West Virginia University Press and Morgantown Writers Group will host two WVU Press authors in Morgantown for a joint book reading and discussion at Monongalia Arts Center.

Jonathan Corcoran, a native of Elkins, and Jessie van Eerden, the director of West Virginia Wesleyan’s Master of Fine Arts program, will read from and discuss their new books at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 20, at the Monongalia Arts Center in Morgantown.
Jonathan Corcoran’s debut book The Rope Swing is a collection of short stories that explores the experiences of LGBTQ people in rural Appalachia. The characters in “The Rope Swing” — gay and straight alike — yearn for that which seems so close but impossibly far, the world over the jagged peaks of the mountains.

Jayne Anne Phillips, author of “Quiet Dell,” “Lark and Termite,” and “Black Ticket” notes ”’The Rope Swing’ takes us inside quiet revolutions of the soul in mountain towns far from Stonewall and establishes a new American writer whose unerring instincts are cause for celebration.”

Kirkus Reviews calls Corcoran, “A remarkably empathetic writer whose subtle portraits capture undeniably tender moments in the lives of his characters.”

Jonathan Corcoran received a�Bachelor of Arts in literary arts from Brown University and a�Master of Fine Arts in fiction writing from Rutgers University-Newark. He was born and raised in Elkins, and currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. Learn more at jonathancorcoranwrites.com

Jessie van Eerden’s second novel My Radio Radio explores a religious commune from the point of view of its youngest member. The members of Dunlap Fellowship of All Things in Common share everything from their meager incomes to the only functioning toilet in the community house — everything, that is, except secrets.

Margot Singer,�author of�”The Pale of Settlement” declares, “There are few contemporary novels that I truly admire. Van Eerden’s novel rises to the top of my list.”

Kevin Oderman, author of�”White Vespa”�and�”Cannot Stay: Essays on Travel” says, “It’s rare to fall for a voice, to want nothing more than just to listen. So I finished Jessie van Eerden’s�’My Radio Radio’�feeling something like grief, lovelorn, my heart captive to the voice of Omi Ruth, a girl who sees the world so fresh she makes it new.”

Jessie van Eerden holds an Master of Fine Arts in nonfiction from the University of Iowa. Her debut novel�”Glorybound”�won�Foreword Reviews’�fiction prize. Her work has appeared in The Oxford American, Bellingham Review, Best American Spiritual Writing,�and other publications. She directs the low-residency MFA program at West Virginia Wesleyan College. Learn more at�jessievaneerden.com.

Event details

Morgantown: Wednesday, April 20, 2016 6:30 p.m.
MWG and WVU Press present Jonathan Corcoran and Jessie van Eerden
Monongalia Arts Center: 107 High St, Morgantown, WV 26505
Refreshments at 6:30 pm. Readings starts at 6:45pm.

Morgantown Writers has co-hosted multiple literary events in cooperation with the WVU Press. The Morgantown Writers Group is a long-established group of writers since its founding in 1994. The writers meet for discussions about writing, publishing, and literary critique of manuscripts at the Morgantown Public Library, Spruce Street in downtown. Meetings attract a dozen of the 78 writers who in the north central region of West Virginia Writers. Critique workshops are twice a month on 2nd and 4th Tuesdays, although the schedule may in summer and due to weather. Contact George M. Lies at�georgelies@ymail.com�for more information.

To learn more about WVU Press, visit wvupress.com. For updates on books and events, follow WVU Press on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest or join our mailing list on wvupress.com. To order these books, visit wvupress.com, phone (800) 621-2736, or visit a local bookstore.

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af/4/19/16

CONTACT: Abby Freeland, Marketing Manager, WVU Press
304-293-6188, abby.freeland@mail.wvu.edu

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