KNOXVILLE — Appalachian author George Ellison is scheduled to speak to the University of Tennessee Library Friends at 7 p.m., Sept. 25, at UT Conference Center, 600 Henley St.
Ellison, known for his writings on Southern Appalachian culture and history, will talk about the life of Horace Kephart, the St. Louis librarian who moved to this area and became a major participant in the formation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Ellison, a columnist for the Asheville Citizen-Times, has written regional travel guides and conducted natural history workshops. He is a popular teacher and field trip leader for Elderhostel, Outward Bound, and numerous regional folk schools and field schools.
His contributions to classic regional literature include writing introductions for reissues of Kephart’s “Our Southern Highlanders: A Narrative of Adventure in the Southern Appalachians and a Study of Life Among the Mountaineers” and James Mooney’s “History, Myths, and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees.”
Ellison lives with his family near Bryson City, N.C., in a 45-acre cove bordering Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The UT Library Friends Lecture is free and open to the public. A reception with the speaker will follow the presentation. For more information, contact Joe C. Rader, assistant to the dean of libraries, 865-974-4273.