Belinda
                Anderson
 
About
                        Belinda
The
                        Well Ain't Dry Yet
The Bingo
                        Cheaters
Buckle
                        Up, Buttercup
Jackson vs. Witchy Wanda
Alderson
                        WV History
Articles
Appearances
                        & Workshops
Reviews
Links
E-Mail Belinda
Media Room





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Media Room

Contact Belinda at WritingWV@aol.com


BIO (read more at About Belinda)

   Belinda Anderson holds a bachelor's degree in news-editorial journalism and a master's of liberal arts studies.  She's written for such publications as The West Virginia Encyclopedia, Goldenseal, Wonderful West Virginia, Book Page and Writers' Journal, among others.

    She was a recipient of a professional development grant from the West Virginia Division of Culture and History and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the West Virginia Commission for the Arts.

   The West Virginia Division of Culture and History has named her a Master Artist to work as a mentor with emerging writers.

   Belinda often presents readings and fiction and nonfiction workshops.  In 2004, Belinda was inducted into the ranks of those authors and literary figures who appear on the first official Literary Map of West Virginia.  Her collections of award-winning short stories, The Well Ain't Dry Yet (2001) The Bingo Cheaters (2006), and Buckle Up, Buttercup (2008) have been published by Mountain State Press.  Her most recent book is a middle-grade novel called Jackson vs. Witchy Wanda: Making Kid Soup, which was published in May of 2013.



BOOKS

The Well Ain't Dry Yet
(Mountain State Press)

A collection of award-winning short stories.  These tales are set in a series of small towns in West Virginia, often with recurring characters that interweve throughout each others lives.  The stories are bookended by two tales featuring her most famous creation, Twilight Dawn.
The Well Ain't Dry Yet


The Bingo Cheaters
(Mountain State Press)

Belinda's second collection of short stories, now set in the fictional Hope County.  These stories introduce us to new faces, as well as several return visits by characters from The Well Ain't Dry Yet, including a reappearance by her most popular character, Twilight Dawn.
The
                                Bingo Cheaters


Buckle Up, Buttercup
(Mountain State Press)

Belinda's third collection of short stories set in fictional Hope CountyTwilight Dawn returns again, this time to take a look at the life of one of Hope County's most unlikely success stories, a man named Paul Goshen.  As always, characters from Belinda's previous collections weave in and out of Paul's overall story, not to mention a few new residents of Hope County.
Buckle
                            Up, Buttercup


Jackson vs. Witchy Wanda: Making Kid Soup
(Mountain State Press)

Belinda has created a world of fantasy for middle-grade readers -- and readers of all ages who enjoy an adventure of magic and suspense.

Follow Jackson McKinney as he engages in a battle of wits in Jackson vs. Witchy Wanda: Making Kid Soup.


Jackson
                            vs. Witchy Wanda: Making Kid Soup
Alderson West Virginia:
History Highlights and Tantalizing Tidbits

   Why does Alderson have a leash law for lions? Who is Bricktop? What famous people have stayed at the Alderson Federal Prison Camp? Were there ever any train wrecks in Alderson? These questions and many more are answered in a new little booklet recently released on the history of Alderson.

The booklet was commissioned by Alderson Main Street and written by Belinda Anderson. She did extensive research to find interesting stories about Alderson. The booklet has numerous fun facts and pictures.

Alderson History

(click for larger,
 
reproducible images)



ARTICLES




WHAT OTHERS SAY



"With warmth and charm, Belinda Anderson creates a world that lingers long after the last page.  Her characters aren't afraid to take up residence in the reader's mind and stay there; they are as real and recognizable as the flesh-and-blood people we know and love."
-- Gretchen Moran Laskas,
The Midwife's Tale and The Miner's Daughter


"In this novel-in-stories, her third major publication, Belinda Anderson offers an attractive panoply of characters rich with nuance and diversity.  At times I felt as if Ms. Anderson had moved the ghost of Edgar Lee Masters from Illinois to West Virginia to add that special Spoon River magic to her tale -- a compliment, indeed.  Full of humor, under-stated romance, and unexpected suspense -- will the Driver's Ed vehicle really get obliterated? -- this book has something for everyone.  But mostly what remains after reading it is a warmth of spirit in which readers with similarly empathetic hearts will take true comfort."
-- Marc Harshman,
The Storm, a Smithsonian notable book.


"To find a delightful writer is a treat;  to find an excellent teacher is a treasure.  But to find both a capable writer and an inspiring teacher in one person is indeed rare!  I have been blessed to find this exceptional combination in Belinda Anderson.  She's been a part of my life for four years and I am the richer for it."
  --Genevieve Sowards Gillen


"Universal themes resonate in Belinda Anderson's accomplished stories.  Her strong characters linger in the mind -- characters such as African-American quilt maker Twilight Dawn Johnson, who can put together the pieces of people's lives in a way that makes sense and meaning for them, or the harassed divorcee who can't quit hauling her dead sister's ashes around in the car until she can come to terms with her own jealousy and shortcomings.  Original, lively, poignant, and brimming with life -- Anderson's stories speak to us all."
-- Lee Smith


"Belinda Anderson's characters and settings are clearly Appalachian-West Virginian.  Her stories demonstrate, however, that even in the isolation and deprivation that some of her people experience, human beings suffer and celebrate in common.  Her characters are individualized and their problems elicit recognition and empathy.  This is a book both readable and enlightening."  

-- Barbara Smith


"In her fourth book published by Mountain State Press, accomplished writer Belinda Anderson has created a middle-grade novel that sizzles with suspense. When a witch disembarks from the train in the small town of Glasglen, fifth-grader Jackson McKinney’s life is changed forever. Will he and his classmates find themselves the ingredients in Kid Soup? In this page turner, the bullied, friendless Jackson learns not only resourcefulness and courage, but also the importance of trust—of reaching out to friends."                                                        

    --Anna Egan Smucker,
author of No Star Nights, winner of the
International Reading Association Children's Book



 
"A wild, wonderful, and witchy ride that will keep young readers hooked until the very last page!"

    --Gretchen Moran Laskas,
author of THE MINER'S DAUGHTER.




Review of The Well Ain't Dry Yet from The WV Daily News

Review of The Well Ain't Dry Yet from The Dominion Post

Review of The Bingo Cheaters from The Charleston Gazette

Review of The Bingo Cheaters from Mouth of the Holler



Greenbrier Valley Quarterly Magazine featured Belinda in its The Art Class 2007 feature in its Spring 2007 issue. Greenbrier Valley Quarterly Article
Photo by Josh Baldwin




West Virginia South featured Belinda in its "Best of WV" Feb./March issue. Click on the image at right for the first page of the article.


West
                        Virginia South article



PHOTOS (click for larger, reproducible images)


Belinda
                        Anderson
Belinda Anderson
Belinda Anderson Belinda Anderson


If you have further publicity needs, contact
Belinda Anderson at WritingWV@aol.com