The last reading of the 2001-02 Visiting Writers Series will feature music as well as words when nationally known author Clyde Edgerton and emerging poet Tenaya Darlington read at Hope College on Wednesday, April 17, at 7 p.m. in the Knickerbocker Theatre.
The public is invited. Admission is free.
Edgerton was originally scheduled to read in September, but had to reschedule because of family illness.
Born and raised in rural North Carolina, Edgerton received his bachelor's, master's and doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Since his first novel, "Raney," was published in 1985, Edgerton's writing has received both popular and critical attention. Five of his novels garnered a Notable Book of the Year Award from the "New York Times," and two have been adapted for the screen. His short stories have been published in such lauded anthologies as "Best American Short Stories" and "New Stories from the South." He currently teaches creative writing at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
Apart from his accomplishments as a writer, Edgerton also helped found "The Rank Strangers Band," a bluegrass trio that features Edgerton on banjo, Matt Kendrick on upright bass and Jack King on the guitar. The Rank Strangers will accompany Edgerton during his reading.
The evening should prove to be a blend of music and comedy. Edgerton's readings are characterized by humor; he often takes on the voices and characteristics of the characters in his fiction.
Tenaya Darlington, the recipient of the 2001 Great Lakes College Association Award in poetry, will precede Edgerton's performance. A graduate of the MFA program at Indiana University, Darlington also won the 1999 National Poetry Series award.
Her poems are a rambunctious, irreverent romp that question and challenge stereotypical gender roles. Darlington's first book of poems, published last year, is titled "Madame Deluxe."
Both authors will participate in a question and answer panel on Wednesday, April 17, at 3 p.m. in the Maas Center conference room. The public is invited, and admission is free.
Music from the Hope College Jazz Ensemble will precede the reading at 6:30 p.m. The authors will be available for book-signing following the reading in the Knickerbocker lobby.
The public is also invited to attend "Afterwords," a panel devoted to discussing issues raised by the reading, on Thursday, April 18, at 3 p.m. in the Granberg Room of Van Wylen Library.
The Knickerbocker Theatre is located at 86 E. 8th St. in downtown Holland. The Maas Center is located on Columbia Avenue at 11th Street. The Van Wylen Library is located on College Avenue between 10th and 12th streets.