Meet the Authors
KB Ballentine
Poet KB Ballentine earned an M.A. in Writing from the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing, Poetry from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. Her most recent book, Spirit of Wild, was published in 2023, and her ninth collection, All the Way Through, will be released in October. She lives at the base of the Appalachian Mountains in Tennessee. kbballentine.com
ROBERT BEATTY
Robert Beatty is an author, inventor, and entrepreneur who lives in Asheville, NC, with his wife and three daughters. Set in the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains, his Serafina and Willa of the Wood series tell the stories of brave, young, talented girls that Robert wrote with his own daughters in mind. His next book, Sylvia Doe and the 100-Year Flood, will be published in October 2024. robertbeattybooks.com
MEAGAN CHURCH
Meagan Church is the author of The Girls We Sent Away and The Last Carolina Girl. After receiving a B.A. in English from Indiana University, Meagan built a career as a freelance writer. She helps authors tell their own stories through book coaching and editing. A Midwesterner by birth, she now lives in North Carolina with her high school sweetheart, three children and a plethora of pets. meaganchurch.com
MARTIN CLARK
The author of a half dozen fast-paced legal thrillers, Martin Clark is a retired circuit court judge who graduated from Davidson College and attended the University of Virginia School of Law. His latest novel, The Plinko Bounce, tells the story of a lawyer who puts himself in peril to defend a confessed murderer. He and his wife, Deana, live on a farm with dogs, cats, chickens, and donkeys. martinclark.com
ABIGAIL CUTTER
After earning her MFA from George Washington University, Abigail Cutter turned her attention from art and printmaking to American history and writing. Inspired by the ghost that shares her 18th century farmhouse, The Last of What I Am tells the story of a deceased Confederate soldier still troubled by his role in the war. Abigail lives with her husband in that farmhouse in the Shenandoah Valley and in Waterford, Virginia. abigailcutter.com
MONIC DUCTAN
Born and raised in Georgia, Monic Ductan earned degrees in English and creative writing from Georgia State University (BA), Georgia College (MFA), and the University of Southern Mississippi (PhD). Monic’s collection of short stories, Daughters of Muscadine, focuses on working-class Black women, estrangement, and family life in rural Georgia. She lives in central Tennessee, where she is an associate professor at Tennessee Tech University and is at work on her first novel. monicductan.com
GEORGANN EUBANKS
Always a Festival favorite, Georgann Eubanks most recently served as editor for Paul Green: North Carolina Writers on the Legacy of the State’s Most Celebrated Playwright, an anthology celebrating the work of North Carolina’s most distinguished playwright of the 20th century. She also serves as the literary executor and director of the Paul Green Foundation. Georgann divides her time between the Piedmont and Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.georganneubanks.net
DENTON LOVING
Denton Loving is the author of the poetry collections Crimes Against Birds and Tamp. He is a co-founder and editor at EastOver Press and its literary journal, Cutleaf. For over a decade, he co-directed the Mountain Heritage Literary Festival at Lincoln Memorial University. Denton earned his MFA from Bennington College in Vermont and often sets his poetry in southern Appalachia. He lives on a farm near the Cumberland Gap. dentonloving.com
RYAN MCGEE
Ryan McGee is a senior writer for ESPN and co-host of Marty & McGee on ESPN radio and the SEC network. McGee has authored several books, including Welcome to the Circus of Baseball and co-writing Racing to the Finish with NASCAR superstar Dale Earnhardt, Jr. He also works as a field reporter for ESPN’s SportsCenter and as a feature reporter for E:60. McGee lives in North Carolina with his family. X/Instagram/Facebook: @espnmcgee
JIM MINICK
Serving as the 2024 Appalachian Writer in Residence, Jim Minick explores the places and people of Appalachia in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Among the eight books he has authored or edited are Without Warning: The Tornado of Udall, Kansas, The Intimacy of Spoons, Fire is Your Water, and The Blueberry Years: A Memoir of Farm and Family. Jim serves as co-editor of Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel Literary Journal. He lives in southwest Virginia. jim-minick.com
MEREDITH RITCHIE
Meredith Ritchie is the debut author of Poster Girls. Set in North Carolina during WWII, the novel is based on true but nearly forgotten events that happened in her hometown. When her triplets left for college, Meredith wrote Poster Girls as a cure for acute empty nest syndrome. She lives in Charlotte with her husband, two cats, and four chickens, as well as a few grown adults who occasionally return to her cozy coop. meredithritchie.com
KATHERINE SNOW SMITH
Raleigh native Katherine Snow Smith has lived throughout the south, spending most of her career at the esteemed Tampa Bay Times. She earned her degree in journalism from UNC-Chapel Hill and is now getting her master’s at her alma mater so she can teach another generation of college students. Katherine, who has three 20-something children, divides her time between Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and St. Petersburg, Florida. katherinesnowsmith.com
TOMMY TOMLINSON
Tommy Tomlinson is the author of Dogland: Passion, Glory, and Lots of Slobber at the Westminster Dog Show and The Elephant in the Room, a memoir about being overweight in America. He is also the host of the podcast SouthBound and author of a newsletter, The Writing Shed. Tommy wrote for The Charlotte Observer for twenty-three years. He and his wife, Alix Felsing, live in Charlotte, North Carolina, with Alix’s mom and a cat. tommytomlinson.com