2021 Appalachian Heritage Writer-in-Residence Schedule - Marie Manilla, 2021 WV Common Read Author

​Teachers across the state will soon be able to hear WV Common Read author Marie Manilla, whose novel The Patron Saint of Ugly is the 2021 One Book One West Virginia selection.

Marie Manilla will be in Shepherdstown participating in a series of events connected to her 2021 Common Read theme, “Other People’s Shoes: Empathy, Art and Fiction.” Teachers can join via Zoom to meet Manilla for a reading from The Patron Saint of Ugly and Q&A by accessing https://zoom.us/j/6031914077 on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. and on Thursday at 8:00 a.m.

Other programs for the Appalachian Heritage series September 24-October 1 are located at the website along with resources and teaching tools: https://www.shepherd.edu/ahwirweb/manilla/schedule. Manilla will receive the Appalachian Heritage Writer’s Award on September 30, accessible through the Shepherd University YouTube Channel.

Manilla has served all this year as the state author, working with a Heritage Committee made up of representatives from the WV Library Commission, WV Center for the Book, and Shepherd University and teacher scholars who created resources and tools for teachers across the state who will teach or talk about Marie Manilla. Manilla also participated in the WV Fiction Competition, selecting the winners.

The Marie Manilla Appalachian Heritage events are supported by the WV Humanities Council, the WV Center for the Book, the WV Library Commission, the Shepherd University Foundation, and the Center for Appalachian Studies and Communities and Shepherd Foundation. For details about the free Appalachian Heritage Festival events on Saturday September 25, go to https://www.shepherd.edu/pass.

Click here for the full press release, which contains more information about Marie Manilla, her work, and the 2021 Appalachian Heritage Writer-in-Residence schedule including Zoom and YouTube links.