tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3277709293178199992024-03-18T05:48:11.512-04:00North Carolina Writers' Network-West's Mountain Writers & PoetsWriters and poets in the far western mountain area of North Carolina and bordering counties of South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee post announcements, original work and articles on the craft of writing. Karen Paul Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03438801590321008266noreply@blogger.comBlogger1945125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327770929317819999.post-82550953477567585962024-03-06T17:01:00.001-05:002024-03-06T17:01:10.400-05:00Chamblee Receives Western Heritage Poetry Book Award for Bierstadt Biography<p>NCWN-West member <a href="https://www.kennethchamlee.com/" target="_blank">Kenneth Chamblee</a>'s biography in poems "The Best Material for the Artist in the World" has won the <a href="https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/collections/awards/wha/the-best-material-for-the-artist-in-the-world/" target="_blank">Western Heritage Poetry Book Award</a> from the <a href="https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/" target="_blank">National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum</a> in Oklahoma City.</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyM5LR8jugOfR_oUCRpjTJJOifSYJjRFJ1bLTtmhFGCF5ESVF6p0DeJr1QdRWcydZYcEXVSrFESTXmQdG12VIcmUpvyMLkuRYQZmXlrJ69ahTeUmoNSfGA2DrgP8nVVnLthmq5CIVXfu5EAOaJdV_ubhpaTm1NwGrDMBZ8K2opzyMy5_Sscpkxm18BtzKW/s912/Ken%20Chamlee%20post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="912" data-original-width="553" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyM5LR8jugOfR_oUCRpjTJJOifSYJjRFJ1bLTtmhFGCF5ESVF6p0DeJr1QdRWcydZYcEXVSrFESTXmQdG12VIcmUpvyMLkuRYQZmXlrJ69ahTeUmoNSfGA2DrgP8nVVnLthmq5CIVXfu5EAOaJdV_ubhpaTm1NwGrDMBZ8K2opzyMy5_Sscpkxm18BtzKW/w121-h200/Ken%20Chamlee%20post.jpg" width="121" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ken Chamblee</td></tr></tbody></table>The book is a collection of poems which follow the life of Albert Bierstadt, a 19th-century landscape painter of the American West. The poems "celebrate the timeless spledor of Bierstadt's work through the witness of many voices and points of view... bringing us into intimate contact with the art," according to<br /> New York Times bestselling author Robert Morgan.</p><p></p><p>"A work of brilliance and depth," Bob Ross, author of "Billy Above the Roofs" said of Chamblee's work, adding, the poems are sober, evocative, and respectful, and they overflow with their own penetrating light."</p><p>Bob Joly, director of St. Johnsbury Athenaeum says the poems bring Bierstadt, his contemporaries, the West, and our notions of the painter and his work to full illumination.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs7emD3iWQpmPTzNZ-kU_DZryCnYsF3-yHHAxMRZEBlmhL3zDaI6RKD2S2smoG2Ke049QlngBhI9E-QiJ2454nCyEEtKTf2BR-FyGnmRyABhKSpGMdutMX2RC8hc1mY-H32AM_sVoSkRoLI8kdj1bmLYLO5mVGQsXfBwtL_7Eak2n3dZiDrats2TRHgtLj/s451/Best%20Material%20.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="451" data-original-width="301" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs7emD3iWQpmPTzNZ-kU_DZryCnYsF3-yHHAxMRZEBlmhL3zDaI6RKD2S2smoG2Ke049QlngBhI9E-QiJ2454nCyEEtKTf2BR-FyGnmRyABhKSpGMdutMX2RC8hc1mY-H32AM_sVoSkRoLI8kdj1bmLYLO5mVGQsXfBwtL_7Eak2n3dZiDrats2TRHgtLj/w134-h200/Best%20Material%20.png" width="134" /></a></div>The Western Heritage Awards honors individuals who have made significant contributions to Western heritage through creative works in literature, music, television and film that share the great stories of the American West. Honorees will be presented with a Wrangler award during the 63rd Western Heritage Awards dinner held at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum on April 13, 2024.<p></p>David Plunketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10932233825864255292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327770929317819999.post-61359362300169877682024-03-06T16:23:00.000-05:002024-03-06T16:23:20.859-05:00Ricketson and Dyre collaborate in powerful presentation of their original writing.<p>Poet Mary Ricketson and novelist Mary Jo Dyre will be the featured readers at Cherokee Cellars Winery's <a href="https://allevents.in/murphy/author-night/200025969669336" target="_blank">authors night</a> Thursday, March 28. Doors will open at 5 p.m. with the presentation begining at 6 p.m. The address for the event is 45 Valley River Ave., Murphy, NC.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-qByAd4daFKsdMZ3-g5o5C7Ns09PTffF_nzCJil5i_jUQCLNgtc9arCD0ws1S4TsnsaHztZkU6fUFIEZKeEOv8rCrTse68wjuBHgQ6S19aRkx4E0YsB_Vhrx68zmFJbfog3gCS9mcVMieTxXyHJhAk3MXR6prZpcGypvJ5fVf_UnQpnj6gaFQd8T-73lY/s6000/RicketsonDyerReading.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="5100" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-qByAd4daFKsdMZ3-g5o5C7Ns09PTffF_nzCJil5i_jUQCLNgtc9arCD0ws1S4TsnsaHztZkU6fUFIEZKeEOv8rCrTse68wjuBHgQ6S19aRkx4E0YsB_Vhrx68zmFJbfog3gCS9mcVMieTxXyHJhAk3MXR6prZpcGypvJ5fVf_UnQpnj6gaFQd8T-73lY/w340-h400/RicketsonDyerReading.jpg" width="340" /></a></div>Mary Ricketson will read selections from her poetry collection, "Mississippi, The Story of Luke and Marian," about life with her parents, their belief that all people are equal, while Mississippi's time of segregation and the civil rights movement stirred pain and conflict. Additionally, she read will from her newest collection, "Stutters, A Book of Hope," which delves into her lifelong struggle with stuttering. The poems speak to the experience of many people- feeling different, challenged, and finding a way.<p></p><p>Mary Jo Dyre will read from "Dark Spot," a mystery novel started by her brother Arnold who died midway through the writing. Dyre picked up his manuscript and found her own words to finish the "tangled, complex web of humanity that often results when man gives over to evil." She will also read from "Springheads," which will take you to another time and still keep you wrapped in your own heart. She weaves truth and tweaks it with what might be, ingrained with vibrant characters set in a world where all returns to two springheads.<br /></p><p> </p><div><br /></div>David Plunketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10932233825864255292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327770929317819999.post-88739491279561247752024-02-16T15:05:00.000-05:002024-02-16T15:05:01.780-05:00Christmas in Matheson Cove<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7uZ_eb30Q7-C4AJF5tXRI-z-tYtRLd6eIDi4mmhJe5YAz8hmS_hKR847cSL8OtVzrarX1DOOr4q6rVx7-0ZyY3UOT8xQAMN4DufIEvugNewFXle-WFBy-MciMNSi1sX6A3kjg7nlxOaAgXUn1jalzd98_oj8IabeDOKkKsQHkmU5IvFZdWo3dMrRaI5Km/s3032/Front%20Cover-Christmas%20in%20MC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2625" data-original-width="3032" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7uZ_eb30Q7-C4AJF5tXRI-z-tYtRLd6eIDi4mmhJe5YAz8hmS_hKR847cSL8OtVzrarX1DOOr4q6rVx7-0ZyY3UOT8xQAMN4DufIEvugNewFXle-WFBy-MciMNSi1sX6A3kjg7nlxOaAgXUn1jalzd98_oj8IabeDOKkKsQHkmU5IvFZdWo3dMrRaI5Km/w490-h476/Front%20Cover-Christmas%20in%20MC.jpg" width="490" /></a></div><br /> Brenda Kay Ledford's new children's picture book,<i> Christmas in Matheson Cove,</i> is upcoming with Catch the Spirit of Appalachia.