The event will be held at Historic Hayesville, Inc., home of the Barn Quilt Studio, and Small Town Main Street Office location.
The museum is located beside the Hayesville Post Office, 116 Sanderson Street; Hayesville, NC.
For information: www.historichayesvilleinc.com
is featured on the Moss Memorial Library's mural in Hayesville, North Carolina.
The striking art was designed on the back wall of Moss Memorial Library. The artwork includes more than 100 book spines, each one selected to reflect the power of literature.
Besides Ledford, other authors include: Maya Angelou, Shakespeare, Byron Herbert Reece, Joy Harjo, Mary Oliver, Lee Smith, Emily Dickinson, Ron Rash, Lewis Carroll, Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, Edgar Allan Poe, E.B. White, Louisa M. Alcott, and other remarkable writers.
Author Brenda Kay Ledford
The August Literary Hour at the J.C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC, will feature two Hiawassee writers, author Carroll Taylor and poet Joan Howard. Literary Hour is Thursday, August 21, at 7 p.m. in the Keith House. Literary Hour is free and open to everyone.
An educator for over 40 years, Taylor is a member of North Carolina Writers’ Network and the Georgia Poetry Society. She and her husband live in Hiawassee, GA, where she feeds a crow family whose antics inspire her to write every day.
Her poetry is “pure music: love songs, laments, hymns [demonstrating] an incredible ear for sound, …rhyme and meter. This, coupled with an eye and heart for discovering the sublime in nature, gives her poems a classical feel—a formality that ups the poignancy while keeping sentimentality at bay,” according to Karen Paul Holmes, author of “Untying the Knot.”
Mary Jo Dyre of Murphy is the host of Literary Hour. She is author of “Springheads” a novel combining elements of historical fiction, romance, mystery, adventure and fantasy to create a story of self-discovery.
The Literary Hour at the folk school is sponsored by the North Carolina Writers’ Network-West on every third Thursday of the month through October. It brings local writers to the campus to share their work with the community. The public, and 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/.
Award winning poet Scott Owens will lead two events in Hayesville, NC, and Hiawassee, GA, Friday, Aug. 15, and Saturday, Aug. 16.
On Saturday, Aug. 16, he will lead a poetry workshop on How Poems Get Written, at 10 a.m. at 355 N. Main St., Suite C, Hiawassee, GA. The workshop is sponsored by the North Carolina Writers’ Network-West and requires registration and payment of a $40 fee. Checks should be made out to North Carolina Writers’ Network. The size of the class is limited, so registering early is recommended.
For registration information, email Glenda Beall at gcbmountaingirl@gmail.com. For an address to mail checks to, email Sandy Benson at sandybenson28909@gmail.com.
Owens is Professor of Poetry at Lenoir Rhyne University, and former editor of Wild Goose Poetry Review and Southern Poetry Review and has authored 24 books of poetry. His most recent, Elemental, is a collection of poems about nature. He is recipient of awards from the Academy of American Poets, the Pushcart Prize Anthology, and the Next Generation/Indie Lit Awards. His articles about writing poetry have been used in Poet’s Market four times. He has twice been nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award and to be NC Poet Laureate.
What People are Saying About Elemental:
In Elemental, Scott Owens has crafted poems of praise and witness that… where “everyone remembers/what it means to live.” Pat Riviere-Seel, author of Because I Did Not Drown
[T]he elemental poetry of Scott Owens… shares with us his essentials, those things in life possible to trust and to love. Bill Griffin, naturalist at Verse & Image
Scott Owens delves deep into the simple but precious things we take for granted and opens our eyes, to see what he sees, what he hears, and feels, to bring into consciousness those elemental parts of life. Glenda Beall, author of Now Might As Well Be Then
A seventh-generational native of Clay County, North Carolina, Ledford is an award-winning author, poet, blogger, storyteller and retired educator. Her work has appeared in many print and online journals including "Anthology of Appalachian Writers," "Good Old Days Magazine," "Chicken Soup for the Soul," "When Love Wags a Tail," 57 Old Mountain Press anthologies and many other publications.
Ledford has received "The Paul Green Multimedia Award" 13 times from North Carolina Society of Historians for her books, blogs, and collecting oral history on Southern Appalachia. Finishing Line Press released her latest poetry book, The Persistent Trillium.
