Showing posts with label readings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label readings. Show all posts

Friday, October 13, 2023

Mary Jo Dyre featured guest reader at Oct. 26 Mountain Wordsmiths

      Author Mary Jo Dyre will be the featured reader for this month’s gathering of Mountain Wordsmiths on Thursday, October 26, at 10:30 a.m. via Zoom. The monthly event is sponsored by North Carolina Writers’ Network-West.

     Dyre, a talented author based in Western North Carolina, is a former educator, now working in insurance. She first finished and published her deceased brother Arnold Dyre’s half-completed manuscript of "Dark Spot," the fourth book in the Jake Baker series.

Mary Jo Dyre
     Next came a plotline of her own. "Springheads" combines multiple genres of historical fiction, romance, mystery, adventure, and fantasy to create a compelling story of self-discovery.

     Dyre's novel takes readers on a journey through time and space, from Mississippi to Arizona, and even South America, as the protagonist, Sarah Baker Bryant, discovers herself through connections to land and water that cradle home and deep-running family roots. Vivid descriptions transport readers to the westernmost mountains of North Carolina and a special piece of river property that holds great power and significance. Sense of place becomes a compelling character in its own right.

     Dyre says, "Dreams from real life inspired the writing of this particular book. These sequel dreams, so-called visions of the night, produced the creative, intriguing flow of tales mixed and connected through time in the plot of 'Springheads.' My characters revealed lives of their own making throughout the writing process, discovered only as I listened intently enough to bring them to the page through my words."

     NCWN-West is continuing to stay in touch by using technology to share our writing. We offer writing events and writing classes both online and in person. Writers are enjoying the convenience and flexibility of Zoom meetings because they can join our gatherings from other locations across America. Attendees are welcome to bring a poem or short prose piece to read during Open Mic. Please limit the reading to 3-5 minutes.

     Those wishing to attend Mountain Wordsmiths may contact Carroll Taylor at vibiaperpetua@gmail.com or ncwngeorgiarep@gmail.com to receive the Zoom link.  Mountain Wordsmiths is informal, and welcomes anyone who would simply like to listen to the beauty of wordsmithing. All who attend are encouraged to enjoy their morning cup of coffee or tea as the group shares thoughts about writing.


Tuesday, September 12, 2023

Local Writers Karen Paul Holmes and Bob Grove Featured at Literary Hour

The Literary Hour will feature two well-known local writers Thursday, Sept. 21, at 7 p.m. at the John C. Campbell Folk School.  Poet Karen Paul Holmes and author Bob Grove will read from their works at the Open House on the school’s campus.  The Literary Hour is sponsored by the North Carolina Writers’ Network-West and is free and open to everyone.

Karen Paul Holmes

Holmes won the 2023 Lascaux Poetry Prize and has published two books of poetry: “No Such Thing as Distance” and “Untying the Knot.”  Her poetry has also appeared in “The Writer's Almanac,” “The Slowdown,” “Verse Daily,” “Prairie Schooner,” and “Plume” among many other literary journals and anthologies.

Holmes also teaches writing at the John C. Campbell Folk School.  Since 2010, she has hosted the Side Door Poets in Atlanta, and she is known locally as the founder and host for many years of Writers' Night Out in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  More information about her work can be found on her website, www.karenpaulholmes.com.

Grove lives in Brasstown within five minutes of the folk school.  He has published twenty books and hundreds of magazine articles and is also known for his dramatic reading at the Campbell School of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”, which he performs in costume and in a British dialect.

Bob Groves

Grove’s writing varies between genres from humor to drama.  Prior to retiring he was a high school science and English teacher and for several years was an ABC-TV public affairs host.  Additionally, he has appeared as a featured speaker at 14 national conventions and before one U.S. Congressional committee.

The Literary Hour at the folk school is offered every third Thursday of the month through November and brings local writers to the campus to share their work with the community.  Students and faculty of the school are welcome to attend the readings.

The John C. Campbell Folk School offers classes in folk arts and crafts and storytelling.  For information about the school, you can find its webpage and contact information at https://www.folkschool.org/.

Thursday, January 24, 2019

Dates and Readers for 2019, for The Literary Hour, John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, NC

Here are the readers and dates for the updated 2019 Literary Hour readings, at the John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, NC. You will notice that most months will have 3 readers, our best attempt to accommodate everyone who asked to read, so we have two months that can add another reader. We will start promptly at 7:00 PM, finishing by 8:00 or 8:15 PM.

