JOHN C. CAMPBELL FOLK SCHOOL READING

Carole Thompson will read at the John C. Campbell Folk School on Thursday, June 17th in the Keith House at 7:00 PM. This event is free and open to the public.

A resident of Blairsville, Georgia, Carole and her husband, Norm, chose this area
as their retirement home in 1990. He was a Lt. Colonel and a pilot in the Air Force and served both in the Korean and Vietnam conflicts.

After they moved to Blairsville, a friend invited Carole to a Misty Mountain Quilting Guild meeting. When they had show and tell, Carole decided to learn quilting.

“When you belong to a quilting guild, you have opportunities to try all sorts of techniques and patterns,” says Carole. “Some members are real artists at their craft, and love what they do so much they quilt constantly.

“I made miniature quilts for a couple of years, which can be tedious. I’ve only made one queen-sized, ‘Jacob’s Elevator,’ and it is on our bed. I have enjoyed making quilts for my children and crib quilts for the babies.”

She and her husband have four adult children, two sons and two daughters, with families of their own. They have been blessed with five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, Carole recalls her grandmother did a lot of embroidery. She has one recollection of her mother quilting.

“We lived out in the country for a few years when I was a child,” says Carole. “I remember Mother taking me with her to a quilting bee. The ladies sat around a frame suspended from hooks in the ceiling and each worked on an area of quilt, while they enjoyed visiting with each other. After we moved back to my hometown, I don’t remember Mother quilting at all. She worked as a bookkeeper all day, so I guess she relaxed by reading and playing canasta.”

But long before quilting, there was painting in Carole’s life. She inherited some artistic talent from her father, but didn’t take art lessons until she was grown and married.

“When my husband was in the Air Force,” recalls Carole, “we were stationed in Japan for three years. Just before it was time to return to the states, I began oil painting classes. The instructor felt I should work in portraiture. I just plunged in. After that, I took classes when I could while raising my family. I’ve done over 60 portraits for people, but lost interest. I haven’t painted in five years, but expect to start again some day.”

Writing is one of the reasons Carole stopped painting. A friend asked her to attend a creative writing class at Tri-County Community College. Nancy Simpson was the instructor. Carole studied under Simpson, and was published after completing her second class.

A member of North Carolina Writers’ Network West, Carole’s first love is poetry. She’s collecting work to submit for possible publication as a chapbook. She also writes prose and published her short story in a Catholic Magazine with a large circulation.

Her poem, “The House of Cards,” appeared in an anthology, A SENSE OF PLACE, published by the Southeast Writer’s Association. Two of her poems were used in an Old Unicoi Trail Chapter DAR fund raising calendar.

Carole has been a member of the NSDAR 25 years because she believes in their goals of promoting education, historic preservation, and patriotism. “Our Old Unicoi Trail Chapter raises funds for college scholarships for seniors in the tri-county area,” she explains, “and all NSDAR chapters support several schools around the country that educate and provide a loving, safe home for children coming from underprivileged and sometimes unsafe home situations.”

Her essay entitled, “A Common Thread,” won first place and best of show in a Daughter’s of the American Revolution National Literature and Drama Contest. It was placed on display in DAR Continental Hall in Washington, DC during the 1999 Continental Congress.

Additionally, Carole’s heart-warming story, “A Bag of Sugar for Paula,” was first published by THE LIGUORIAN MAGAZINE in the 2000 Christmas issue and illustrated in color. It also appeared in the anthology, CHRISTMAS PRESENCE, by Catawba Press.

Besides writing, Carole and her husband have sung in church choirs all their married life. They attend the First United Methodist Church of Union County in Blairsville.

Finally, Carole Thompson enjoys meeting people and uses her talents to bless others.

Here’s a poem by Carole Thompson:

THE HOUSE OF CARDS
There is a tiny house that sits askew
In silent patience, holding out, holding on.
Winter paints ugliness on its bleak, leaning timbers,
No smoke curl charms the view or adds warmth—
I wonder how it can stand.

Inside, a very old woman waits, rocking
To a song with no words or music, remembering.
Neither joyful or sad, she numbly endures
The repetition of years and seasons.

If she lives til spring, she will emerge
One day, much like her tulips, urged by the warmth.
Her gnarled hands will bring out rusty coffee cans,
Watering every living thing, tearing away dry vines,
Exposing new shoots to sun and rain.

She will be about her garden til autumn frosts
Shrivel the blossoms, and chill her ancient bones.
Then, she will shut the door of her tiny fortress,
Remaining unseen, like the tubers now sleeping
In her garden, caring little for passing strangers
Who gape and wonder—how the little house still stands.
By: Carole Thompson

Brenda Kay Ledford will also read at the John C. Campbell Folk School on June 17th. You may visit her website and blog at: http://www.brendakayledford.com/ and http://blueridgepoet.blogspot.com/.

Everyone is cordially invited to attend the John C. Campbell Folk School and hear Carole Thompson and Brenda Kay Ledford read their work on June 17th.