Coffee With the Poets is sponsored by North Carolina Writer's Network-West. An open mic will follow Ledford's reading. This event is free and open to the public.
The Cherokee County Arts Council, 33 Valley River Ave, Murphy NC, will host an evening with local poet Mary Ricketson as she reads from her latest collection, Tall Flowers and Living Long. The date and time for the book launch and reading is Thursday, July 31, at 6 p.m. at the Arts Council.
Ricketson’s newest work will appeal not only to poetry enthusiasts but also to readers of memoirs, lovers of the natural world, and those interested in the therapeutic power of storytelling. Her verse captures the movement of life—its grief, its glory, and everything in between. Her work celebrates resilience, healing, and everyday beauty.
This free community event offers a chance to hear from one of the region’s most authentic voices. Books will be available for purchase.
Poet Marjorie Hobkirk and Writer Bethany Chaney are the featured readers for the July Literary Hour at the John C. Campbell Folk School’s Keith House Thursday, July 17, at 7 p.m. Each month the Literary Hour invites a local poet and writer to the school’s Brasstown campus to read and discuss their work. The reading is sponsored by the North Carolina Writers’ Network-West and is free and open to everyone.
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| Marjorie Hobkirk |
A nurse by profession, Hobkirk enjoys a diversity of artistic endeavors. While raising a family in Fountain Hills, Arizona she became active in Telerana Weavers and Spinners Guild and went on to obtain a BFA in Fiber Arts at Arizona State University in1998. “Textile language, metaphors and the tools of weaving and spinning are right behind nursing as a calling,” she said.
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| Bethany Chaney |
Mary Jo Dyre of Murphy is the host of Literary Hour. She is author of “Springheads” a novel combining elements of historical fiction, romance, mystery, adventure and fantasy to create a story of self-discovery.
The Literary Hour at the folk school is offered every third Thursday of the month through October 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/.
The North Carolina Writers’ Network-West is offering “Jaw Droppers!”, a poetry workshop led by artist and poet Rosemary Royston Saturday, July 26, from 10 to Noon at 355 Main Street N, Suite C, Hiawassee, GA.
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| Rosemary Royston |
Brenda Kay Ledford pictured with her new poetry book, The Persistent Trillium. Finishing Line Press published her book on May 16, 2025.
The following authors wrote blurbs for Ledford's book:
Brenda Kay Ledford takes her persistent pen and poet's heart from such wrenching topics as Haitian immigrants and child labor to the joyful sounds of Mother Nature in "The Music of Maples" and "Leatherwood Falls." --Lorraine Martin Bennett, author, "Cat on a Black Moon; former journalist with "Atlanta Journal" and Los Angeles Times; previous copy editor, producer, and editorial manager with CNN International; copy editor with "Clay County Progress"
Like a suncatcher, Ledford takes the harsh light of suffering, the glare of jealousy, the burn of guilt, and the blaze of grief and loss, and transforms them, blends them, into jewels cast on the walls and ceilings of our lives. Her approachable style makes the everyday incandescent and reminds us of the beauty even in the bleak. --Megan Lucas, Author, "Songbirds and Stray Dogs," "Here in the Dark;" Creative Writing Instructor at Robert Morris University and Great Smokies Writing Program, UNC Asheville; Editor-in-chief, "Reckon Review"
Brenda Kay Ledford describes the harshness of human nature. Her image of a rock begins a sequence of behaviors that result from life's challenging encounters. But it is the persistence of the trillium that symbolizes hope for the human spirit. --Carroll S. Taylor, author, "Chinaberry Summer," "Feannag the Crow," "Beneath the Sky and Waters," and "An Appointment with the Year Monger"
Brenda Kay Ledford's book is available at: www.finishinglinepress.com and Amazon.com
Two local award-winning authors, Poet Mary Ricketson and novelist David Westwood, are slated to read from their works Thursday, June 26, at the Literary Hour in the Keith House on the J.C. Campbell Folk School campus. The Literary Hour is sponsored by the North Carolina Writers’ Network-West and is free and open to everyone.
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| Mary Ricketson |
Ricketson is a mental health therapist in private practice in Murphy, NC, and enjoys writing groups, hiking mountain trails, and tending to her garden of vegetables, flowers, and blueberries.
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| David Westwood |
Mary Jo Dyre of Murphy will serve as host. She is author of “Springheads” a novel combining elements of historical fiction, romance, mystery, adventure and fantasy to create a story of self-discovery.
