Poets Karen Paul Holmes and Brenda Kay Ledford to read at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC, on Thursday, June 15, 2017

JOHN C. CAMPBELL FOLK SCHOOL

On Thursday, June 15, 2017 at 7:00 PM, John Campbell Folk School and North Carolina Writers' Network-West are sponsoring The Literary Hour, an hour of poetry and prose reading held at Keith House on the JCFS campus. This event is held regularly on the third Thursday the month. The reading is free of charge and the public is invited to attend. Poets Karen Paul Holmes and Brenda Kay Ledford will be the featured readers, both of which are widely published poets. This should be an excellent program and presents an exceptional opportunity to hear these two women read their poems, many of which are centered on the mountain area.

Karen Paul Holmes was selected for Best Emerging Poets, 2015 (Stay Thirsty Media), and her full-length poetry collection, Untying the Knot,was published by Aldrich Press in 2014 (available on Amazon.com). Her poems have appeared in journals, such as Prairie Schooner, Poet Lore, Poetry East, and Atlanta Review, and anthologies such as The Southern Poetry Anthology, Vol 5: Georgia. Holmes serves as the Towns County Representative for the North Carolina Writers' Network-West, and is a member of the Georgia Poetry Society.

Formerly the VP-Communications at ING, Holmes now works as a freelance writer and teaches writing classes at John C. Campbell Folk School, Writers Circle, and elsewhere. She’s inspired by the Blue Ridge Mountains, Lake Chatuge, and her home in Hiawassee, GA. Holmes supports writers through a critique group she started in Atlanta, and the Writers Night Out she founded/hosts in Blairsville on the second Friday of every month.

Brenda Kay Ledford is a seventh-generational native of Clay County. She was an honor graduate of Hayesville High School, earned her Master of Arts in Education from Western Carolina University, and received a diploma of highest honors in creative writing from Stratford Career Institute.

Ledford’s work has appeared in many journals including Our State, Woman’s World, Country Extra, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Angels on Earth, 30 Old Mountain Press anthologies and Blue Ridge Parkway Silver Anniversary Edition coffee-table book.

Aldrich Press published her poetry book, Crepe Roses, that won the 2015 Paul Green Multimedia Award from North Carolina Society of Historians. Ledford has received this award nine times for her books, collecting oral history on Southern Appalachian and on her blogs: http://blueridgepoet.blogspot.com and http://historicalhayesville.blogspot.com.She also won the North Carolina Press Association’s Journalism Contest Award for her feature on the John C. Campbell Folk School in 1999.

Ledford is listed with A Directory of American Poets and Fiction Writers, North Carolina Literary Map, North Carolina Storytelling Guild, and Who’s Who in America. She has appeared on the “Common Cup,” talk show on Windstream Communication’s cable television, and also was interviewed on “The Blue Sky Show” over WJUL/WJRB Radio Station and gives regional poetry readings.

Open Mic night in Sylva, June 16, 7 pm

The Jackson branch of NCWN-West will be hosting its monthly Open Mic night at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva, NC, at 7:00 pm on Friday, June 16th.  Beverages, desserts, and an incredibly friendly group--come on out! 

Interview with Kathryn Stripling Byer available

For those who knew Kathryn Byer and those who would like to know more about her, an excellent interview with her was done by Jack Prather in his book Six Notable Women of North Carolina. Pictures you have not seen elsewhere are in this book. Find it on Amazon.com

Biography of Late NC Poet Laureate Kathryn Stripling Byer

Appears in Six Notable Women of North Carolina

A biography of the late Kathryn Stripling "Kay" Byer, the first woman and longest-serving (2005-2009) Poet Laureate in the state, is featured in Six Notable Women of North Carolina by Jack J. Prather of Hendersonville, founder of the Young Writers Scholarship at Warren Wilson College. The 43-page biography includes poems selected by the poet who passed away on June 5th, plus photos reflecting her life journey.

Another writer among the subjects in Prather's 2015 sequel to Twelve Notables of North Carolina published in 2012 is Kathy Reichs of Charlotte, a renowned novelist and inspiration for the long-running 'Bones' TV series.

Both books of biographies were nominated for the North Carolina Literary & Historical Association Ragan Award for Non-Fiction, and  are available at amazon.com/books.

Jack J. Prather
prathergroup@aol.com
828-808-0660

www.amazon.com/books

WNO Dedicated to Kathryn Stripling Byer on June 9

Kathryn (Kay) Byer

Our featured reader for this month's Writers' Night Out is Glenda Beall, who will read her own work and talk a little about Kathryn (Kay) Byer, a past Program Coordinator for NCWN-West, former NC Poet Laureate, and friend/mentor to many writers.

To honor her memory and contributions to our writing community, please feel free to read a poem of Kay's at open mic (instead of, or in addition to, your own poem or prose).

Glenda Beall

Writers' Night Out
7 pm,  Room 201
Union County Community Center
Blairsville, GA






Please Note: The View Grill is under new management and the new menu is getting great reviews. If you plan to eat, please arrive by 6 pm.

2009, Kathryn Stripling Byer paid a visit to Hayesville and blogged about it

Kathryn Stripling Byer visited Coffee with the Poets in Hayesville in 2009. Revisit that day when our local poets read for the Poet Laureate and she read for us.

http://kathrynstriplingbyer.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-03-15T18:47:00-07:00&max-results=7&start=14&by-date=false

If you were there, leave us a comment about what you remember and how you felt that day.

