James Maxey, a speculative fiction author in Hillsborough, has been selected as the 2015 Piedmont Laureate. Mr. Maxey will appear at various workshops, reading programs and speaking engagements throughout Durham, Orange and Wake counties. Co-sponsored by the Orange County Arts Commission, Durham Arts Council,City of Raleigh Arts Commission & United Arts Council of Raleigh & Wake County, the Piedmont Laureate Program’s mission is to “promote awareness and heighten appreciation for excellence in the literary arts throughout the Piedmont region.” As Piedmont Laureate, he will receive an honorarium and serve until December 31, 2015.
James Maxey writes fast-paced, action-driven pulp fiction with strong emphasis on character growth and world building, dealing with larger-than-life characters adventuring in exotic worlds. Readers who delve past the dragons and superheroes on the covers will discover stories that explore the deeper aspects of the human condition, from the highly personal – love, hate, grief, anger, faith and hope – to larger societal issues such as the balance between individual freedoms and social order, the inevitable conflict when society is built of unequal classes, and mankind’s relationship with the natural world. In the course of entertaining readers with imaginary worlds, Mr. Maxey hopes to provoke them into thinking more deeply about our own world and our shared responsibility to improve it.
For Mr. Maxey’s schedule & blog: www.piedmontlaureate.com
