Chrissie anderson peters
Appalachian author of Dog Days and Dragonflies,
Running From Crazy, and Blue Ridge Christmas
My Story
Chrissie Anderson Peters is a graduate of Emory & Henry University (1993, BA in English/Education), and the University of Tennessee (2002, MS in Information Sciences). She worked for twenty years in various public and academic libraries in Virginia and Tennessee, including Tazewell County Public Library (VA), Botetourt County Public Library (VA), Hollins University (VA), Bedford Public Library (VA), Bristol Public Library (VA/TN), and Northeast State Community College (TN). She served in various roles (program development and coordination for children, YA, and adults – students and the general community at the community college) to reference services, to bibliographic instruction. She taught groups and classes how to utilize the online catalogs, online databases, and other reference materials available at both public and academic libraries. She also assisted in collection development in each position she held, building strong and diverse collections to serve each community’s readership.
In 2012, Chrissie self-published her first book, Dog Days and Dragonflies, a collection of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry inspired by her developmental years in Tazewell County, a look back at her youth from an adult’s perspective. The following year, she self-published Running From Crazy, another collection of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry that explored “crazy” in many forms, from falling in love to mental illnesses. In 2019, after several years of working through her own mental illnesses and several family members’ deaths, she released her third self-published book, a collection of nonfiction Christmas tales, Blue Ridge Christmas, wherein the reader meets an unlikely holiday cast including Duran Duran, Dolly Parton, Squeaky Fromme, Mary Kay, and a Christmas goat named Jacob. She is currently working on a memoir entitled Chasing After Rainbows, as well as a collection of short stories, still untitled.
Chrissie has placed in several contests around the region with organizations such as Mountain Heritage Literary Festival (Lincoln Memorial University, Harrogate, TN); Tennessee Mountain Writers, Inc.; Lonesome Pine Contests (Mountain Empire Community College, Wise, VA); Appalachian Authors Guild (a Chapter of the Virginia Writers Club); and the Chautauqua Festival Writing Contests in Wytheville, VA.
Her work has been published in numerous publications and journals over the past fifteen years. Examples include, Still: The Journal; Women of Appalachia Project’s anthology, Women Speak; Salvation South; Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel; Red Branch Review; Untelling; Black Moon Magazine; Howling Hills Publishing’s anthologies 23 Tales and 24 Tales; Mildred Haun Review; and Clinch Mountain Review. For a more complete list, please see the “Stories” link on her website.
Chrissie has also presented and co-presented programs and presentations with various organizations. In 2021, she presented the Fiction Workshop for the Mildred Haun Conference based in Morristown, TN. In 2024, she co-presented a presentation on “Imposter Syndrome for Writers” with Sharon Shadrick and Sharon Waters for the Tennessee Mountain Writers Conference in Oak Ridge, TN, and for the West Virginia Writers Conference in Ripley, West Virginia. She presented an abbreviated version of the “Imposter Syndrome” presentation for one of the Appalachian Authors Guild’s monthly meetings. And she co-presented with Michael Samerdyke for Lost State Writers Guild in the Tri-Cities area of Tennessee, on the topic of “Nonfiction Informing Fiction in Personal Writing.”
She currently proudly serves on the Boards of Directors for Lost State Writers Guild and Tennessee Mountain Writers, Inc.
Chrissie is available to speak on a variety of topics and loves to travel. You can contact her through her website to discuss availability and fees.
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
Golden Nib Contest, Local Chapter (Appalachian Authors Guild). 2nd Place, Nonfiction
“Meeting Neil Gaiman.” 2024
Golden Nib Contest, Local Chapter (Appalachian Authors Guild). 1st Place, Fiction
“Tickets.” 2024
Golden Nib Contest, Local Chapter (Appalachian Authors Guild). 1st Place, Poetry
“Before the Dawn.” 2024
Golden Nib Contest, Local Chapter (Appalachian Authors Guild). 1st Place, Poetry
“Before the Dawn.” 2024
West Virginia Writers Conference Poetry Wall. 3rd Place Poetry
“Open Window.” 2024.
Mountain Heritage Literary Festival’s Jesse Stuart Prize in Young Adult Fiction. 2nd Place.
“Making the Grades.” 2024.
Mountain Heritage Literary Festival’s 1st Place James Still Prize for Fiction, Short Story
“Genevieve.” 2024.
Chautauqua Festival, Wytheville, VA. 3rd Place Poetry
“Open Window.” 2024.
Chautauqua Festival, Wytheville, VA. 1st Place Fiction
“Genevieve.” 2024.
Tennessee Mountain Writers, Inc., Honorable Mention, Fiction
“Genevieve.” 2024.
Tennessee Mountain Writers, Inc., 3rd Place, Children’s Fiction
“Bingo’s Banjo.” 2024.
Tennessee Mountain Writers, Inc.’s Humor Award. 3rd Place.
“Nice.” 2024.
Poetry Society of Tennessee. 2nd Honorable Mention, French Form
“October Leaves” 2024
Poetry Society of Tennessee. 2nd Honorable Mention, Haiku Sequence
“Majestic Maple” 2024
Poetry Society of Tennessee. 2nd Place, March Monthly Contest.
