Events

Wes Blake will be appearing in the following cities on the PINEVILLE TRACE Book Tour:

Upcoming Events

• Feb. 28 | Nonesuch, KY | Wine, Words & Wild Stories at Wildside Winery: Booksigning | 12 noon – 7 pm
• Mar. 7 | Lexington, KY | Joseph-Beth Booksellers | Local Authors Spotlight: Booksigning | 1 – 3 pm
• Mar. 8 | Versailes, KY | Lynn Pruett Book Club | 4 pm
• Mar. 20 | Huntington, WV | Appalachian Studies Conference | Marshall University:
  • Fri. Mar. 20 | Panel: “Animal Rescues in Appalachian Literature” w/Laura Jackson & Julie Hensley | 9:30 am – 10:45 am
  • Fri. Mar. 20 | Panel: “SELECTED READINGS FROM “Appalachian Men Write the Seasons of Love: Portraits of Vulnerability and Masculinity in Contemporary Appalachia” coeditors Andrea Fekete and Eliot Parker with foreword by Doug Van Gundy | 3 – 4:15 pm
• Mar. 21 | Charlottesville, VA | Virginia Festival of the Book | Literary Marketplace | lower level of  Old Metropolitan Hall | noon – 6 pm
• May 11 | Lexington, KY | Multifarious Collective: Featured Reader | TBA | 6:30 – 8:30 pm
• May 15 | Kingsport, TN | Kingsport Public Library: Reading & Signing w/Melissa Helton, Sherry Robinson, Karen Salyer McElmurray, Marianne Worthington, Amanda Jo Slone, Amy Lee Ann Richardson, Jane Hicks, Leatha Kendrick, Catherine Pritchard Childress, Pam Steele, Erin Reid, Clay Spencer | 3-6 pm
• May 23 | Lexington, KY | Homegrown Authors Booth at the Lexington Farmers Market w/Artist Erik Rust | 5/3 Pavilion, 251 West Main Street, Lexington | 9 am —noon
• May 23 | Berea, KY | Berea Arts Council Reading | 444 Chestnut St. | TBA
• May 29-30 | Harrogate, TN | Mountain Heritage Literary Festival
  • “Paths to Publication”
  • “Flash Fiction”
• June 6 | Louisville, KY | Book signing at Barnes & Noble Plainview | 801 S Hurstbourne Pkwy | 12 – 4 pm
• June 13 | Lawrenceburg, KY | Book signing at The Kentucky Bookstore | 126 South Main St. | 11 am – 2 pm
• June 20 | Somerset, KY | Book signing at Books, Nooks, & Crannies w/Bo the cat | 400 E Mt Vernon St. | 12 – 2 pm
• June 27 | Lexington, KY | Talk w/ Blah, Blah, Blah Writers Group | TBA
• July 27 | Hindman, KY | Appalachian Writers Workshop | “Write About What Obsesses You” | 1:30 – 2:45 pm
• Sep. 19 | Lexington, KY | Lexington Writers Room | Community Submissions Event w/Jay McCoy | 1 pm

In the Rear View

2025

• Jan 3 | Versailles, KY | Discussion with Woodford Library Book Club about their December book—PINEVILLE TRACE | 9:30 am

• Jan. 27 | Frankfort, KY | Paul Sawyier Public Library | In Conversation with Jay McCoy | 6 pm

• Feb. 20 | Virtual Event: View Recording | In Conversation with Kevin Nance and Teresa Brock | 7 pm
• Mar. 15 | Hazard, KY | Read Spotted Newt | In Conversation with Matthew Sidney Parsons | 2 pm

• Mar. 18 | Barbourville, KY: Virtual | Shelf Life Books | Pineville Trace Reading
• Mar. 26 | Facebook Live | Nightmare Press Podcast | In Conversation with Jacob Floyd | 6 pm
• April 11 | Richmond, KY | Eastern Kentucky University | Discussion with Creative Writing Class: On Obsessions & Close Attention
• April 13 | Lexington, KY | Fayette County Public Library -Beaumont Branch | In Conversation with Rick Childers | 2 pm

• April 17 | Lexington, KY | Lexington Humane Society – Habicattery Room | Lexington Public Library’s “Check Meowt” Book Club: Discussion about “Pineville Trace” (cat themed book club with adoptable cats!) | 6 pm

• Apr. 24 | Bowling Green, KY | Warren County Public Library – Bob Kirby Branch | In Conversation with Tom Hunley | 6 pm

• May 17 | Lexington, KY | Homegrown Authors Booth at the Lexington Farmers Market w/Artist Erik Rust | 5/3 Pavilion, 251 West Main Street, Lexington | 9 am —noon

• June 14 | Louisville, KY | Kentucky Book Festival: Louisville Edition | Paristown | 10 am – 5 pm

• June 22 | Midway, KY | A Likely Story Bookstore | In Conversation with cover artist Erik Rust | 2 – 3 pm

• July 3 | Richmond, KY | Bluegrass Writers Studio Summer Residency | Professional Development Session B: Paths to Publication with Wes Blake @ Powell 201 | 2 – 2:45 pm

• July 3 | Richmond, KY | Bluegrass Writers Studio Summer Residency | Dreaming Creek Brewery | Featured Alumni Reading | 6 – 7 pm

• July 10 | Georgetown, KY | Scott County Public Library | In Conversation with David Arnold: How to Write a Book: Authors Share their Experience | 6:30 pm
• July 12 & 13 | Columbus, OH | Columbus Book Festival:
  • Humanities in a Snapshot: Short Stories Panel w/Bob Johnson, Jared Lemus, & Lena Valencia
    Saturday ● 11:30 am

