Making readers laugh requires more than clever lines. Christine Mager Wevik, Dana Summers, Lane Stone, Lois Schmitt, Mary Dutta, and Robert Mangeot explore how humor works on the page through wit, irony, and character-driven comedy. This session focuses on timing, tone, and emotional truth, showing how humor can add depth while keeping stories entertaining and resonant.
Dark Roots: How the South and Appalachia Shaped American Gothic
Michael Amos Cody traces the journey of Gothic fiction from its European origins to its distinctly American evolution. He explores how Southern and Appalachian landscapes, histories, and cultural tensions reshaped the genre into something darker, more intimate, and...




