Valerie Nieman has joined a number of book clubs in 2011-2012 for discussions of Blood Clay. Among them were clubs in Greensboro and Raleigh, NC; Rochester, MN, via Skype; Greenville, SC, by conference call.

The author is available to visit book clubs, schools, libraries, and clubs. Skype visits and Google chats are possible as well. Special programs in connection with Blood Clay, include discussions on finding and claiming home, newcomers to the South, aloneness and loneliness, truthtelling, place and history, losing a way of life (manufacturing, tobacco). Creative writing workshops from two hours to a full day may also be scheduled. Nieman is also an experienced workshop teacher in poetry as well as fiction, presenting at numerous venues including:

     * North Carolina A&T State University (fiction writing, news writing, intro to creative writing)

     *West Virginia University (science fiction writing, news writing)

     *North Carolina Writers Network (fiction and poetry)

     *John C. Campbell Folk School (fiction and nonfiction character building)

     *West Virginia Writers Conference (fiction and poetry)

     *BookMarks Festival

     *LifeVerse (poetry for residents of assisted living centers)