Kionna Walker LeMalle

Speaker

Kionna Walker LeMalle crafts stories and poetry from the distinct culture and history of the American South. Her work has appeared in table//FEAST, The Southern Quarterly, The Bayou Review, and Devotion in the Open Air, an Inked in Gray Press anthology. She earned her MFA at Houston Christian University, where she now teaches graduate students in the Department of Narrative Arts. Her debut novel, Behind the Waterline (Blair, 2025), won the Lee Smith Novel Prize, selected by contest judge Deesha Philyaw, and is a 2026 Black Caucus ALA Fiction Honor Book.

11:00AM - 12:30PM EDT

Saturday July 11th

A Matter of Perception: Creating or Minimizing Distance in POVs

Authors agonize over which point of view to choose, but it can strengthen a story to be just as intentional about the distance used in the narration. Distance can determine how close a reader feels to the character and events, not to mention how deeply they feel the emotions within the scene. In this panel, authors discuss how to utilize distance and how it can enhance your writing style. (Moderator: Sean Morrissey Carroll)

1:00PM - 2:30PM EDT

Sunday July 12th

How to Research for Historical Fiction

Historical fiction requires research to produce a believable setting, but how much is too much? What details of a specific time and place will carry the most weight? Join our panelists as they discuss their strategy and tips and tricks for finding the right balance. (Moderator: Brad Lee)