The Literary Hour at the folk school is offered every third Thursday of the month through October 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/.
Harshman is the seventh West Virginia Poet Laureate and 2024 Appalachian Heritage Writer in Residence and the One Book One West Virginia common read author.
This anthology was published by Shepherd University's Center for Appalachian Studies and Communities and the West Virginia Center for the Book in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
For information: www.shepherd.educ/appalachian
Popular local writers Brenda Kay Ledford and Caesar Campana are the featured readers at Poets and Writers Reading Poems and Stories Thursday, May 15. The reading, which starts at 7 p.m. in the Keith House on the J.C. Campbell Folk School campus, is sponsored by the North Carolina Writers’ Network-West and is free and open to everyone.
Brenda Kay Ledford
Brenda Kay Ledford is an award-winning author, poet, storyteller, blogger, and retired educator. Her work has appeared in many regional and national publications including “Good Old Days Magazine,” “Grit,” “Chicken Soup for the Soul,” “Our State Magazine,” “Asheville Poetry Review,” 54 Old Mountain Press anthologies and many other journals.
Ledford’s newest poetry book, “Persistent Trillium,” will be released in May of 2025 by Finishing Line Press. Her children’s illustrated books, “Christmas in Matheson Cove,” and “The Singing Convention,” both received the “Children’s Book Awards” from North Carolina Society of Historians.
Caesar Campana
Caesar Campana escaped the cold winters of New Jersey to study Shakespeare and play football at North Carolina State University before beginning his 40-year career teaching English in North Carolina and Florida high schools. He spends his retirement between homes in Palm Coast, FL, and Murphy, NC, writing short stories, poetry and novels. He has written eight books, five of them novels. His latest novel is “Frogs in a Midnight Marsh” which tells the story of 16-year-old Angelo Perduto as he travels the world searching for the lost souls of his parents, little sister and astronaut teacher.
Mary Jo Dyre of Murphy will serve as host. She is author of “Springheads” a novel combining elements of historical fiction, romance, mystery, adventure and fantasy to create a story of self-discovery.
Poets and Writers Reading Poems and Stories (formerly The Literary Hour) is offered at the folk school every third Thursday of the month through October 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/.
Poet Catherine Carter and Storyteller Kanute Rarey are the featured readers at Poets and Writers Reading Poems and Stories Thursday, April 17, at 7 p.m. in the Keith House on the J.C. Campbell Folk School campus in Brasstown, NC. Formerly known as The Literary Hour, the program is sponsored by the North Carolina Writers’ Network-West and is free and open to everyone.
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| Kanute Rarey |
A prize-winning poet, Carter is a prolific writer. She has authored four full-length poetry collections, “Larvae of the Nearest Stars,” “The Swamp Monster at Home,” and “The Memory of Gills,” and the soon to be published “By Stone and Needle,” and has two chapbooks, “Marks of the Witch” and “Good Morning, Unseen.” Her poems have appeared in numerous literary journals.
Rarey needs no introduction in this area. A well-known and popular storyteller, he developed the “Reminiscing, Storytelling and Capturing Personal History,” program for residents in area care centers, senior centers and retirement communities. It combines discussion and storytelling to remind listeners of the present and the past and help them find joy in the moment.
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| Catherine Carter |
In addition to her own poetry, Carter and co-editor and co-translator Brian Gastle produced the first full-length verse translation into modern English of John Gower’s 33,000-line Middle English poem “The Lover’s Confession.” She is a professor at Western Carolina University, where she teaches English and creative writing.
“On a good day, I can re-queen a hive of honeybees and roll a whitewater kayak, and on less-good days, I collect stings, rock-rash, and multiple contusions,” she said about two of her extracurricular interests.
Rarey, in addition to storytelling, helps with the annual Georgia Mountain Storytelling Festival in Hiawassee which just finished its 11th season this month. He also started a storytelling group, Mountain Area Storytellers. His passion for storytelling began with a workshop led by national storyteller, Elizabeth Ellis, at the Campbell School. “Elizabeth opened the door to that canary cage and the bird flew out,” he said.
Poets and Writers Reading Poems and Stories is offered every third Thursday of the month through October and brings local writers to the campus to share their work with the community. The public as well as students and faculty of the school are welcome to attend the readings.
