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Dr. Peter Petschauer will be the featured presenter at the regular meeting of the High Country Writers on Thursday, August 10, 2017 at 10:00am.

Dr. Peter Petschauer, retired Appalachian State University Professor Emeritus, will be the featured presenter at the Thursday, August 10th meeting of the High Country Writers at the Watauga County Public Library in Boone. The library is located at 140 Queen Street. The program will begin at 10:00am, preceded by coffee and conversation from 9:30 to 10:00am. The program is free and open to the public.

Dr. Petschauer, a nationally and internationally known historian and scholar, holds Ph.D., M.A. and B.A degrees in European and Russian History from New York University. He joined the faculty of Appalachian State University in 1968, quickly attaining recognition for his scholarship and teaching. He received Appalachian’s Outstanding Teacher Award, was the recipient of A.S.U.’s Outstanding Graduate Faculty Award and was nominated to the Academy of Outstanding Teachers. While at Appalachian, he served as the Director of Watauga College, a living/learning program and as Coordinator of Russian, Soviet and East European Studies. Dr. Petschauer served as Chair of the Faculty Senate and served on the Chancellor Search Committee.

A Perfect Portrait is Dr. Petschauer’s debut work of fiction. In his own words, “A Perfect Portrait began many years ago when I first researched the women artists of the 18th-century Germanies. The article I wrote then was probably one of my best, but it remains unpublished. So, I decided about two years ago that I needed to highlight the fantastic women artists who worked so tirelessly under usually unfavorable circumstances to practice their craft. Fifty of them are known today, and one of them could have been the aspiring artist Clara, the main character of this attempt to bring back a time long since lost. The novel followed my attempt to recreate the lives and difficult times of four women whom I call ‘my mothers.’ These women lived from the 1920s through this century and faced difficulties like WWI, the Facists in Italy and the Nazis in Germany, WWII and its aftermath. It was no small achievement to cope with these adversaries and to retain their values; I aspire to live up to their example.”  

High Country Writers has been “energizing” writers since 1995! Regular meetings are at the Watauga County Public Library on the second and forth Thursdays of most months from ten until noon and speakers’ programs are co-sponsored by the Library. In the event of inclement weather which dictates the closure of the Library, HCW program will be canceled. For more information and a current calendar, visit the website: http:/highcountrywriterstripod.com. Guests are welcome.