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Helena María Viramontes, a celebrated voice in American literature, will serve as the keynote speaker for the Spring Literary Festival at East Tennessee State University.

Viramontes, author of The Moths and Other Stories and Under the Feet of Jesus, will headline the 11th annual Jack Higgs Memorial Reading on Thursday, April 24, at 7 p.m. in the East Tennessee Room of the D.P. Culp Student Center. The evening will include a public reading and audience Q&A.

In addition to her keynote appearance, Viramontes will join ETSU faculty members Drs. Jesse Graves and Felipe Fiuza for a public conversation earlier that day, part of a robust three-day celebration of literature, craft and community.

“The spring festival is one of the most exciting literary gatherings of the year, and we’re so happy to welcome Helena María Viramontes to campus,” said Graves, ETSU poet-in-residence. “She’s a writer whose work challenges, inspires and endures — and that sense of hopefulness and understanding reflect the spirit of the festival as a whole.”

This year’s festival opens with a special kickoff event on Tuesday, April 22, as ETSU professor Dr. Michael Cody launches his latest novel, Streets of Nashville, at The Generalist in downtown Johnson City. The event, hosted by Atlas Books, begins at 7 p.m. and includes a reading, audience Q&A and book signing.

The festival also features workshops in poetry, fiction and nonfiction, as well as public readings by award-winning writers Gaylord Brewer, Carter Sickels and Erika Howsare, plus new writing from ETSU faculty and students.

The Spring Literary Festival is sponsored by the Bert C. Bach Written Word Initiative, which supports public programming in literature and creative writing.

All events are free and open to the public. View the full schedule for the Spring Literary Festival here.

ETSU is home to a vibrant community, hosting dozens of concerts, exhibitions and performances throughout the year. And April is packed with arts-related events.

For disability accommodations, contact the ETSU Office of Disability Services at (423) 439-8346.