Newspapers / University of North Carolina … / April 4, 2012, edition 1 / Page 6
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6 I The Blue Banner I 4.4^012 Photo by Jackson Stahl - Staff Photographer The Naked Author Jam featured 12 Asheville authors answering questions and talking about their writing experience. Local novelists collaborate for novel featuring the Asheville area Twelve authors combine ejforts for local store Emily Kendrick ekendric@unca.edu - Staff Writer Twelve Western North Carolina authors com memorated 30 years of Malaprop’s Bookstore with the collaborative creation of the wildly funny murder mystery novel, Naked Came the Leaf Peeper. “The book, being a representation of a number of authors from Western North Carolina, is the perfect way to celebrate Malaprop’s 30* anni versary because the story has built itself around supporting the community and its writers,” said Kevin Mann, a bookseller at Malaprop’s Bookstore. The authors celebrated the bookstore’s anni versary by reading passages from their chapters and signing books at the Naked Author Jam on Friday in UNC Asheville’s Humanities Lecture Hall. “I enjoyed the jam. It’s always fun to get a bunch of writers together and see what happens,” Mann said. “There were a lot of laughs. It’s great to hear the work read out loud by those who have written it.” All the authors were enlisted by Brian Lee Knopp, author of one of Malaprop’s bestselling novels. Mayhem in Mayberry: Misadventures of a PI. in Southern Appalachia. His wife, Linda Barrett Knopp, is the general manager at Mala prop’s Bookstore. “I think people are drawn to Malaprop’s be cause it is an independent bookstore and it’s lo cally owned and a lot of people in Asheville want to support those two characteristics,” said Vir- ‘ ginia McKinley, community outreach coordi nator at Malaprop’s. “It’s a welcoming place.” The authors were each given two weeks to write a chapter, picking up where the previous authors left off. None of the authors were told who they would be collaborating with. The first chapter was written by Brian Lee Knopp, followed by John P. McAfee, Susan Reinhardt, Vicki Lane, Tommy Hays, Wayne Caldwell, Fred Chappell, Alan Gratz, Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, Gene Cheek, Linda Bar rett Knopp and Tony Earley. McKinley said all of the authors have ties to the area and to Malaprop’s. They all currently live in the region or were originally from the area. “We have a very strong regional section and historically Malaprop’s and its owner have sup ported local and regional writers,” McKinley said. Malaprop’s is an independent and locally owned bookstore which means that the inventory is directly influenced by the people who shop at the store, McKinley said. “It’s owned by people in this community who are not responsible to a large corporation that runs a chain store,” McKinley said. The Great Smokies Writing Program at UNCA co-sponsored the Naked Author Jam. The pro gram’s executive director is Hays, one of the au thors of the novel. The program provides aspiring writers with classes taught by regional authors with experi ence in teaching, McKinley said. Naked Came the Leaf Peeper is one of many works by local authors the book store sells. “The novel is definitely of interest to readers who live in or have visited Western North Caro lina because the writers often directly allude to or mention various landmarks, towns and over looks of the Blue Ridge Parkway,” Mann said. “If you have been to these places it really helps you to see the story.” Photo by Jackson Stahl - Staff Photographer Annette Clapsaddle, one of the authors of Naked Came the Leaf Peeper, wrote chapter nine of the novel. The book is set in West ern North Carolina, and features various well-known landmarks in the area. The book is available for sale at Malaprop's book store in downtown Asheville.
University of North Carolina at Asheville Student Newspaper
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April 4, 2012, edition 1
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