suzytrotta.com, and reads them aloud on her podcast, Damn It, Suzy. In addition to writing and podcasting, she spends her time sewing, roller skating, and reading tons of books. She has been a real estate agent for twenty years and is somehow more or less still sane. She looks forward to her eventual literary superstardom and international book tour. A collection of stories about her adventures in real estate will be published by Howling Hills in 2024.