<p></p><p>This is a heart-warming story how faith, love, and family made a meager holiday during the Great Depression in the Appalachian Mountains, to be a joyful Christmas.</p><p>Ordering information will be released soon!</p>Brenda Kay Ledfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03077314514118637590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327770929317819999.post-57986675821310852622024-02-12T18:14:00.000-05:002024-02-12T18:14:04.536-05:00Jeff Stewart Featured Reader at Mountain Wordsmiths Feb. 22<p> Award-winning writer Jeff Stewart will be the featured reader at Mountain Wordsmiths’ gathering on Thursday, February 22, at 10:30 a.m. via Zoom. The monthly event is sponsored by North Carolina Writers’ Network-West.<br /></p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0gxee10LpGemTrWrl7sJHm0YpGIUg6yMCkk-Oug4pWEoMLiVR8IWEL-Iq8hBnKdQzzk7sU1vacUbvSCjQ55ngxOTlvb4d9LyRWPa5wHtcoOp6QrZf3ff9uyuEnAJ2z1fUOw3TGDMVaXkxhSrCV53Dy_vS8U3NpmzOUXt3pn7CeO0se9hisz7AN4uNG9Ku/s322/Jeff%20Stewart.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="322" data-original-width="257" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0gxee10LpGemTrWrl7sJHm0YpGIUg6yMCkk-Oug4pWEoMLiVR8IWEL-Iq8hBnKdQzzk7sU1vacUbvSCjQ55ngxOTlvb4d9LyRWPa5wHtcoOp6QrZf3ff9uyuEnAJ2z1fUOw3TGDMVaXkxhSrCV53Dy_vS8U3NpmzOUXt3pn7CeO0se9hisz7AN4uNG9Ku/w159-h200/Jeff%20Stewart.png" width="159" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeff Stewart</td></tr></tbody></table>Stewart is a man of many gifts. He is a healthcare consultant, scientist, inventor, author, playwright, and father of seven. He was a Jeopardy! College Champion and runner-up in the Tournament of Champions. Stewart lives in Cary, NC..</p><p>Stewart’s book, "Living: Inspiration from a Father with Cancer," was named the best cancer book of 2023 at the 20th annual American BookFest awards. Their review states, “'Living' tells the story of a molecular biologist, Jeopardy! champion, and cancer patient. Cancer patients and their caregivers will find valuable insider advice… 'Living' is more than a book about cancer. 'Living' is a book about life.”</p><p>"Living" also received a “get it” rating from Kirkus Reviews, which called Stewart’s book “Complex and thoughtful, with a refreshingly upbeat attitude.” <a href="https://booklife.com/project/living-inspiration-from-a-father-with-cancer-85526" target="_blank">BookLife</a> from Publisher's Weekly called "Living" a "remarkable memoir" and "a final and powerful act of love."</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAXq4unfGvfrorSUbTFC0MxAoHVVU6PiUrN1OeJZyhaplCSOznz_E7jbNnhS0RgfP5n6_V-uxekHUSBrA5iVrOGsDJ4ZVrFFRJTNtHlcmNJnkpG8NwX4YmvQoz7TeIDm762Yn9aA3gXIB5N0mp4Lg5mev_Rzc92jbbMbEZIrNCRj28-7j5RQ1mtTEym52Y/s525/Living.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="350" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAXq4unfGvfrorSUbTFC0MxAoHVVU6PiUrN1OeJZyhaplCSOznz_E7jbNnhS0RgfP5n6_V-uxekHUSBrA5iVrOGsDJ4ZVrFFRJTNtHlcmNJnkpG8NwX4YmvQoz7TeIDm762Yn9aA3gXIB5N0mp4Lg5mev_Rzc92jbbMbEZIrNCRj28-7j5RQ1mtTEym52Y/w133-h200/Living.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>“So many cancer books are downers,” says Stewart. “I wanted my cancer book to be funny and helpful. I’m excited by the award and positive reviews, but it’s when someone tells me, ‘Your book helped me understand what my mother was going through’ that it all feels worth it.”<p></p><p>Ken Jennings—yes that Ken Jennings—blurbed Stewart’s book, calling it “a moving message-in-a-bottle from a great Jeopardy! champion—who also turns out to be a writer with a rare gift for aphorism and insight.”</p><p>To learn more about Jeff Stewart, you can watch his interviews on <a href="https://youtu.be/wyhwESulFGg" target="_blank">youtube.com</a>.</p><p>Mountain Wordsmiths gatherings will always take place on Zoom. NCWN-West is also 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.</p><p>Those wishing to attend Mountain Wordsmiths may contact Carroll Taylor at <a href="mailto:vibiaperpetua@gmail.com">vibiaperpetua@gmail.com</a> or <a href="mailto:ncwngeorgiarep@gmail.com">ncwngeorgiarep@gmail.com</a> to receive the Zoom link. Our group is informal, and we We welcome those 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 we share our thoughts about writing.</p><p><br /></p>David Plunketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10932233825864255292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327770929317819999.post-7940579860431423752024-01-22T16:43:00.002-05:002024-01-28T16:38:59.571-05:00MaryJo Dyre is a Mississippi native, an author with an interesting story<h4><span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">I wanted to interview author Mary Jo Dyre, a member of NCWN-West, as soon as I heard her read and discuss her two books, Dark Spot and Springheads. </span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">GCB</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">: </span><span style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">MaryJo, I greatly appreciate you taking the time to talk with me about your recently published books. </span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><a href="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/23ecea_e97382b004d444f8bebd6ef30a6c7f15~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_0,y_133,w_1365,h_1782/fill/w_517,h_674,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/271271028_5542023199146183_1018339012089254294_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="517" height="674" src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/23ecea_e97382b004d444f8bebd6ef30a6c7f15~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_0,y_133,w_1365,h_1782/fill/w_517,h_674,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/271271028_5542023199146183_1018339012089254294_n.jpg" width="517" /></a></div><br /><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">MaryJo Dyre writes and publishes novels. This Mississippi native uses the background of her rich environment and an obsession with reading as a child to enhance her imagination.</span></span></span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> GCB:</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;"> MaryJo, tell us where you were born. Describe your family—how many children and where do you fall on the list?</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">MJD:</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;"> My birth took place in a hospital in Winona, MS. The family home was located near an even smaller Montgomery community, Kilmichael, MS. Our homeplace, as it is called in the South, was in an even more remote area called Poplar Creek Nations. I have three older sisters and one older brother. I was 16 years old before I took in the fact that I was obviously the surprise child. My parents had their daughters and then their son. Seven years later, I came along.