APSU to host Newbery Honor-winning author Darcie Little Badger on Nov. 5
By: Dr. Andrea Spofford October 22, 2026
Darcie Little Badger, a Lipan Apache writer whose work encompasses science fiction, fantasy, horror, and comics. | Contributed photo
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University’s Zone 3 Press, with support from the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts, is hosting Newbery Honor-winning author Darcie Little Badger for a free public reading and book signing at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5, in Art + Design Room 120.
Little Badger is a Lipan Apache writer with a Ph.D. in oceanography. Her critically acclaimed debut novel Elatsoe was featured in Time Magazine as one of the 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time. Elatsoe also won the Locus Award for Best First Novel and is a Nebula, Ignyte, and Lodestar finalist. Her second fantasy novel, A Snake Falls to Earth, received a Nebula Award, an Ignyte Award, and a Newbery Honor and is on the National Book Awards longlist. Her third book, Sheine Lende, is the prequel to Elatsoe and is a USA Today bestseller and an American Indian Youth Literature Award and Lodestar winner. Learn more about Little Badger by visiting her website: https://darcielittlebadger.com.
"We're stoked to host Darcie Little Badger this fall,” said Dr. Raymond Deeren, co-coordinator of Austin Peay’s creative writing program. “For our students and community to hear from a multi-award-winning writer of novels, short stories, and comics—whose work encompasses fantasy, speculative fiction, and more—is such a gift.”
Attendees are invited to engage with Little Badger during a Q&A session immediately following the reading. Books will be available for purchase during the signing as well.
To learn more about Zone 3 Press, contact Deeren at deerenr@apsu.edu.
About the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts
Since 1985, the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts (CECA, or "seek-ah") has been providing students, the Clarksville community, and the Middle Tennessee region with engaging experiences through the Art + Design, Creative Writing, Music, and Theatre & Dance programs at APSU. CECA brings as many as 85 guest artists to Clarksville each year and presents up to 100 public arts and culture events annually, including concerts, exhibitions, artist lectures, master classes, artist residencies, and more. In addition, CECA provides the arts faculty at APSU with research opportunities to enhance their professional growth as well as numerous student scholarships each year to support APSU's own emerging artists. To learn more about the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts at APSU, contact Dr. Andrea Spofford at spofforda@apsu.edu.