Karen Holmes in 2009

Don't Miss Glenda at Writers' Night Out, June 9

Please note, we'll meet upstairs in rm 201,  Union County Community Center, Blairsville, GA

Writers Circle around the Table, Hayesville, NC, offers Writing classes the month of June, 2017

 

Writers Circle around the Table is offering writing classes during the month of June, 2017. 

 

Students can write fiction, personal essays (nonfiction),  true stories about their life, or write fictional stories based on your life, write with prompts given in class, or not. Write from your imagination. Create unforgettable characters.

 

Students will learn what editors will reject and read first. Students will learn to give and get feedback about their stories in a respectful and friendly manner.

Class space is limited to five. With a small class, you get more attention for your work. You can ask questions and discuss your own ideas. Jump start your muse and get back to writing again.

Classes will meet in the afternoon, 2 - 4 PM. for four weeks, on Tuesdays, June 6 - June 27, 2017.

Eight Hours of Classes for  $ 35.00
Where: Writers Circle Studio, Hayesville, NC
Directions given upon registration:

http://www.glendacouncilbeall.com/
Email: glendabeall@msn.com
828-389-4441

The Writers' Workshop, Asheville, NC, offers Saturday Writing Workshops starting June 3, 2017

The Writers’ Workshop is offering classes and contests for beginning and experienced writers. Each class meets on Saturdays, 10-4 pm, at 387 Beaucatcher Rd., Asheville. Registration is in advance only, at www.twwoa.org. Classes are $75 each, or $70 for Workshop members. Financial assistance is available for low-income writers.

Schedule:

June 3: Writing the Novel with Karen Ackerson

The class will discuss key aspects of the novel – creating unforgettable characters, developing conflict, tension and honest dialogue, and describing a sense of place. Readings of award-winning literary novelists will serve as examples of fine writing Editing techniques will also be taught, including eliminating unnecessary details, building tension, and fine-tuning dialogue and descriptions. Participants may bring a synopsis and five pages to the class for review. Ackerson is Senior Editor at the Renbourne Editorial Agency, and has taught workshops throughout the Southeast for over 20 years.

June 10: How to Self-Publish and Promote Your Book with Peggy DeKay

Whether you are a published author or writing your first book, this class will give you a comprehensive guide to making money by self-publishing. The class will cover everything from creating a manuscript to selling your book on Amazon and in bookstores - the smart and profitable way. Tips will be given on how to use print-on-demand technology and CreateSpace to publish and sell your book. DeKay is the author of Self-Publishing for Virgins, and teaches seminars throughout the Southeast.

June 24: Exploring Your Options with Richard Krawiec

Often when a piece of writing isn't working, it's because we are trying to force the material into the wrong form. How can you tell if that work of flash fiction you're wrestling with should really be a memoir? Or the short story a novel? Maybe that poem should be a lyric essay, or that essay a poem? In this session we will generate material, then look at ways to identify what form is best suited for you, and what techniques to use for your particular piece. Krawiec has published three novels; a short story collection; and numerous books of poetry and plays. His work has appeared in Shenandoah, Sou-wester, and Ampersand among many other literary magazines, and was featured in Best American Short Stories.

July 15: Poetry and Tension with Eric Nelson

Conflict—or tension—is indispensable to successful poetry, providing the driving force of the poem as well as its depth and complexity. Writers of all levels will explore different kinds of poetic tension, from the most subtle, such as haiku, to the most obvious (such as epics) through reading and discussion of examples, and by creating tension in our own poems through prompts and exercises. Nelson’s six books include the award winning collections Some Wonder (Gival Press Poetry Award), Terrestrials (Texas Review Poetry Award), and The Interpretation of Waking Life (University of Arkansas Poetry Award). He has taught poetry workshops at Georgia Southern University for 26 years.

August 19: Writing Historical Fiction with Anne Barnhill

The class will learn vital aspects of writing historical fiction, including how to make historical figures 'come alive', how to use dialogue from another century, where to find research materials, and much more. We will be doing writing exercises geared to historical fiction, as well as taking a brief look at some historical novels to see how other writers work. Barnhill is the award-winning author of numerous books, including At the Mercy of the Queen; Coal Baby; Queen Elizabeth’s Daughter; and What You Long For. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from UNC-Wilmington, and teaches workshops throughout the state.

For more info, contact writersw@gmail.com or 828-254-8111.

www.twwoa.org

Carole Richard Thompson's poem, "Looking Down" included in Georgia Poetry Society's 2017 Reach Of Song

Carole Richard Thompson’s poem, "Looking Down," has been selected by the judges for inclusion in the Member Poem section of this year’s Reach of Song, published by the Georgia Poetry Society.

Thompson came to Blairsville, in the North Georgia Mountains upon her husband’s retirement in 1990. She studied creative writing classes and poetry under well known poet and author, Nancy Simpson, and became a member of the NC Writers Network.

Her short story, “A Bag of Sugar for Paula” was published in the Liguorian Magazine . Her poems and short stories have appeared in several anthologies, A Sense of Place, Christmas Presence, Clothes Lines, Echoes Across the Blue Ridge, and Wild Goose Poetry Review.

Her poetry and essays have won national DAR contest awards. Carole’s first chapbook, Enough was published by FutureCycle Press in February, 2013. She is also a member of the Georgia Poetry Society Carole’s poetry has been published in journals and magazines for a number of years. She is a long time member of the NC Writers’ Network West.

Brenda Kay Ledford published in Zoomorphic Magazine

Brenda Kay Ledford's poem, "Mei Lan," was published in "Zoomorphic Magazine," Issue 8/Poetry.  This new online magazine celebrates and defends wild animals.


For information:  www.zoomorphic.net