</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">GCB:</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;"> Did you grow up in the city or the country? What are some fond memories of your childhood?</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">MJD</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;">: I grew up <i>Mississippi rural</i> in the 50s. When I was not yet a year old, my family moved from the Poplar Creek Nations area to Gore Springs, another small, rural gathering of families near Grenada. My father initially managed a dairy farm. My fondest memories involve endless play in the great outdoors. Screen time did not enter my world until I was eight. Imagination was my constant companion. Kingdoms created under pine trees, mudpies decorated with wildflowers, hot summer afternoons cooled with play in nearby creeks were enjoyed barefooted with hands and clothing stained from blackberry or muscadine juice.<br /> Many poignant childhood memories involve an elderly neighbor couple, Mr. Jim and Mrs. Willie. Their farm gave me the opportunity to gather fresh eggs, learn the art of churning butter, and discover the sheer magic of an earth-hewn root cellar. Little did I know that I was living the word “organic” and honing an approach to education that would serve my future career in strong ways.</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;"> Reading became a powerful force in my childhood as it merged with a very active imagination. The sheer joy of curling up with a good book for hours of reading, checking out as many books as my arms could carry from the Elizabeth Jones Library soon made a believer out of me -- a tale well told has the power to transport me into the realm of dreams and possibility.</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/23ecea_98a8ea22abc746a78a993f9d2b325826~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_640,h_640,al_c,q_85,enc_auto/23ecea_98a8ea22abc746a78a993f9d2b325826~mv2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/23ecea_98a8ea22abc746a78a993f9d2b325826~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_640,h_640,al_c,q_85,enc_auto/23ecea_98a8ea22abc746a78a993f9d2b325826~mv2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> GCB:<span style="font-weight: normal;"> What were your favorite subjects in school? Where did you go to college and what degrees do you have?</span><br />MJD:<span style="font-weight: normal;"> If reading and writing were at the core of the subjects, I enjoyed all. Hands-on science had my attention, but not the textbook version. Math did not resonate with me until I was introduced to Transformational Grammar in college. I attended Delta State University, a small college known for producing amazing teachers. I earned a BS in Education and an MA in Literature. The Delta itself, the diverse culture, the creativity that poured from backroads Blues establishments, brush strokes with artists and potters, and powerful words from writers, all provided an equally powerful source of education.</span></span></span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />G</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">CB:</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;"> Mary Jo, you’ve had a very successful career in education. You started a private school in Murphy and directed it for 20 years.</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">MJD: </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;">In 1983, I founded a private school that became, in 1997, one of North Carolina’s first 33 charter schools. Except for a short year-and-a-half period in the early 1990s, I directed the school until 2019. I remained the Executive Director for another year as I trained and worked with my replacement. I continued to serve the school through May 2022, to find answers for the increased need for expanded and renovated facilities for the growing population of learners we attracted annually.<br /> Working to provide a choice in education was passion work for me. It was a calling that I will forever treasure. The 38-year, rich legacy of students and their families we served will continue to touch and benefit our future.</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">GCB</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;">: Were there challenges that you faced in this process?</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">MJD</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;">: Please understand first, that numerous obstacles on many levels stood in my path, in the journey, the mission to bring a choice in education to this area of Western North Carolina. I have frequently said that building a choice in education was like swimming upstream with salmon. On some occasions, the obstacles came in the form of pointing to the fact that I was not a male and that a male was needed to break through the barriers that seemingly stood in the way of building strong educational choices for area youth.</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;">I learned early in my education career to ask plenty of questions to people who had strengths I did not have. This habit served me well. Additionally, there are many strong examples of females who turned the world of education on its heels for improvement. Again, I “leaned in” to all that I could glean from these strong, innovative women leaders.</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">GCB:</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;"> Your brother was an author and had published a series of legal thrillers. He was killed in an accident. Can you tell us about that and where was his unfinished novel at the time of his death?</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span>MJD</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">: </span><span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/stores/Arnold-Dyre/author/B004XVHE38?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true">Arnold Douglas Dyre </a></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">published two memoir-style non-fiction collections first. He then moved to fiction with his Jake Baker Mystery series. Arnold died of a massive heart attack while driving back to his home near Jackson, MS. The vehicle wrecked totally without the aid of a driver. The partially completed Dark Spot, the fourth book in the series, was in his computer that was also in the destroyed truck. Recovering the file from a very damaged hard drive took time.</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">GCB:</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;"> Had you read his books before he died? Were you and your brother close in age and did you see him often?</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">MJD:<span style="font-weight: normal;"> Yes, I read all my brother’s books before his death. I eventually read them countless times after I said yes to finishing the unfinished manuscript he left behind.</span><br /> My brother was seven years older. He was a prime mover in my life through my teens.