Brighten the Corner Where You Are is the riveting story of a day in the life of Joe Robert Kirkman, a North Carolina mountain schoolteacher, sly prankster, country philosopher, and family man. This novel from award-winning author Fred Chappell has won the hearts of readers and reviewers across the country.

Fred Chappell is the award-winning author of over twenty books of poetry and fiction. His previous novels include I Am One of You Forever and Look Back All the Green Valley. He teaches at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro, where he lives with his wife Susan.