Feb. 16-19 at the Hoover Public Library join some of the country’s finest writers, artists and performers as they celebrate the richness and diversity of our culture.

By Carrie Steinmehl, Hoover Public Library

Now in its fourteenth year, Southern Voices continues to be a successful gathering of authors, artists and musicians from around the South and the United States. Southern Voices 2006 will be one of our best conferences yet, bringing in new voices from new directions all across the country.

The four-day conference opens on Thursday, February 16, 5:30 p.m. with a free reception, catered by O'Carrs, honoring Southern Voices Artist Kenneth Proctor, Professor of Art and Dean of the College of Fine Arts at the University of Montevallo. Proctor transforms his interpretation of German poet Rainer Maria Rilke’s poem, "First Duino Suite," into a dramatic and breathtaking series of charcoal drawings, which he has entitled "Duino Suite." Proctor states, "Thematically, I take Rilke’s ‘Elegy’ as the nighttime of the soul, a rhetorical quest for peace." Proctor’s art will be on display in the Friends Gallery on the Theatre Level through the end of March.

Best-selling author Harlan Coben, best known for his Myron Bolitar series, will be the keynote speaker on Friday, February 17, 7 p.m. in The Library Theatre. The only writer to win the "trifecta" of mystery awards, the Edgar Allan Poe Award, the Anthony Award, and the Shamus Award, Coben has written thrilling and nail-biting mysteries that keep the reader guessing until the very end and turning pages quickly to get there. Coben states, "I want every book to really twist and turn. I want to keep you glued to the page, pulse racing, heart pounding, breathing shallow. I love a book that slaps you in the back of the head." His books Gone for Good and Tell No One are international bestsellers and his latest book is entitled The Innocent. A reception catered by O’Carrs and book signing will follow Coben’s presentation.

On Saturday, February 18, 9 a.m.- 3:30 p.m., the Library will host nine of the country’s finest writers who will explore the American perspective in today’s literature. Saturday’s keynote speaker is renowned author J. A. Jance, who has regularly appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list and has written 27 books. A former schoolteacher, insurance salesman and librarian, Jance has completed a book nearly every six months since she began writing in 1985. Her latest book is Long Time Gone. The day continues with featured speakers Kurtis Davidson (also known as the writing team of Kurt Jose Ayau and David Rachels, a former Hoover Public Library employee), whose first novel, What the Shadow Told Me, won the Faulkner Society of New Orleans Award; Robert Hicks, whose historical novel about the Battle of Franklin, TN, The Widow of the South, has appeared on the New York Times Best Seller List; Lorna Landvik, a former comedian and activist, who has written the beloved book Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons and her most recent book Oh My Stars; Inman Majors, a graduate of the University of Alabama, that plays a supporting role in his book Wonderdog; Bob Morris, a former travel editor turned novelist from Florida, whose novels include the catchy titles of Bahamarama and Jamaica Me Dead; Jack Sacco, a Birmingham native and self proclaimed most eligible bachelor, whose touching memoir of his father’s involvement in the liberation of Dachau, Where the Birds Never Sing, lead him to receive the Alabama Library Association Award for Best Nonfiction in 2005; and Louise Shaffer, Emmy winner, former daytime soap and Broadway star, who has written two books, the latest of which is The Ladies of Garrison Gardens.

The Dirk Powell Band, with special guest Riley Baugus, will perform in the Library Theatre on Saturday evening, February 18, 8 p.m. and Sunday afternoon, February 19, 2:30 p.m. Best known for his work in the movie Cold Mountain, Dirk Powell is considered one of the world’s leading experts on traditional Appalachian fiddle and banjo music.

Mark your calendar for Southern Voices 2006! Tickets go on sale Saturday, January 14 at 10 a.m. and may be purchased in person or by calling 205-444-7888. For more conference information, visit www.southernvoices.info.

Ticket Prices

Thursday Artist’s Reception – Free and open to the public

Friday’s An Evening with Harlan Coben - $25

Saturday Authors Conference - $35

Dirk Powell Band Concert - $20