</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;"> In many ways I idolized him. He, of course, spent a great deal of time with neighborhood boys near his age. I begged him to let me tag along with everything he did. My mother balanced that desire on my part by having my brother read to me. I was close to seven before I realized he was not reading. Instead, he was spinning a story as I sat spellbound. Even then he was teaching me the art of storytelling. I can still hear him telling me he would someday be an author. Of course, I began to say the same because I longed to be just like him. When my brother went to Ole Miss, then joined the Navy, did a tour in Vietnam, and married, the days of my childhood following in my brother’s footsteps seemed to fade into the past. Time constraints, family commitments on the part of both of us and living in different states kept us separated in many ways. My sisters and I still treasure the time, just months before his death, when all five of us were together in my home in North Carolina.</span></span></h4><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51JI+U+OT5L.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="375" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51JI+U+OT5L.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>GCB</b>: I imagine that you had reservations about writing the book he had started. How did you come to be the one to write the ending of his last book? </span></span></div><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">MJD:</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;"> Yes, I had reservations. Perhaps the strongest hesitation was the desire to make sure I remained true to how he would have “told the story.” At the same time, I knew that it was essential for me to have my own emotional connection to his plot and characters. When Arnold’s nephew sent the partial manuscript, I knew I had to feel the first read in my core. No question, I felt it and knew I could take on the project.<br /> Because of my background in teaching literature and writing and the fact that I had my own proverbial dust-covered unfinished manuscript seemingly lost to a demanding career, family members asked if I would consider finishing Arnold’s work.</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">GCB</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;">: How did you continue with the same characters he had imagined? Did you change any of them?</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">MJD:</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;"> I often answer this question of how I continued with Arnold’s same imagined characters in this simplistic way: I crawled into my brother’s imagination. The process of tapping into that sacred place began with re-reading the three published novels in his series, carefully c</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;">reating character sketches and timelines of each. I researched and interviewed people that I felt certain were captured within his layers of fictional disguise. Patterns of awareness began to emerge. I more readily saw the development and growth of my brother’s writing. I became aware of topics being explored in the third novel that he seemed hesitant to include in his earlier writing. The unfinished manuscript convinced me that the horizons of his writing were broadening to yet more topics not yet explored. He had gone bolder with both characters and plot. No question I had to sustain the reach he seemed to prioritize in the fourth book.<br /> The character of Kelly, introduced within the first couple of pages of Dark Spot, spoke to me in strong ways. I sensed my brother’s blessing, so to speak, to unleash my feminine intuition with this character. She offered so much undeveloped potential to bring a fresh</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;"> approach to the stereotypical May-December wife, made wealthy through marriage.</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">GCB</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;">: You had been working on your own novel for several years but your work as a founder and director of a school kept you too busy to find time for writing. Did you decide to finish your and his novel after you retired from teaching?</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">MJD:</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;"> I took on the completion of Dark Spot when I was still a full-time executive director in the field of education. Delay or hesitation was not in my vocabulary. When the voice in the mind refuses to go silent, the writer in me knows it’s time to write. My brother had a reading audience that was waiting for his next novel and many, many loved ones who were not ready for his voice to end. <br /> When I decided to pick up my novel, Springheads, again, I still worked full-time in education, was involved in the early stages of the Blu Sky Initiative and would soon move into yet another work adventure. Retire is not a word that has any roots in my life as of the present. In my experience, the voice in the mind of the writer is the driver as opposed to</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;"> waiting for the ideal free time to write.</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">GCB:</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;"> I am a big John Grisham fan, and you say your brother’s book is similar to Grisham’s writing. Tell us your brother’s name and the title of his book that has both of you listed as authors. In what way is your brother’s book like Grisham’s?</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">MJD:</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;"> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Spot-Jake-Baker-Mystery/dp/1687348499">Dark Spot, A Jake Baker Mystery by Arnold Dyre and Mary Jo Dyre</a><br /> Grisham and my brother both write from the perspective of an attorney. Like Grisham, my brother was an attorney. I know that my brother’s writing was influenced by some of the hard facts that were presented in his career as a defense attorney. The pace, the intensity of character and plot are similar in both John Grisham and Arnold Dyre.</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />GCB:</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;"> While you were writing your brother’s book did you feel him with you? What kind of mindset did it take to write what you thought your brother would write?</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">MJD:</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;"> To say that I felt my brother with me as I wrote to complete his unfinished manuscript is an understatement. I have shared with many that I feel as if I got an extra year plus with my brother after his death. It was not a great leap to imagine his voice reading aloud his sentences. When I am in my writing zone, I feel the need to go inward. I listen much more than I talk. In fact, I become a bit of a recluse to get “far from the maddening crowd.” This approach was certainly true as I embraced my brother’s writing voice alongside my own.