Please contact Mary Ricketson for issues regarding this event at: maryricketson311@hotmail.com.



Wed, 3-20-19         Joan Howard

                                    Natalie Grant

                                    Mary Ricketson



Wed, 4-17-19          Bob Grove

                                    Carroll Taylor

                                    Joan Gage



Wed, 5-15-19          Carol Lynn Jones

                                    Kanute Rarey

                                    Rosemary Royston



Wed, 6-12-19          Brenda Kay Ledford

                                    Richard Cary

                                    Maren Mitchell



Thurs, 8-22-19       Karen Paul Holmes

                                    Carol Crawford

                                    Kenneth Chamlee



Thurs, 9-19-19       Martha O. Adams

                                    Loren Leith

                                    Glenda Barrett



Thurs, 10-17-19     Mary Mike Keller

                                    Glenda Beall



Thurs, 11-21-19      Janice Moore

                                    Linda Jones


Thursday, November 27, 2014

Representatives for Netwest do a great job

The goal of the NC Writers Network West is to have at least one representative in each county of our region which includes nine counties south and west of Asheville. That person is given free membership in NCWN as long as they hold an event in their county – an open mic, critique, Writers Night Out, or some kind of gathering for writers and poets that is open to the public. 

Janice Moore and I (Glenda Beall) are reps for Clay County. Janice facilitates the monthly poetry critique group. I facilitate Coffee with the Poets and Writers which meets once each month on Wednesday morning. We have featured readers and open mic followed by a social time.
LUCY COLE GRATTON

KAREN HOLMES
Karen Holmes and Rosemary Royston are reps for the Georgia counties that border North Carolina. Writers Night Out, a monthly reading, has been a successful venture for several years hosted by Karen Holmes. 

Lucy Cole Gratton and Mary Ricketson are representatives for Cherokee County. Lucy does an excellent job of hosting monthly readings at the John C. Campbell Folk School. The monthly Netwest prose critique group is also held in Cherokee County at the Tri-County Community College.
NEWT SMITH





In Jackson County, Newt Smith and Kathryn Byer share the rep duties
and hold Coffee with a Poet each month at City Lights Book Store.

PATRICIA VESTAL
Henderson County representatives, Lana Hendershott and Patricia Vestal, hold a monthly open mic night that has become very popular with writers there. Having two reps work together and share the responsibility of the event eliminates pressure to always be present. Of course our members are usually happy to be the emcee if the representatives cannot attend. Staci Lynn Bell has volunteered to help with hosting Coffee with the Poets and Writers. She does a great job.
STACI LYNN BELL

It is not difficult to begin an open mic or other event for writers in your area. Find a coffee shop, restaurant, book store, or any place that will open their doors to the group for an hour. Send out word to all the writers in your area either by contacting NCWN or other writers you know in your county. Post a few flyers at the local library or other writerly places in the area.
LANA HENDERSHOTT

Those of us who have been doing this for many years will be very happy to help you get the event off the ground and going strong. An NCWN or Netwest sponsored group has the advantage of being a non-profit and that often eliminates having to pay for a venue.

If a group meets in a coffee house or restaurant, they should all purchase something to eat or drink. That is the courteous thing to do and builds a good relationship with the owner of the shop. Also, tipping the waitress goes a long way in making your group welcome at the restaurant.

We sit and write alone but we need community. We need to be with like-minded people to talk about our craft, to discuss our work and learn from each other. An open mic event might be the first time a budding writer gets up enough nerve to read his/her work out loud to an audience.

There are rules for open mic events and for critique groups that will ensure success. The representative in charge sets these rules and makes them known to anyone who participates. A time limit or word limit has to be set to give all those who sign up an opportunity to read.

A good critique group adheres to certain rules to keep writers from becoming defensive or from being too critical and losing members. We have a set of rules for critique that has worked for twenty years and has enabled local poets to help each other and become published.

Our representatives have done a great job for years. We need more people who will take a lead in their counties and promote the literary arts with an event for poets or writers or both.

We invite our representatives to leave a comment here and tell us what you do and why your events are successful.
KATHRYN BYER



Email www.gcbmountaingirl@gmail.com if you are interested in becoming a rep in a mountain county that doesn't presently have one. We will be happy to help you get started.