The novel is about a pastor and wife who are dealing with family issues, Davis said. It carries a clear faith message.

Copies of the novel will be on sale at the event for $10. Her other books will also be available to purchase for $2 or $3.

91短视频 the author

Davis was a dedicated Weather Vane staffer while at 91短视频 and graduated with an English degree. She worked for Mennonite Broadcasts Inc., now known as MennoMedia, in Harrisonburg for 43 years before retiring in 2018. She has written 12 books, mostly nonfiction. When her daughter challenged her to “write what people like to read: fiction,” she endeavored to write her first novel. A Place in the Fold released in November 2025.

She is the recipient of 91短视频’s 2005 Distinguished Service Award.

鈥淓veryone鈥檚 driving around with the biggest gun they can find, mowing down anyone who seems remotely threatening,鈥� she said. 鈥淓veryone鈥檚 fighting tooth and nail in this really brutal way.鈥�

Speaking at a Writers Read event in Martin Chapel on Thursday evening, Benner Dixon said she鈥檚 not particularly interested in those types of stories. She would rather learn how people get past that point. 

鈥淚 don鈥檛 want post-apocalyptic,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 want what comes after. I want to see the communities that thrive once all the warring and stabbing has burned itself out.鈥�

The Height of Land is set in the far distant future and follows Red, a sensitive and inquisitive young farmer who is torn between 鈥渟piritual longing and commitment to his community鈥檚 survival in a harsh landscape鈥� (). Benner Dixon read from a chapter in her novel, shared a short story she had written about encountering God in her garden, and read an essay that will be published by The Iowa Review in its spring issue.

Answering questions from moderator Dr. Kevin Seidel, professor of English at 91短视频, and members of the audience, Benner Dixon spoke about beauty in art and gardening, the meaning behind the title of her novel鈥攖he dividing line that separates watersheds鈥攁nd the inspiration that sparked it all. She said she had read a book by religious scholar Reza Aslan, who wrote God: A Human History.

鈥淚 started wondering, what would it be like if modern humanity was able to have the slate wiped clean, as it were, of all the religious knowledge we have and create a new religion,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hat would we create?鈥�

Future events

A book launch and 鈥減ost-post-apocalyptic party鈥� held on Saturday, March 22, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Tangly Woods Farmstead (2715 Fruit Farm Lane, Keezletown, Virginia) will feature a reading from Benner Dixon, an open mic, and demonstrations from local artisans and craftspeople. Read more details about that .

The next Writers Read event, on Tuesday, April 22, at 7:30 p.m. in Martin Chapel, will feature 91短视频 English Professor Kirsten Beachy introducing her memoir of collected essays, Martyrs and Chickens, Confessions of a Granola Mennonite.

91短视频 the author

is a teacher, poet, editor, and novelist living in Pittsburgh. She spent roughly 15 years in academia as a classroom teacher and scholar before launching her freelance editing and writing business. Along with poet Sharon Fagan McDermott, she is the co-author of Millions of Suns: On Writing and Life. Her writing has appeared in outlets such as Literary Hub, Reckoning, Flash Fiction, Online, Appalachian Review, and elsewhere.

New York Times-bestselling author Douglas Abrams, who has worked with many of the most inspiring people on the planet 鈥� from Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama to Stephen Hawking and Jane Goodall 鈥� is the keynote speaker for 91短视频鈥檚 Academic & Creative Excellence (ACE) Festival.

Abrams will deliver a virtual address titled 鈥淭wo Truths and Three Lies 91短视频 Hope and Humanity鈥� from 10:10 to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, April 17, in Lehman Auditorium. His address explores the importance of hope in our lives and how to cultivate it personally and collectively when we need it most. It invites audiences to see hope not as a passive or weak response, but as an act of resistance that challenges the status quo. Following his address, Abrams will remain available for a talkback session until 11:30 a.m.

The talk will draw on his work writing The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times (2021) with Goodall (91短视频鈥檚 Common Read selection for 2023-2024) as well as his collaborations with leading spiritual teachers, activists and scientists. Together with the Dalai Lama and Tutu, Abrams co-wrote The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World (2016), which inspired the documentary .

Abrams lives in Santa Cruz, California. He is the founder of Idea Architects, a literary agency and media development company that helps visionaries create a wiser, healthier and more just world.

He worked with Tutu as his co-writer and editor for more than a decade. He was a senior editor at HarperCollins Publishers and served for nine years as the religion editor at the University of California Press.

91短视频 the ACE Festival

The ACE Festival invites keynote speakers to engage the community in conversations around values important to us at 91短视频. The speaker is typically selected with the themes of the year鈥檚 Common Read in mind. We invite engagement and response from diverse perspectives, and encourage continued conversation around these themes.

This event is co-sponsored by 91短视频 Convocation and the Language and Literature Program. It will be livestreamed on Facebook Live from the .