08/31/2026
What a weekend!
Nearly a year ago, four people sat down at the Rowan County Arts Center with an idea for a new festival celebrating Appalachian literature, art, and culture. Andrew Preston, Amy Le Ann Richardson, Stephanie Staton, and our Director, Waylan Coffey, took that idea and ran with it. This weekend we finally got to see the Appalachian Literary Arts Festival come to life!
The RCAC was proud to be a big part of the festival's first year, with events happening here all three days. We started Friday evening with the closing reception for Answering the Mountains, an exhibition featuring 70 works from 50 artists across five states, all inspired by Appalachian literature. Throughout the weekend, the building was filled with artists, authors, workshops, readings, conversations, and plenty of new faces.
We also have to give a very special shoutout to Michael Hutchinson!
The RCAC is a small but mighty team of two, and there was a LOT of work behind the scenes to make three days of events happen. Michael helped set up, tear down, reset spaces, haul tables and chairs, keep things moving all weekend. We couldn't have done it without him.
We're proud of what the four festival organizers, our co-hosts at Fuzzy Duck Coffee Shop & CoffeeTree Books, volunteers, artists, authors, vendors, and everyone else involved were able to accomplish in year one. This festival truly could not have happened without both sides coming together, sharing resources, and working toward the same goal.
Now, with no time for recovery...it's time for us to turn our attention to Morehead Arts & Eats Festival. We're less than three weeks away!