</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">GCB:</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;"> Most of us use some personal background in our novels. Did you do that? If so, what were some of the experiences or places you included?</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">MJD: </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;">A major influencer in Springheads is a specific peninsula of land that I know very intimately in real life. This setting becomes a sense of place, a driving force in the unfolding of the plot line. I strongly felt the need to balance the inexplicable introduction of time travel with characters within a real community. Indeed, the people and places that make up the fabric of my life provided a rich pallet of possible characters and settings. Fortunately, fiction allows hand-picking characteristics and combining them in creative ways to ultimately bring to life the strong characters who drive the Springheads’ story. One of my favorite combinations, Miss Sadie, the midwife/healer full of sage wisdom and visionary thinking, is created with character traits found in three women whose skills, physical appearance, and intuitive genius have spilled into my real life.<br /> My basic rules of thumb with character development: Write about what I know best. Draw on a well-rounded combination of real-life people whose personalities get my attention. Aim for powerhouse characters remembered by readers. Remember that my medium is fictional writing.</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">GCB:</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> Are there other writers in your family?</span><br />MJD:</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;"> To my knowledge, my brother and I are the only two published literary authors.</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">GCB:</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;"> Writing a book is not the hardest part of being an author. Now that your books are on the market, do you have a marketing plan in place?</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">MJD:</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;"> Dark Spot was published in 2019. Springheads was published in July 2023. With the publication of Dark Spot, the marketing plan grew in momentum around a strong Mississippi reading audience already created by my brother. He had an established presence with several small Mississippi newspapers. I picked up his by-monthly publications with these papers. Invitations to do book events came as a result. Additionally, I created my website: <a href="http://www.maryjodyre.com/">www.maryjodyre.com</a> inclusive of a blog and increased social media presence.<br /> Covid-19 threw a curve ball in the plan to strengthen my audience into North Carolina in late March 2020. I am now making use of the July 2023 publication of Springheads to create a growing reading audience around both Dark Spot and Springheads in North Carolina and Mississippi. I make use of opportunities available through Red Hawk Publications, NC Writers’ Network West, NC Writers Network and increased social media presence. Additionally, I work to create a presence in local bookstores and shops. The next step in the marketing plan is to obtain an agent.</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">GCB:</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> Your novel is published by Red Hawk Publications. How are they helping with marketing your book?</span><br />MJD:</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;"> Red Hawk has been instrumental with press releases as well as some in-person opportunities in the Catawba County area for book sales. I link my own website <a href="http://www.maryjodyre.com/">www.maryjodyre.com</a> to <a href="https://redhawkpublications.com/">https://redhawkpublications.com/</a></span></span></h4><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>GCB:</b> Have you begun another novel or have one in mind?</span></span></div><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">MJD</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal;">: Yes, Springheads will have a sequel. My life is busy, but the story does not quieten in my head. An early-stage manuscript is in the works.</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://prodimage.images-bn.com/lf?set=key%5Bresolve.pixelRatio%5D,value%5B1%5D&set=key%5Bresolve.width%5D,value%5B600%5D&set=key%5Bresolve.height%5D,value%5B10000%5D&set=key%5Bresolve.imageFit%5D,value%5Bcontainerwidth%5D&set=key%5Bresolve.allowImageUpscaling%5D,value%5B0%5D&set=key%5Bresolve.format%5D,value%5Bwebp%5D&source=url%5Bhttps://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/9781952485916_p0_v1_s600x595.jpg%5D&scale=options%5Blimit%5D,size%5B600x10000%5D&sink=format%5Bwebp%5D" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="396" height="320" src="https://prodimage.images-bn.com/lf?set=key%5Bresolve.pixelRatio%5D,value%5B1%5D&set=key%5Bresolve.width%5D,value%5B600%5D&set=key%5Bresolve.height%5D,value%5B10000%5D&set=key%5Bresolve.imageFit%5D,value%5Bcontainerwidth%5D&set=key%5Bresolve.allowImageUpscaling%5D,value%5B0%5D&set=key%5Bresolve.format%5D,value%5Bwebp%5D&source=url%5Bhttps://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/9781952485916_p0_v1_s600x595.jpg%5D&scale=options%5Blimit%5D,size%5B600x10000%5D&sink=format%5Bwebp%5D" width="213" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thank you Mary Jo, for your time to answer my questions. Good luck with both of these books.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;"><br /><br /></span></span></h4><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
Glenda Beallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17953170428175025248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327770929317819999.post-82888896789904984522024-01-16T13:12:00.000-05:002024-01-16T13:12:04.246-05:00Karen Luke Jackson and Kathleen Calby Hold Dual Book Launch Event Feb. 1<p>Poets Karen Luke Jackson and Kathleen Calby will launch their new poetry books over Zoom Thursday, Feb. 1, at 7 p.m. The event is open to anyone wishing to join over Zoom and is sponsored by Redheaded Stepchild Magazine.</p><p>They will be reading selections from "Flirting with Owls" and "If You Choose to Come." An open mic will follow the reading.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjReOFIhE8SIjtO6SajklPDWhqNgCmamepZRprI9jSvzO7Y_jBxH4HMbTw-_K3UiMdIDgPQiPs_xJJFWIE6LzPMpCTJW7xzwlPm576cbM7PMD1003FrRS7iEZWw0R3eMQUryk8qByeLp9r7e_c1sIMl3Sn2KVmNNHMuFqjqRORpRF8U7n4jUvjARKpeCEwl/s241/KarenLukeJackson.