Crystal Wilkinson is the author of two books, Blackberries, Blackberries (July 2000), and Water Street (September 2002), both published by Toby Press. She is the 2002 recipient of the Chaffin Award for Appalachian Literature and is a charter member of the Lexington-based writing collective, The Affrilachian Poets.

Ron Davis (aka Upfromsumdirt) was awarded an Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowship in 2009 from the Kentucky Arts Council. The award program recognizes and supports Kentucky professional artists who are producing work of creative and artistic excellence.
Ron's artwork is on display NOW at Quirk Cafe!

Often describing herself as a country girl, Wilkinson's work reflects a love and homage to her Appalachian roots. She recalls growing up on her grandparent's farm where her grandfather planted tobacco and corn and made sorghum molasses and her grandmother worked as a domestic worker for school teachers in the county. "I lived an enchanted childhood," Crystal says in remembering her days roaming the knobs and hills of her home. "My grandparents gave me the freedom to explore the countryside and to write, to dream, to discover. They wanted me to have things that they didn't have, to know things they didn't know. But whether they knew it or not, they WERE the wisest people I have ever known. I learned so much from them about nature, about art, about life."

"Mining Memories: Finding the Stories in Our Lives" is a workshop for both advanced and beginning writers who want to write about their lives, lives of family members, etc. We will write and learn about the art form. The last hour we will share stories or poems written by participants. Please bring writing materials for a productive and creative session, along with a brief piece to share.

Wilkinson has been Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Indiana University and a member of the creative writing faculty at Spalding University. She was assistant director of the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning in Lexington, where she served as writing mentor and taught creative writing classes. She is also a former chair of the creative writing department for the Kentucky Governor School for the Arts and has taught creative writing at the University of Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky University. She is currently a visiting professor and writer-in-residence at Morehead State University.