Like other small towns, Floyd, Virginia, is a quiet, unassuming place. And yet, more often than one might expect, well-known people visit this one-stoplight town, whether musicians, politicians, authors, or others.
A few years ago bestselling author Barbara Kingsolver came to town because a lady connected to our local library wrote a letter to the famous novelist. Kingsolver, as I understand it, isn’t keen on public appearances and book tours. But she came to Floyd and spoke in the high-school auditorium.
Today, Wendell Berry arrives in Floyd.
Berry is a distinguished author and writer of more than 50 works of fiction, nonfiction and poetry. He is a farmer and activist whose writings and life have focused on community, conservation and a simple, slower lifestyle. The 79-year-old Kentuckian has won many awards (T.S. Eliot Award, Thomas Merton Award, National Humanities Medal to name a few). Most recently, Berry was the recipient of the 2013 Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award.
In the Floyd Press, Colleen Redman reported:
[Wendell Berry] will conduct a book signing at the Floyd EcoVillage on Friday, November 22 at 4:00 p.m. Berry will speak at the Floyd County High School auditorium at 7:00 p.m. and will participate in a panel of national experts on the topic of forests and community. A moderated question and answer period is also scheduled.
Berry will travel to Yale University for a speaking event shortly after Thanksgiving, but first he is spending time in Floyd with common folk.
Neil Sagebiel 