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="241" data-original-width="215" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjReOFIhE8SIjtO6SajklPDWhqNgCmamepZRprI9jSvzO7Y_jBxH4HMbTw-_K3UiMdIDgPQiPs_xJJFWIE6LzPMpCTJW7xzwlPm576cbM7PMD1003FrRS7iEZWw0R3eMQUryk8qByeLp9r7e_c1sIMl3Sn2KVmNNHMuFqjqRORpRF8U7n4jUvjARKpeCEwl/w178-h200/KarenLukeJackson.png" width="178" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karen Luke Jackson</td></tr></tbody></table>Jackson, winner of the Rash Poetry Award and a Pushcart Prize nominee, draws upon family lore, contemplative practices, and nature for inspiration. Her poems have appeared in "Atlanta Review," "EcoTheo," "Susurrus," "Salvation South," and "Friends Journal," among others. She has also authored three poetry collections: "If You Choose To Come," paying homage to the healing beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains; "The View Ever Changing," exploring the lifelong pull of one's homeplace and family ties; and "GRIT," chronicling her sister's adventures as an award-winning clown. Jackson is a facilitator with the Center for Courage & Renewal. She lives in a cottage on a goat pasture in western North Carolina. Her website is: <a href="http://karenlukejackson.com">karenlukejackson.com</a></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_f7GZOhIzLsu8LTSPVNNgTtgaGJAoPWsGCatiNas3Tn9DYBeR94VcsdXCRBfBktiomgNbXURriZlwfRhPrZNg_GKwhKP3TAdoUCa85r1M6OSmEKigRKIVcBJ9KJmHoecu_lNOR9CyFp7DXX3Eo2F-OPCuZ0zJvSMkOynv-DJqOVyxz6TVUldbTtpF_Mup/s940/IfYouChoose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="940" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_f7GZOhIzLsu8LTSPVNNgTtgaGJAoPWsGCatiNas3Tn9DYBeR94VcsdXCRBfBktiomgNbXURriZlwfRhPrZNg_GKwhKP3TAdoUCa85r1M6OSmEKigRKIVcBJ9KJmHoecu_lNOR9CyFp7DXX3Eo2F-OPCuZ0zJvSMkOynv-DJqOVyxz6TVUldbTtpF_Mup/w200-h168/IfYouChoose.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Calby lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains and hosts writer events in Henderson County for the North Carolina Writers Network. Her work appears in "San Pedro River Review," "New Plains Review" and "The Orchards Poetry Journal." Named a 2022 Rash Award Poetry Finalist, Calby published "Flirting with Owls" (Kelsay Books) in 2023 and has just completed a full-length manuscript on an Egypt journey she took. She enjoys fried chicken and biscuits a bit too much, and long, strenuous walks not enough.<p></p><p>Editor Malaika King Albrecht, who hosts these launches, is a wonderful supporter of the writing community. You can sign up on Facebook for the event <a href="https://fb.me/e/1zcm2xrvc">https://fb.me/e/1zcm2xrvc</a> or email Jackson <a href="mailto:atkljluke@gmail.com">atkljluke@gmail.com</a>.<br /><br /></p>David Plunketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10932233825864255292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327770929317819999.post-45372929630552649322024-01-16T12:23:00.005-05:002024-01-17T12:29:41.371-05:00Author Karen Lauritzen is January Featured Reader for Mountain Wordsmiths<p><b>By Carroll S. Taylor</b></p><p>Mountain Wordsmiths will begin its 2024 year of gatherings with a stellar guest reader, Karen Lauritzen, on Thursday, January 25, at 10:30 a.m. via Zoom. The monthly event is sponsored by North Carolina Writers’ Network-West.<br /></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdTQrR3IpVkCv0rB_TbXJnf2mtHEAgWJVwqqowxnk1e452nKjmU8sT_pLqkPQaBe38ew2PF_8VD4OIV9_0Uk1FBhFiiGX8ys4QptVsXabfc5TGFppoai1-ZLn7xQBKA38qyB3fvuKIrHjzRpJAkG0agATso0gDFQSI8iAJsW607Qdf88pysZfNlVfuIMX3/s187/karenlauritzen.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="187" data-original-width="168" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdTQrR3IpVkCv0rB_TbXJnf2mtHEAgWJVwqqowxnk1e452nKjmU8sT_pLqkPQaBe38ew2PF_8VD4OIV9_0Uk1FBhFiiGX8ys4QptVsXabfc5TGFppoai1-ZLn7xQBKA38qyB3fvuKIrHjzRpJAkG0agATso0gDFQSI8iAJsW607Qdf88pysZfNlVfuIMX3/w167-h200/karenlauritzen.png" width="167" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karen Lauritzen</td></tr></tbody></table>Lauritzen writes short stories, poetry, essays and memoir. Her work has been published in "WNC-Woman Magazine," "The Chrysalis Reader," "Carpe Articulum," and others. Her memoir, "Nothing Vanishes, Memoir of a Life Transformed," was published in 2012. She was awarded ¬ first place in non-¬fiction for her short story, “Making My Way Home,” in the 2023 Porter Fleming Literary Awards through the Morris Museum of Art. "Just the Right Kind of Wrong" is her first novel. She lives in North Carolina.<p></p><p>“In Just the Right Amount of Wrong," author Karen Lauritzen deftly crafts the story of 23-year-old Toni Margiani, whose flawed and broken life propels her to St. Mary’s Abbey where she sets forth on a journey of self-discovery and spiritual growth. This book is a page-turner that leaves readers waiting for Lauritzen’s next contribution to literary fiction.” (author Peggy Tabor Millin)</p><p>Sandra I. Brown, MA, psychotherapist, writes, “Lauritzen portrays the ‘courageous terror’ a victim of a socially hidden psychopath experiences and the unlikely path of restoration. All recovery is a journey of heroism and Lauritzen deeply portrays the victim’s experience of harrowing fear and courage.”</p><p>Readers can find more about Lauritzen on her blog at her website <a href="http://karenlauritzen.com">karenlauritzen.com</a> where she talks about the development of her writing process.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPzX6DMW0RVQjOqmvc5IxKET-CY-pq6uQrpd8_oGgLA7P7CrizfYAlp3zai7TFe7N7cpwMaQI75FMM4LGlt64b8wFfRHTYa8sFaz6HPTeimJfGEEJUyjr2YcuiWYeN4WR8gBmf9Fv5fvMMMByqvX5lPv-4My2qxk6iY7V_Yj5N8ei9z91WWX5XoL7Hhgod/s1024/JustRightAmountOfWrong.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="673" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPzX6DMW0RVQjOqmvc5IxKET-CY-pq6uQrpd8_oGgLA7P7CrizfYAlp3zai7TFe7N7cpwMaQI75FMM4LGlt64b8wFfRHTYa8sFaz6HPTeimJfGEEJUyjr2YcuiWYeN4WR8gBmf9Fv5fvMMMByqvX5lPv-4My2qxk6iY7V_Yj5N8ei9z91WWX5XoL7Hhgod/w131-h200/JustRightAmountOfWrong.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>Mountain Wordsmiths gatherings always take place on Zoom. NCWN-West is also 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.<p></p><p>Those wishing to attend Mountain Wordsmiths may contact Carroll Taylor at <a href="mailto:vibiaperpetua@gmail.com">vibiaperpetua@gmail.com</a> or <a href="mailto:ncwngeorgiarep@gmail.com">ncwngeorgiarep@gmail.com</a> to receive the Zoom link. Our group is informal, and we welcome those 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 we share our thoughts about writing.</p><div><br /></div>David Plunketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10932233825864255292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327770929317819999.post-38249636623048673052024-01-01T16:34:00.001-05:002024-01-01T16:34:19.872-05:00Poet Mary Ricketson to Read at City Lights Jan. 6<p>Mary Ricketson will be reading at the City Lights Bookstore in Sylva, NC, from her new book of poems "Stutters: A Book of Hope" Saturday, Jan 6, 2024, at 3 p.m.