Bill Landry, longtime host of WBIR-TV's "Heartland Series," will talk about his new book at the next meeting of the Knoxville Writers' Guild at 7 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 1 at the Laurel Theater. The public is invited to attend.

Landry will also sign copies of "Appalachian Tales & Heartland Adventures," a 187-page coffee table book published by Celtic Cat Publishing (softbound, $25; hardbound, $45). The book tells the stories behind the stories of the popular Knoxville television series, which ran from 1984 to 2009.

A Chattanooga native, Landry was hired by WBIR to do two pilot episodes of the show, created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Smoky Mountains National Park. "I figured if they sold, I might have a job for a year or two," he said. More than 1,900 episodes aired and the show won four Emmy Awards. Landry and his crew still produce four one-hour specials of the show each year.

The Laurel Theater is located at the corner of Laurel Avenue and 16th Street. A $2 donation is suggested for those attending. The building is handicapped accessible. For more information, visit www.knoxvillewritersguild.org.  

Adria Amos, Logan Murphy and Hannah Shuck will read at Union Ave Books as part of its Poet3 series on Sunday, Nov. 20, at 3 p.m.  

KWG has two new writing groups:  a Youth Fiction writing group for Guild members in high school or who are alumni of this group and under the age of 21; and a Youth Poetry writing group for  the same demographic.  Erin Atchley will lead both groups.  An Advanced Poetry Writing Group led by Dale Mackey also formed recently,  with other groups forming all the time. If you are interested in joining a group or helping to form a new one, take a look at our Writing Groups page (click here) and speak to Terry Shaw, President. We are always interested in starting new groups. Writing groups are central to the Writers' Guild. Join one!
  

KWG member Marianne Worthington has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize for her poem, "To Sing and Sing Again." Worthington of Williamsburg, KY, is cofounder and poetry editor for the online literary journal "Still: The Journal," poetry editor for "Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine," and editor of the Motif anthology series from MotesBooks. The Pushcart is an American literary prize by Pushcart Press honoring the best poetry, short fiction, essays and "literary whatnot" published in small presses over the previous year.