Hello! I’ll be wearing my Piedmont Laureate crown twice this week. 

On Friday, April 12, 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm, I’ll be moderating a discussion at the Durham County Library along with Jaki Shelton Green (North Carolina’s Poet Laureate) and Marcie Cohen Ferris (food writer and thinker) titled “The Nature of Writers and Social Change.” With my two guests I know this will be a fascinating conversation about what artists can do to promote the issues we care about in these challenging times. The event is free but pre-registration is required. This is part of Library Fest Durham County Library and is sponsored by the Durham Arts Council.

Here’s the official description: Steven Petrow, the 2024 North Carolina Piedmont Laureate, will be joined by Jaki Shelton Green, North Carolina’s Poet Laureate, and Marcie Cohen Ferris, a prolific writer on food and food culture, in an engaging conversation about how writers can promote social change on the page and in the world. You won’t want to miss hearing how three of North Carolina’s most outspoken writers speak their truths.

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Meanwhile, on Tuesday, April 9, at 7 p.m. I’ll be joining Dr. Damon Tweedy as his conversation partner at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh as he talks about his new book, Facing the Unseen: The Struggle To Center Mental Health in Medicine. This event is sponsored by United Arts Wake County.

“In Facing The Unseen, … Damon Tweedy guides us through his days working in outpatient clinics, emergency rooms, and hospitals as he meets people from all walks of life who are grappling with physical and psychological illnesses. In powerful, compassionate, and eloquent prose, Tweedy argues for a more comprehensive and integrated approach where people with mental illness have a health care system that places their full well-being front and center.”

I hope to see you at one or both of the events.

–Steven

About the Piedmont Laureate Program: The Piedmont Laureate program is co-sponsored by the City of Raleigh Arts Commission, Durham Arts Council, Orange County Arts Commission, and United Arts Council of Raleigh & Wake County. Its primary goal is to promote awareness and heighten appreciation for excellence in the literary arts in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. The program is dedicated to building a literary bridge for residents to come together and celebrate the art of writing, enriching the lives of all our citizens.