<br /></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1cRdrWRkqKAGFITwoyyVL3rFug8ABy9-QHM2iUgGzNWnHLk_hnq7bEo_tnavuGpAu-Rf9aHpZ2qJlbwpFP3wzHrpndQPpDmyPSQRWNoWumyxSydfm77vJeVJj38RZM_xgUaS5bk88dV-qvBWcAsuLKM-5pq6SdR40CqaDBYHlSDSJ2PJBUCdzGUMWoeXK/s380/Mary%20Photo%20Cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="364" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1cRdrWRkqKAGFITwoyyVL3rFug8ABy9-QHM2iUgGzNWnHLk_hnq7bEo_tnavuGpAu-Rf9aHpZ2qJlbwpFP3wzHrpndQPpDmyPSQRWNoWumyxSydfm77vJeVJj38RZM_xgUaS5bk88dV-qvBWcAsuLKM-5pq6SdR40CqaDBYHlSDSJ2PJBUCdzGUMWoeXK/w170-h178/Mary%20Photo%20Cropped.jpg" width="170" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary Ricketson</td></tr></tbody></table>"This new collection of poems is my most vulnerable and possibly most creative yet, poems of my own stuttering, which I hardly even discuss," Ricketson said.</p><p>She will read a sample of the full length collection, discuss her work, and sign books. Also, refreshments will be available. </p><p>City Lights Bookstore is located at 3 E. Jackson St, Sylva NC, on Saturday, 1-6-24 at 3 pm. </p><p>Please come if you can, bring a friend, and please do pass this notice on to others. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMHDTHggzTQf7zX1rl44Y7aTh61qL0_yXbMhILDf05_AgWJ41DYyy9FMts0bC8JqR-nc12L690nNmNCTzaIdMKvjaZ_KwwZNTYDVy-x8ZfswEBarDFttz3pQNlUX1N77CChKsBcTc3uz3b0u0UOzVwKB8U0psAK6ikTa5ZmPuIIK0RtHPdz_GGDJonkFO/s1920/stutters%20PR%2012-2023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1440" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMHDTHggzTQf7zX1rl44Y7aTh61qL0_yXbMhILDf05_AgWJ41DYyy9FMts0bC8JqR-nc12L690nNmNCTzaIdMKvjaZ_KwwZNTYDVy-x8ZfswEBarDFttz3pQNlUX1N77CChKsBcTc3uz3b0u0UOzVwKB8U0psAK6ikTa5ZmPuIIK0RtHPdz_GGDJonkFO/w126-h168/stutters%20PR%2012-2023.jpg" width="126" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>David Plunketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10932233825864255292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327770929317819999.post-62912264462854803232023-12-21T09:25:00.011-05:002023-12-21T09:34:41.537-05:00Give Yourself the Write Start in January... with a Folk School class<p><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6)" face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJvUPdz8rD5h0TRCcOxWGy50bA-S_SEjMDW367DhPVcdwQwWbHMbe9cEmbePHSZe-L-h6HdrY5PeR1cjVtee0kPDq4Jmpq-ssdbxltiLbEkcqjUZUmz0y5yTt4BSR7WM9AJ6H1Jl1y8xO7ix7pZHsr_XoS-zmcOijIQKZZEExFNt3ZiioJLtT2eDaz9A/s373/folk_school-2672780671.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="John C Campbell Folk School" border="0" data-original-height="233" data-original-width="373" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJvUPdz8rD5h0TRCcOxWGy50bA-S_SEjMDW367DhPVcdwQwWbHMbe9cEmbePHSZe-L-h6HdrY5PeR1cjVtee0kPDq4Jmpq-ssdbxltiLbEkcqjUZUmz0y5yTt4BSR7WM9AJ6H1Jl1y8xO7ix7pZHsr_XoS-zmcOijIQKZZEExFNt3ZiioJLtT2eDaz9A/w320-h200/folk_school-2672780671.png" width="320" /></a></div><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6)" face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><p></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">January 26 Weekend: "Your Write Time" </span></h2><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">all genres & levels of writing experience welcome</span></h2><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">taught by Karen Paul Holmes</span></span></h2><p><span style="font-family: times;">Come be inspired and productive while having fun in a place of beauty. Whether you’re already writing or looking for a place to begin, give yourself the gift of time in a setting conducive to creativity. Magic—inspiration, encouragement, and laughter—abounds inside the studio. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">Gain editing and publishing tips from the instructor and learn from and support your classmates’ polished and unpolished work. Return home with the motivation to continue your writing and maybe even pursue publication. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">Local residents usually qualify for a discount. </span></p><div><span style="font-family: times;">For more information and to register visit John C. Campbell Folk School: <a href="https://www.folkschool.org" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">www.folkschool.org</span></a></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivQQGaMhshEEYPAI2Rd4GwIFJKdbLYvwihPVcTd1EXWnqvSneFyUO0ig71GgKTusLtsVfJKDkoh1P3RfRVMEzjgYq8lxKR-_lz5cxFWXaI3EU0Sfcn4DQwHVfZfdqDammsIJIFe6IjAEaUrDn7bxBRWyDZ2Lp4uMlPtEgodouyWMNxiYqu8nr01Tun1Tw/s4000/Karen%20Paul%20Holmes%20profile.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Karen Paul Holmes headshot" border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivQQGaMhshEEYPAI2Rd4GwIFJKdbLYvwihPVcTd1EXWnqvSneFyUO0ig71GgKTusLtsVfJKDkoh1P3RfRVMEzjgYq8lxKR-_lz5cxFWXaI3EU0Sfcn4DQwHVfZfdqDammsIJIFe6IjAEaUrDn7bxBRWyDZ2Lp4uMlPtEgodouyWMNxiYqu8nr01Tun1Tw/w150-h200/Karen%20Paul%20Holmes%20profile.jpg" width="150" /></a></i><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">About the instructor: </span></i><span style="color: #444444;"> </span></span><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: #444444;">Karen Paul Holmes won the 2023 </span><a href="https://lascauxreview.com/capturing-the-scent-of-rain/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Lascaux Poetry Prize</span></a><span style="color: #444444;"> and received a Special Mention in the Pushcart Prize anthology. Her two poetry books are </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Such-Thing-Distance-Terrapin-Poetry/dp/099821597X" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><i>No Such Thing as Distance</i> </span></a><span style="color: #444444;">(Terrapin Books) and </span><i style="color: #444444;">Untying the Knot </i><span style="color: #444444;">(Aldrich Press). She's is widely published in literary journals, including </span><i style="color: #444444;">Plume, Gargoyle</i><span style="color: #444444;">, and </span><i style="color: #444444;">Prairie Schooner</i><span style="color: #444444;">, and her poems have been read by Garrison Keillor on </span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><i><a href="https://www.garrisonkeillor.com/radio/twa-the-writers-almanac-for-october-16-2019/" target="_blank">The Writer's Almanac</a></i><span> </span></span><span style="color: #444444;">and by the US Poet Laureate on </span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><i><a href="https://www.slowdownshow.org/episode/2020/01/13/296-making-zelnik-at-the-sibling-reunion" target="_blank">The Slowdown</a></i><span> </span></span><span style="color: #444444;">podcast. Karen founded the Side Door Poets in Atlanta in 2010 and still hosts the group monthly. At about the same time, she started a monthly Writers' Night Out in the N. Georgia Mountains and hosted it until recently. She is also a freelance writer and has taught writing workshops at local and international conferences and various venues. Karen is a member of the North Carolina Writers' Network. </span><a href="http://www.karenpaulholmes.com"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">www.karenpaulholmes.com</span></a></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><i></i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6)" face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p>Karen Paul Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03438801590321008266noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327770929317819999.post-75800833805524336622023-12-13T20:33:00.000-05:002023-12-13T20:33:54.307-05:00In Memory of a Departed Friend and Fellow Writer<h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Raven Chiong</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></span></h1><p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJXkvPF0Fptzc3wlRw8z24DvZMYThoutaYoxgnvuCEayfNsvzE_0SwyE4UEAq02EjgAnpGaHnCSe33oRRoLxz-i6vwmfz3Puk8e4l17bGjb69kBU6PYUewQ8ebuz5VUcK8DkY-ZiHIDcD36WzxHj2DuCfhDVxWbJ_pKG_nKXNxNOelGIaWF70BkR8vw0/s320/Dulce%20+%20Mama%20Raven%20-6%20Months%20to%20Live%20(Photo%20Credit-Ann%20Hepworth).