Sheryl Monks

Just a reminder to writers in the Wilkes, Surry, Yadkin county areas. Please join us at the Yadkin County Arts Council tomorrow night, July 23rd, at 6:30 to help us grow a thriving local literary community. If you want to help shape things, now's the time to get involved. 226 E. Main Street, Yadkinville. See you there.

In addition to the novel, I'm working on several other fun new projects. I recently met with Susan Lyons, the interim director of the Yadkin County Arts Council, to discuss literary programs in the Yadkin Valley area. She and husband Stephen are leading up a monster capital campaign to raise funds for a new 10,000 square-foot cultural arts center in Yadkinville. The new arts center will house workshops, offices, a theatre, a bookstore, a coffee shop, and artists' studios. It's a dream come true!

I'll be meeting soon with the folks at the Cultural Arts Council of Wilkes to see how I can help with their next literary hop. I'm looking forward to that as well.

I'm also preparing for a big interview with one of my personal literary heroes, biographer Penelope Niven. She is currently working on a biography of Thornton Wilder. I'll be reading as many of Wilder's novels and plays as possible over the coming weeks, and if time permits, I'll share thoughts on them here.