Sylva, Dillsboro, Cullowhee, Highlands

A birthplace of legends and tall tales, and a popular location for Hollywood storytellers, the massive rhododendron thickets and the cold rushing streams of Sylva, Dillsboro, Cullowhee and Highlands have long stirred local poets to create passionate portraits of local people and landscapes.

Writers with a connection to this area: Mary Adams, William Bartram, Sallie Bissell, Rick Boyer, Kathryn Stripling Byer, Sean Bridgers, Sue Ellen Bridgers, Gary Carden, Catherine Carter, Thomas Meyer, John Parris, Collin Wilcox Paxton, Walker Percy, Dannye Romine Powell, Thomas Rain Crowe, Ron Rash and Jonathan Williams.

North Carolina Arts Council Literary Fellows: Gary Neil Carden (Playwrightr, 2004)