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Beth Ann Fennelly

@bethannfennelly

5.1K

followers

2009

following

Writer & professor. 7 books, most recent The Irish Goodbye: Micro-Memoirs (W.W. Norton). MS poet laureate, 2016-2021.

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

"Vignettes on middle age, aging parents, motherhood, grief, and acceptance. A touching and poignant yet breezy read. So obviously crafted with immense care." - Hannah, M. Judson Booksellers in Greenville, South Carolina
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The Irish Goodbye by Beth Ann Fennelly is one of our Southern Book Prize finalists in the Nonfiction category! Vote for your favorite Southern books at the link in our bio. A hardcover copy of The Irish Goodbye by Beth Ann Fennelly sits on a white bookshelf full of colorful books.

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It was an honor to discuss The Wiregrass with the brilliant @bethannfennelly, whose insightful reading and thoughtful questions made me think about the book in new ways. Thank you also to @squarebooks & @mississippimfa for welcoming me back to town so kindly!

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Folks, it’s happening. The countdown to Writers’ Week had begun. In just over two weeks, UNCW’s Department of Creative Writing will be exploring what makes creative expression uniquely human in an increasingly digital world. During Writers’ Week 2026: Sent(i)ence, we will center the distinctly human experiences that inspire people to write, and we’ll celebrate storytellers and the words they painstakingly craft.

Through readings, workshops, craft talks, panels, and generative sessions, we’ll spotlight storytellers and their words as the lifeblood of humanity. Expect an emphasis on individuality, personal experience, and the perspectives that make every writer’s voice unique and writers themselves irreplaceable.

What parts of ourselves do we leave on the page when we write? By inviting participation in such conversations, we hope to offer an expanded sense of the human experience behind the sentence and the passion and emotion that make the gift of language ours alone. And can you even believe this lineup???

Mark your calendars for the start date: Monday, November 9, 2026. All Writers’ Week events are free and open to the public, though some off-site events may require registration. Check the link in our bio for the full schedule of events, featured speaker profiles, registration links, and more details.

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So good. @bethannfennelly

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There are too many photos and too many things to say. Almost a month later, I am still working through a way to “sum up” the 2026 Mississippi Book Festival. (And I still haven’t figured it out.) What I can say is that it was a very special year and all of us with the fest are grateful to those who made it possible through their generosity and belief in the event. We are also indebted to those that came out and enjoyed, spoke on a panel, and helped spread the love of reading. I am so thankful for all my friends who I have the pleasure of working with, the greatest board on the face of the Earth, the most incredible volunteer force ever assembled, and to the gentleman who owns *what seems to be* the one traveling llama in the state.

Y’all come back and let’s do it again next year!

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The vivid and brilliant writer, Beth Ann Fennelly, taught a riveting class on Micro Memoir to our Prose Branch this past August. The full, two-hour session is brimming with gems like this one.

In this clip, @bethannfennelly speaks to the considerations she made when ordering her manuscripts. By generously sharing from her personal experience, she offers excellent advice to writers in the organizational stage of a project.

This class is available 24/7 to CWC Prose and All-Access Members in our Non-Fiction Courses vault. ✨✨

If you’re interested in becoming a member of CWC, now is the time to do it! Doors close on 12/31. We will only open on a waitlist basis in 2027.

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Friends & Features: Meet the Memoirists
Wednesday, October 28 | 7 to 8:45 p.m. ET / 4 to 5:45 p.m. PT | Zoom

What can a single moment hold? How much of a life fits on one page?

@bethannfennelly, former Poet Laureate of Mississippi and the writer widely credited with popularizing the micro-memoir, joins us to read from her newest collection, "The Irish Goodbye: Micro-Memoirs" (W. W. Norton, 2026). Her work finds the whole story in the small, in-between moments of friendship, family, and loss.

She shares the stage with three voices from our community:
✍️ Paul Deykerhoff, a longtime book publishing veteran writing his family’s history
✍️ @jackie.d.writes , author of "No Offense: A Memoir in Essays," a Publishing Triangle Award finalist
✍️ @jennifer_gaites, PWN instructor and essayist on identity and motherhood

Moderated by @courtneyharler, the evening includes readings, a craft Q&A, and time to mingle afterward.

Join us for an intimate night of true stories. $25. Register at pwnwriters.org

#ProjectWriteNow #MicroMemoir #Memoir #CreativeNonfiction #WritingCommunity #AuthorReading

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Some favs from q3 2026

#books #bookstagram

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The 2027 Savannah Book Festival is approaching and “Book It Tuesday” is here. It’s our 20th year!

Every Tuesday, we will announce a handful of this year’s authors until all authors have been announced. Stay tuned for the 2027 Headliners!

#SBF2027 #bookittuesdays #books #bookstagram #author

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GIVEAWAY!

Southern Book Prize Scavenger Hunt 2026! The nominees for the Southern Book Prize have been announced, and voting is now open. The Irish Goodbye by Beth Ann Fennelly is nominated in the Nonfiction category!

Participate in our social media scavenger hunt to view all the nominees, discover Southern bookstores, and potentially win a $100 gift card to our store!

To participate for a chance to win a gift card to our store:
1. Like this post.
2. Follow us.
3. Click to the next bookstore listed below and repeat these steps until you get back to us. You will view a total of 19 posts, including this one. Each post will introduce you to a Southern Book Prize nominee!
4. When you complete the hunt, fill out the form at the link in our bio to enter the giveaway. Make sure you select us as the participating store you wish to support if you win the gift card.

The last day to complete the scavenger hunt is October 9, and the winner of the gift card will be selected after that. Good luck, and don’t forget to visit southernbookprize.com to cast your vote for your favorite Southern bookstores of the year.

@storyhollowtn

@bethannfennelly

@w.w.norton

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The finalists for the Southern Book Prize have been selected!
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Southern independent booksellers have selected the finalists for the 2026 Southern Book Prize, representing bookseller favorites from 2026 that are Southern in nature. These eighteen finalists, six in each category, received the highest number of nominations, making them a collection of the most beloved "handsells" in fiction, nonfiction, and children's literature of the year.
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Voting is now open! Visit the link in our bio to see more about the finalists and to vote for your favorite Southern books of the year!
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#VoiceYourChoice #SouthernBookPrize

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I loved this beautiful book of essays. The writing is sharp, funny, concise, and poetic.
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Personal narrative is one of my favorite types of creative nonfiction. Fennelly’s essays stand out for their originality not only in content but in style. Some of these micro memoirs are more typical lengths, but others are as short as a single line or one block paragraph. Her words are sparse, even when the topic is heavy.
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To me, reading these essays is a lesson in writing—how to construct meaning without being too sentimental or pretentious.
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#booksofınstagram #memoir #essays #bookstagram #librarian

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