The Laurette LePrevost Writers Symposium is hosted annually on both campuses of Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute. Each academic year, the community is invited to read a common novel or work of nonfiction along with students enrolled in English, humanities, and social science classes. This common reading experience climaxes with multiple personal appearances by the writer of this work on both campuses. For over thirty years, this event has provided a valuable learning experience for students along with a unique opportunity to meet a published author.
The Writers Symposium is a significant event for Caldwell County because it provides the citizens of Caldwell, Watauga, and surrounding counties the opportunity to hear writers discuss their own writing process relative to their published works, as well as to hear literary scholars discuss the significance of those works. Each symposium draws a core group of readers from the area and involves people who would not otherwise participate in such a cultural event.
Support for the Laurette LePrevost Writers Symposium is provided by the Foundation of Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute.
For more information on CCC&TI’s Laurette LePrevost Writers Symposium, call Christina Toy at 828.726.2323, or email ctoy@cccti.edu.
William Sturkey is an Associate Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where
he teaches courses on Aftrican American history and the history of the American South. A 2020 recipient of
the Hettleman Award for Artistic and Scholarly Achievement from the UNC College of Arts and Sciences, his
book,
Virtual Writers Symposium event.
Contact Christina Toy to receive a guest link to the event.
All events are free and open to the public.
1988 - 1989
Maya Angelou
1989-1990
Wilma Dykeman
Jim Wayne Miller
1990-1991
Clyde Edgerton
Doris Betts
1991-1992
Ernest Gaines
Nikki Giovanni
1992-1993
Michael McFee
Robert Morgan
1993-1994
Gurney Norman
Ray Hicks
1994-1995
Alan Shapiro
Maureen Ryan Griffin
1995-1996
Fred Chappell
Jeff Daniel Marion
1996-1997
Donald Secreast
Kaye Gibbons
1997-1998
Bob Inman
Denise Giardina
1998-1999
Margaret Maron
Sharyn McCrumb
1999-2000
Billie Letts
2000-2001
Octavia Butler
Mary Doria Russell
2001-2002
Judith Ortiz Cofer
2002-2003
Donald Davis
Tony Peacock
2003-2004
Mark Mathabane
2004-2005
Billie Letts
2005-2006
Ron Rash
2006-2007
Timothy B. Tyson
2007-2008
Sharyn McCrumb
Dori Sanders
2008-2009
Clyde Edgerton
2009-2010
Ron Rash
2010-2011
Cathy Smith Bowers
Kathryn Stripling Byer
2011-2012
Silas House
2012-2013
Wiley Cash
2013-2014
Denise Kiernan
2014-2015
Jay Erskine Leutze
2015-2016
Conor Grennan
2016-2017
Susan Gregg Gilmore
2017-2018
Wiley Cash
2018-2019
Doc Hendley
2019-2020
Gene Nichol
2020-2021
William Sturkey