Folk Life Center to host presentation by Author Jerald Pope Feb. 20

The Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center will host four authors this semester – Jerald Pope, Natalie Sypolt, Nancy Abrams, and Amy Williams Wilson.  These presentations are free and open to the public. First in the series is Jerald Pope, known for his children’s picture books, Fetch and The Owl Girl. Pope will engage listeners in a discussion of his work on Wednesday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. at the Folklife Center. 

Pope sketched his book Fetch, after his dog died. The story chronicles the last time a man plays with his faithful companion. The Owl Girlis a modern fairy tale of a girl who is snatched up by a big owl while walking in the woods.  Pope says he writes, draws, and paints because he believes art reveals things about the artist, the subject, and the viewer that photography, for example, cannot. 

According to Pope, “I have a couple of degrees that taught me that college is fun.” Along the way, he established two theater companies, writing and directing plays throughout the South, and teaching theater. He has published poems, fronted a rock band, and won a smattering of awards appropriate to his status. 

Pope is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and the Colored Pencil Society. He currently lives in the mountains near Asheville, NC, with a wife, a dog, and a studio where he happily continues to write, draw, paint and occasionally do commissioned work.

Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife CenterJerald Pope