Shepherd's 20th Annual Appalachian Heritage Festival Hosts Poet Nikki Giovanni

This week Shepherd University is hosting the 20th Annual Appalachian Heritage Festival. Many of the planned festivities surround the 17th Annual Appalachian Heritage Writer-in-Residence.

Shepherd’s Appalachian Heritage Festival began back in 1995, and now twenty years later, it’s still going strong. The festival first started as a way to combat some of the negative stereotypes about West Virginia and Appalachian culture.

This year’s 17^th Annual Appalachian Heritage Writer-in-Residence is Nikki Giovanni, a renowned American poet from Knoxville, Tennessee who’s known for her activism in Civil Rights.

There will be many events throughout the remainder of the week, including concerts this weekend with a community gospel sing, a banjo workshop, an old-time string band competition, and more.

Poet Nikki Giovanni will be hosting free lectures and poetry readings throughout the week.