“Highland Cow” 2024
Bruce Lader Witness Award. Honorable Mention. North Carolina Poetry Society.
“Knowing How to Lose.” 2024
Lonesome Pine Writing Contests. 1st Place, Poetry
“Tendrils of the Heart.” 2024
Appalachian Authors Annual Membership Contest Winner
“Smoke and Mirrors.” 2024.
Tennessee Mountain Writers, Inc.’s Humor Award. 3rd Place.
“Nice.” 2023.
Tennessee Mountain Writers, Inc.’s Humor Award. 1st Place.
“Too Much Trouble.” 2023.
Grace Writers. Honorable Mention, Nonfiction.
“Handkerchiefs.” 2023.
Golden Nib Contest, Local Chapter (Appalachian Authors Guild). 1st Place, Poetry (Tie)
“Hole in the Woods.” 2023
Golden Nib Contest, Local Chapter (Appalachian Authors Guild). 2nd Place, Nonfiction (Tie)
“Enough.” 2023
Golden Nib Contest, Local Chapter (Appalachian Authors Guild). 2nd Place, Fiction (Tie)
“Absolutely.” 2023
Chautauqua Festival, Wytheville, VA. 2nd Place, Poetry.
“Smoke and Mirrors.” 2024.
Tennessee Mountain Writers, Inc.’s Humor Award. 1st Place.
“The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” 2021.
Mountain Heritage Literary Festival’s Jesse Stuart Prize in Young Adult Fiction. 3rd Place
“Not Tonight.” 2021.
Appalachian Authors Guild’s Local Chapter Fiction Contest for The Golden Nib Award. 2nd Place.
“The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” 2020.
Appalachian Authors Guild’s Local Chapter Fiction Contest for The Golden Nib Award. 2nd Place.
“The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” 2020.
Chautauqua Festival’s High School Poetry Contest. 1st Place Tie.
“Priest of Nothing.” 1989.
Grace Writers’ Carol Oen Memorial Fiction Prize. Honorable Mention.
“Drawers.” 2020.
Green River Writers’ Sometimes You Can’t Be Saved From Yourself Contest. 3rd Honorable Mention.
“Please Don’t Make Me Color.” 2012.
Johnson City, Tennessee, 150 Poetry Contest. 3rd Place.
“The Price of Freedom Is Visible Here.”
Mountain Heritage Literary Festival’s Emma Bell Miles Prize for Essay. 3rd Place.
“Buddy.” 2019.
Mountain Heritage Literary Festival’s Emma Bell Miles Prize for Essay. 3rd Place.
“Call It Paradise.” 2013.
Mountain Heritage Literary Festival’s Jesse Stuart Prize in Young Adult Fiction. 2nd Place.
“Throwing Shade.” 2018.
Mountain Heritage Literary Festival’s Jesse Stuart Prize in Young Adult Fiction. 2nd Place.
“The ‘ME’ in Team.” 2013.
Northeast State Community College’s Echoes & Images Fiction Contest. 3rd Place.
“Retail Hell.” 2010.
Northeast State Community College’s Echoes & Images Fiction Contest. 2nd Place.
“Something Stupid.” 2009.
Northeast State Community College’s Echoes & Images Nonfiction Contest. 2nd Place.
“Mrs. Betty Jo Yates.” 2010.
Northeast State Community College’s Echoes & Images Nonfiction Contest. 2nd Place.
“The Funeral.” 2009.
Northeast State Community College’s Echoes & Images Poetry Contest. 3rd Place.
“A Day With Granny.” 2010
Poetry Society of Virginia’s Come Out Swinging Lyrics Contest. 3rd Honorable Mention.
“Lifetime.” 2013.
Poetry Society of Virginia’s Prose Essay Appreciation of Poetry Contest. 1st Place.
“Heart of the Matter: A Difference Maker in My Life.” 2013.
Poetry Society of Virginia’s Joe Pendleton Campbell Memorial Contest. 3rd Honorable Mention.
“Crazy.” 2012
Tennessee Mountain Writers, Inc.’s Children’s Literature Contest. 2nd Place.
“Rainy Day with Grandma.” 2020.
Tennessee Mountain Writers, Inc.’s Children’s Literature Contest. 3rd Place.
“When Wishing Still Worked: A Fairy Tale.” 2020.
Tennessee Mountain Writers, Inc.’s Sue Ellen Hudson Excellence in Writing Award. 1st Place.
“Buddy.” 2019
Tennessee Mountain Writers, Inc.’s Humor Award. 1st Place.
“Buddy.” 2019
Tennessee Mountain Writers, Inc.’s Joy Margrave Nonfiction Award. 1st Place.
“Elkmont Fireflies.” 2019.
Tennessee Mountain Writers, Inc.’s Joy Margrave Nonfiction Award. 1st Place.
“I Changed My Mind.” 2013.
Tennessee Mountain Writers, Inc.’s Joy Margrave Nonfiction Award. 2nd Place.
“Learning to Drive.” 2011.
Tennessee Mountain Writer, Inc.’s Science Fiction/Fantasy Contest. Honorable Mention.
“Cades Cove Conversations.” 2020.
Watauga Chapter of the League of National Pen Women Contest. 2nd Place.
“Corey’s Quarry.” 2011.