Often referred to as “courageous” and “eclectic,” Mary Akers, author and poet, will present a writing workshop and a meet-the-author reading at Pfeiffer University on Nov. 5 and 6. Both events are free and open to the public.
The writing workshop will begin at 11 a.m. on Nov. 5, and a meet-the-author reading will be held at 10 a.m. on Nov. 6. Both events will be held in the Community Room of the Stokes Student Center on the Misenheimer campus.
Akers is known to take a unique approach to a vast range of topics in her work in which she “lifts the veil” covering the souls of her female characters. The fictional accounts address drug addiction, cancer, death, motherhood, loveless marriages and unfaithful husbands. Her personal essays on parenting and the writing life are forthcoming in several anthologies.
Akers frequently writes fiction that focuses on the intersections between art and science, including topics as diverse and timely as the environmental movement and the struggle for human and animal rights. Her fiction, non-fiction and poetry have appeared in a number of international journals including “Bellevue Literary Review,” “The Fiddlehead” and “Brevity.”
Akers cofounded the Institute for Tropical Marine Ecology, a marine field station and research center located in Roseau, Dominica, and has pursued a number of vocational interests, including bookbinder in Colonial Williamsburg, potter on Historic Jamestown Island, art teacher in Hawaii, a fabric seller and a cook in a nursing home.
Although raised in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, Akers currently lives in western New York. She earned a master of fine arts degree from Queens University of Charlotte.
For details, contact Sylvia Hoffmire, director of the cultural program at Pfeiffer, at 704-463-3359 or sylvia.hoffmire@pfeiffer.edu.