Tammy Wilson of Newton and Lisa Williams Kline of Davidson will discuss how they use humor in their essays during an author talk Jan. 15 in Hickory. The free public event will begin at 3 p.m. that Sunday at Waterbean Coffee, 1995 Startown Road, near Catawba Valley Community College.

The two women met as members of Charlotte Writers Club, and have published both fiction and nonfiction.

Wilson’s latest book, Going Plaid in a Solid Gray World, Collected Columns (Redhawk) offers slice-of-life essays from her newspaper column based in Catawba County. A portion of proceeds benefit The Corner Table, a local soup kitchen. Redhawk is the publishing initiative of Catawba Valley Community College.

Wilson wrote Dining with Robert Redford & Other Stories and was co-editor of Idol Talk, the first published anthology of teen idol essays by female authors, including Kline.

Wilson’s work has appeared in North Carolina Literary Review, storySouth, Epiphany and elsewhere. She has written three first-place stories for the Charlotte Writers Club Children’s Story Contest and served several years as a Road Scholar presenter for the North Carolina Humanities Council.

Kline is the author of two novels for adults forthcoming this year –Between the Sky and the Sea, and Ladies’ Day—as well as an essay collection entitled The Ruby Mirror and a short story collection entitled Take Me. She is also the author of 10 novels and a novella for young readers.

Born in Winston-Salem, Kline is a graduate of Duke University and earned an MA from UNC-Chapel Hill. Her writing has appeared in Literary Mama, Skirt, Sasee, The Press 53 Awards Anthology, Sand Hills Literary Magazine and elsewhere. Her chihuahua has played “Bruiser Woods” in Legally Blonde: The Musical.

Copies of their books will be available for sale and signing.

Founded in 2013, Waterbean offers a relaxing, welcoming atmosphere at locations throughout Piedmont North Carolina. The Startown Road location opened in 2022.