• Author Speed Matching
  Saturday ● 4 pm
• You Can’t Do It Alone: The Writing Community Panel w/Lauren Marie Fleming & Khan Wong
  Sunday ● 1:30 pm

• July 20 | Richmond, KY | Bookfest: Author Showcase | Madison County Public Library | 2 – 4 pm
• July 27 | Chicago, IL | Roscoe Books | Sunday Salon Chicago | 7 pm CT

• July 31 | Lexington, KY | Carnegie Center – Stuart Ballroom | In Conversation with Chris McGinley | 6 pm

• Aug. 23 | Frankfort, KY | Gathering of Authors | Paul Sawyier Public Library | 10 am – 2 pm

• Aug. 30 | Estill County Book Festival | Estill County Public Library | 12 – 4 pm
• Sep. 9 | Morehead, KY | Coffee Tree Books | In Conversation with Julie Hensley | 5 pm

• Sep. 20 | Midway, KY | Author Fair at A Likely Story Bookstore | Midway Fall Festival | 12-1:30 pm
• Sep. 23 | Louisville, KY | Carmichael Bookstore—Frankfort Ave. | In Conversation with Jacinda Townsend about Trigger Warning | 7 pm

• Sep. 26 | Morehead, KY | The Night Market presents Page & Plate Bazaar: Presented by The Stargazer Lounge | 7 pm
• Sep. 29 | Lexington, KY | Kentucky Native Cafe | Michler’s Last Monday Reading Series | 8 pm (doors open at 7:30)

• Oct. 10 | Bloomington, IN | Morgenstern Books | In Conversation with Karol Lagodzki | 6 – 7 pm

• Oct. 11 | Indianapolis, IN | Proof: A Midwest Lit Fest | Harrison Center Gym | 1505 N Delaware St. | 10 am – 11:30 am
• Oct. 19 | Nashville, TN | Southern Festival of Books | Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park | Tennessee State Museum: Duck Room | In Conversation with Robert Inman, followed by signing | 1 pm – 2 pm

• Oct. 25 | Charleston, WV | West Virginia Book Festival | Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center | 8 am – 5 pm

• Nov. 13 | Frankfort, KY | Festival of Books | St. Clair Mall during Frankfort Candlelight Tour | 5 pm – 9 pm
• Nov. 15 | Cincinnati, OH | Books by the Banks Festival | Main Library of the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library | Literary Fiction Panel w/Esinam Bediako, Issa Fernandez, Katherine Howe, & Lynne Hugo: 1:30 pm in 1SB | Book Signing: 10 am – 4 pm

• Dec. 6 | Lexington, KY | Half Price Books: Fayette Place | Book Signing: 2 – 4 pm

2024

• Wed. Aug. 7 | WLXU 93.9 FM Radio Lex | Kentucky Writers Roundtable | Discussion of Pineville Trace with Kevin Nance & Jay McCoy | 8 pm
• Tues. Aug. 27 | The Authors Show | Airs on Channel 4
• Thurs. Sep. 5 | Durham, NC | Letters Bookshop | Book Launch Party: In Conversation with Carter Sickels | 6:30 pm

• Sat. Sep. 7 | Lexington, KY | Joseph-Beth Booksellers | Book Launch Party: In Conversation with Julie Hensley | 7 pm

• Sat. Sep. 7 | Lexington, KY | Old North Bar in Greyline Station | Book Launch After Party: With Live Music by Los Bookhouse Boys | 8:30 pm
• Thurs. Sep. 19 | Live on WRFL 88.1 Radio Free Lexington and Facebook Live | Trivial Thursdays with Mick Jeffries | 10 am – noon
• Thurs. Sep. 19 | Louisville, KY | Carmichael Bookstore—Frankfort Ave. | Book Launch Party: In Conversation with David Domine and Erik Rust | 7 pm

• Sat. Sep. 21 & Sun. Sept. 22 | Midway, KY | Midway Fall Festival | With Erik Rust—Book Cover Artist | Sat. 10 am- 10 pm; Sun. 10 am – 5 pm

• Wed. Oct. 2 | South Hadley, MA | Odyssey Bookshop | In Conversation with Jeff Parker | 7 pm

• Fri. Oct. 11 | Indianapolis, IN | Indy Reads Bookstore | In Conversation with Etchings Press Authors: Robin Lee Lovelace and Brian Muriel | 5 pm

• Louisville Book Festival at the Kentucky International Convention Center (KICC)
  • Fri. Oct. 18 | Fiction Panel with Meg Shaffer, Rita Woods, Oindrila Mukherjee, Beth Dotson Brown, & Wes Blake | Write what you know: How to tell the story that speaks to you | L013 | 12 pm (noon)
• Wed. Oct. 23 | Madison, WI | Mystery To Me Books | In Conversation with Christopher Chambers | 6 pm

• Sun. Oct. 27 | Cincinnati, OH | Joy and Matt’s Books | In Conversation with Michael Alessi | 3 pm

• Sat. Nov. 2 | Lexington, KY | Kentucky Book Festival at Joseph-Beth Booksellers | 9:30 am – 5 pm

• Sun. Nov. 10 | Knoxville, TN  | Union Avenue Books | In Conversation with Charles Dodd White | 3 pm

• Sat. Nov. 16 | Shepherdsville, KY | Bullitt County Authors Fair | 10 am
• Thurs. Dec. 12 | Versailles, KY | Woodford County Public Library | Author’s Spotlight : Q&A & book signing | 6 pm
• Thurs. Dec. 19 | Charleston, SC | Seanachai Whiskey & Cocktail Bar | In Conversation with Anthony Varallo | 4:30 pm