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Western Carolina University's Visiting Writers Series, the oldest such series in North Carolina, has a long tradition of bringing the best of both established and emerging literary talent to the mountains of Western North Carolina. While the area has a rich literary heritage all its own, the festival seeks to secure that heritage's place on the nation's literary stage by bringing local and national writers together.

Over the years, the series has hosted such distinguished local writers as Fred Chappell, Lee Smith, Kathryn Stripling Byer, and R.T. Smith; well-known American writers Li-Young Lee, Thomas Lux, Linda Hogan, Carolyn Chute, Leslie Silko, Ntozake Shange, Karen Shepard, Luiz Rodriguez, Maxine Kumin, Sherman Alexie, and Clifton Taulbert; as well as internationally renowned authors like Eavan Boland, Mirosalv Holub, and Welsh poets Menna Elfyn, Iwan Llydd, and Nigel Jenkins.

For the past four years, WCU’s Visiting Writers Series, the English Department, Lectures, Concerts, and Exhibitions, and the Office of the Chancellor have sponsored the Spring Literary Festival. This year, two events have been co-sponsored by the WCU Women's Center. We are also proud to have received funding from the North Carolina Arts Council for our Poet Laureate's panel.

In addition, local organizations and businesses work closely with festival coordinators to secure community involvement, and WCU students have the opportunity to work with nationally and internationally acclaimed authors on their own writing.

The festival reflects Western's commitment to providing the best Humanities education possible to its students and to bringing the best of the Arts to the Mountains.