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ISSUED: 18 September 2025
MEDIA CONTACT: Hans Fogle

SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV —

���ϳԹ���University has named acclaimed North Carolina author Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle as its 2025 Appalachian Heritage Writer-in-Residence. She will serve through January 2026, leading lectures, workshops, and community events that celebrate and examine the region’s artistic traditions.

As part of her residency, Clapsaddle will also guide the editing of the 2026 Anthology of Appalachian Writers, which will feature fiction, poetry, essays, and art inspired by her work.

“Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle’s voice brings a powerful literary perspective and an essential cultural lens to Appalachian storytelling,” said Dr. Benjamin Bankurst, Director of Shepherd’s Center for Appalachian Studies and Communities. “Her residency will have a lasting impact on our students and community.”

Clapsaddle, a citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, is the author of Even As We Breathe, the first novel published by an enrolled citizen of the Eastern Band. The book was named one of NPR’s Best Books of 2020, won the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award, and was a finalist for the Weatherford Award. She has also published widely in national outlets and contributed to numerous anthologies.

In addition to her literary career, Clapsaddle is an educator, consultant, and community leader. She taught for more than a decade at Swain County High School in North Carolina, served as Executive Director of the Cherokee Preservation Foundation, and co-founded Confluence: An Indigenous Writers’ Workshop Series in partnership with the Museum of the Cherokee People. She currently serves as President of the North Carolina Writers’ Network Board of Trustees and leads a consulting and writing business she founded in 2022.

“Clapsaddle’s contributions to literature, education, and cultural preservation embody the spirit of this program,” said Dr. Bankhurst. “We are honored to welcome her to Shepherd.”

The Appalachian Heritage Writer-in-Residence program was established in 1998 by ���ϳԹ���University, the ���ϳԹ���University Foundation, and the West Virginia Humanities Council. The 2025 program is sponsored by the West Virginia Humanities Council and the West Virginia Center for the Book.

For more information about the Appalachian Heritage Writer-in-Residence program, visit /ahwir. For details about associated events, visit /ahwir/2025-ahwir-events.

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