Writers Can Read – January 2023

This month’s Writers Can Read series will feature novelists Joanie Ward Smith and Lee Martin. The event is free and open to the public and will take place on Monday, January 16 at 7 P.M. in Heritage Station at 210 11th Street in downtown Huntington.

Joanie Ward Smith is an avid genealogy researcher who doesn’t stop until she uncovers the truth. In addition to her research and writing five books, she is involved in community projects and artisan shows. Her latest novel is Whatever Happened to Uncle Henry? She lives in Huntington, West Virginia with her husband, Gabe, and their little dog, Sophie.

Lee Martin is the author of The Bright Forever, a finalist for the 2006 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction, and six other novels. His latest is The Glassmaker’s Wife. He has also published four memoirs in addition to two short story collections. His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in many distinguished literary journals and anthologies. He is the winner of the Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Ohio Arts Council. He teaches in the MFA Program at The Ohio State University, where he is a College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor of English.

The “Writers Can Read” open mic night reading series takes place on the third Monday of each month (all year) from 7:00-8:30 in Heritage Station at 210 11th Street in downtown Huntington, West Virginia. The event features two award-winning, published authors that serve as “featured readers” to begin the event each month. Previous featured readers have included: Marc Harshman, Denise Giardina, Crystal Wilkinson, Jonathan Corcoran, Doug Van Gundy, Robert Gipe, Nick White, and others. Afterwards, the mic is open to anyone in the audience that would like to share a creative work.