SARAH MCCOY + VALERIE NIEMAN
1:3o PM | Van Dyke Performance Space (1st floor of the Greensboro Cultural Center)
Recreating History
Sarah McCoy’s new novel, Whatever Happened to Lori Lovely?, is set in 1920s Hollywood, but she’s traveled through time extensively in her books—from the Underground Railroad to WWII and beyond. Valerie Nieman’s latest novel, Upon the Corner of the Moon, is a thoroughly researched account of the very fictional Macbeths. They’ll discuss the joys and perils of making up history while still getting the details right. Moderated by Cassie Bustamante of O. Henry Magazine.
DOLEN PERKINS-VALDEZ
2:3o PM | Greensboro History Museum
Happy Land
Dolen Perkins-Valdez brings history to life with compelling female characters, from slavery through the present day. Her latest, Happy Land, spotlights a real American kingdom in the North Carolina mountains, made up of freed slaves. In conversation with humanities scholar Kathy Goodkin, she’ll share how this novel came to be—and why history is always relevant, even when it’s all but forgotten.
ANDY CORREN
3:oo PM | Van Dyke Performance Space (1st floor of the Greensboro Cultural Center)
Dirtbag Queen
In conversation with O. Henry Magazine‘s Cassie Bustamante, Andy Corren will talk about how an obituary made him famous—and what it’s like to write a memoir that makes you laugh. Where’s the line between sensationalizing and memorializing—and when is it okay to blow right through it?
LEE HAWKINS + ALAN SHETTERLY
4:3o PM | Van Dyke Performance Space (1st floor of the Greensboro Cultural Center)
What happens when a child of the Great Migration starts digging around in his ancestral Alabama home? Journalist Lee Hawkins did just that, and his memoir, I Am Nobody’s Slave: How Uncovering My Family’s History Set Me Free, and podcast tell the story of the generational trauma he bore witness to—and came to understand—through his research. Aran Shetterly’s book, Morningside: The 1979 Greensboro Massacre and the Struggle for an American City’s Soul, dives deep into the personalities and institutions that came together in a deadly clash that day. In both books, the unburied past informs the present in ways that can be understood—if we’re brave enough to face it.
CHRISTOPHER A COOPER + JONATHAN WILSON-HARTGROVE
6:0o PM | Van Dyke Performance Space (1st floor of the Greensboro Cultural Center)
How NC Became a “Purple State”
We all know North Carolina is a so-called purple state. Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove’s most recent book, co-authored with Rev. William J. Barber, tackles the personal stories behind the socioeconomic factors that shape NC politics. Political scientist Christopher A. Cooper has written a scholarly, data-rich account of just how purple we are. In discussion with journalist Jordan Green, they’ll attempt to shed light on the forces that divide us.
KAMAL EUGENE BELL
10:oo AM | GreenHill Center for NC Art (2nd floor of the Greensboro Cultural Center)
The author of the children’s book, Akeem Keeps Bees, Kamal is the owner of Sankofa Farms LLC, a 12-acre regenerative farm dedicated to combating food deserts in urban and rural communities. Through the Sankofa Farms Agricultural Academy, he empowers young men with agriculture-focused STEM skills and collaborates with community organizations to deliver fresh produce to those in need. He is a doctoral student at NC State University in the Agriculture Extension Education program.
NATASHA TARPLEY
11:oo AM | GreenHill Center for NC Art (2nd floor of the Greensboro Cultural Center)
Her classic, bestselling picture book, I Love My Hair!, an ode to Black childhood and natural beauty, is a staple on national school and library reading lists, and a favorite among readers around the world. I Love My Hair! also inspired Natasha’s most recent picture book series, Keyana Loves… Natasha Anastasia Tarpley is currently working on a new children’s narrative podcast and animated television series, forthcoming in 2025-2026.
PATRICE GOPO
12:oo PM | GreenHill Center for NC Art (2nd floor of the Greensboro Cultural Center)
As the child of Jamaican immigrants who was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, Patrice writes stories steeped in themes of place, belonging, and home. Now based in North Carolina, she is an award-winning essayist and the author of several children’s books, including All the Places We Call Home and her latest release, Ripening Time.
HIGH SCHOOL POET LAUREATES
11:oo AM | Greensboro History Museum
A special presentation from this year’s Guilford County High School Poet Laureates.
For over two decades, the High School Poet Laureate Program has provided a platform for young poets to find their voices. Greensboro Bound proudly sponsors this initiative
KRISTIE FREDERICK DAUGHERTY + ELLY BOOKMAN
1:oo PM | Greensboro History Museum
Is Taylor Swift teaching us literature?
Yes, Taylor Swift is a reader—but does that make her songwriting literature? Some pretty big-name poets seem to think so. Poet Elly Bookman (Love Sick Century) and editor and poet Kristie Frederick Daugherty (Invisible Strings: 113 Poets Respond to the Songs of Taylor Swift) will wax poetic about all things Swiftie with Dr. Anthony Cuda, Associate Head of English at UNC Greensboro and a 20th-century literature scholar.
PARKING INFORMATION
Important Traffic Alert
Davie Street, between W. Friendly Avenue and Abe Brenner Place, is closed to traffic due to ongoing road construction. Please allow a few extra minutes when navigating downtown.
- The closest parking is at the Church Street Parking Deck (215 N. Church Street), just steps from all festival venues.
- Good news! Parking in all city decks is free on weekends.
- Additional downtown parking options can be found here: Downtown Greensboro Parking Information
- Hop on the Hopper Trolley! If you’re parked a bit further away from the festival, the Hopper Trolley runs all along Elm Street and can drop you at Center City Park… and it’s free! View the full route information by clicking here.