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="227" data-original-width="320" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJXkvPF0Fptzc3wlRw8z24DvZMYThoutaYoxgnvuCEayfNsvzE_0SwyE4UEAq02EjgAnpGaHnCSe33oRRoLxz-i6vwmfz3Puk8e4l17bGjb69kBU6PYUewQ8ebuz5VUcK8DkY-ZiHIDcD36WzxHj2DuCfhDVxWbJ_pKG_nKXNxNOelGIaWF70BkR8vw0/w400-h284/Dulce%20+%20Mama%20Raven%20-6%20Months%20to%20Live%20(Photo%20Credit-Ann%20Hepworth).jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Raven and Dulce her beloved rescue</b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />All who knew Raven are saddened by her death on Monday night, Dec. 11, 2023. She was a writer, a poet, but she was so much more. After she was diagnosed with cancer in February of this year, she said she hoped she could birth her book before her life ended. We are grateful her book was published, Ode to the Still Small Voice-A Memoir of Listening and now we have it to read as we remember this dear and special person who touched so many lives.
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I met Raven when she
registered for my writing class on Zoom in the early days of the pandemic.
Although she was a quiet person, she was always thinking, and her presence was
felt. We learned about her life from the stories she wrote in class. I learned
she was a person who liked to run. From early childhood, she found her calling
and with the ongoing support of a caring coach, she began to join and take part
in events all over Florida and in other states.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Her career highlights include qualifying for the First
Ever 1984 Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials and paying it forward with her
19-year cross-country coaching career at DePauw University (IN), Florida
Atlantic University, Pine Crest Prep School (FL), and Mills College (CA) where
she was also coordinator and grant writer for the N.C.A.A. program,
C.H.A.M.P.S.—Challenging Athletes Minds for Personal Success. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">She served as United States Ambassador at the
International Olympic Academy in Olympia, Greece, and took 10 ten-year-old
students to Australia to run, relay style, in the Brisbane Half-Marathon.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">She never bragged about her accomplishments,
but she was proud. Running and helping other athletes reach their goals were
deeply ingrained in her. The essay she wrote about that coach who saw something
special in a child who was suffering after the divorce of her parents, feeling
alone and unseen, was authentic and honest. It brought tears to our eyes as she
read it, and she choked up as well. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Raven and I became good
friends, and I realized she had great potential as a leader and influencer for
writers. She seemed to have an aura that made people comfortable with her. She
listened more than she spoke. She joined NCWN-West and was dedicated to helping
the organization in any way she could. She volunteered to help sell books we
had on hand and soon she had <i>Echoes Across the Blue Ridge</i> in every shop
and store in Hayesville and in other cities in the area. The books sold and the
income was added to the Netwest bank account. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">I realized what a talent she
had for working with people. </span><a href="https://netwestwriters.blogspot.com/2022/09/we-have-new-clay-county-rep-for-ncwn.html"><span style="line-height: 107%;">We
asked her to be our Clay County Representative for NCWN-West and she accepted</span></a><span style="line-height: 107%;">. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Our monthly meetings had
come to a halt during the COVID period when everyone stayed home. But Raven
revived the Netwest poetry critique group that had met monthly for twenty years
before the pandemic. She gave it a new name. The Netwest Bee City Poets met at
the Moss Memorial Library. The meeting time had to work with her job, so she
began at 1:00 PM and ended at 2:15. The number of participants grew every month
and many of the poets who had begun with me twenty years ago attended Raven’s
group as well as new poets who had moved to town. I heard compliments and
praise for Raven from many.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Raven has worked for </span><a href="https://bestfriends.org/sanctuary"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Best</span><span style="background: whitesmoke; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Friends Animal Society</span></a><span style="line-height: 107%;">
since 2008 before she came to the mountains of Appalachia. It wasn’t long
before she worked for them again from home on her computer. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">She had four “monkeys” of
her own, four dogs she had rescued and loved immensely. The only thing she
asked as her days grew shorter was for her dogs to be taken back to Utah to
live out their lives where she knew they would be well cared for. Many of her
friends offered to make that happen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Community Support<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Raven was a member of the
Clay County Communities Revitalization Association (CCCRA), Clay County
Historical and Arts Council (CCHAC), Friend of the Moss Memorial Library, and a
supporter of Historic Hayesville, Inc., Celebration of Pets Foundation, and One
Dozen Who Care, Inc. You can see her impressive</span><a href="https://netwestwriters.blogspot.com/"><span class="vl"><i><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #303336; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in; text-decoration-line: none;"> </span></i></span><span class="va"><b><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #303336; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in; text-decoration-line: none;"><span id="resum---anchor" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: no-common-ligatures; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit;">resumé</span></span></b></span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> here</span></a><span style="line-height: 107%;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Raven could always be
depended on to be there when she was needed. She often called to ask if she
could do something for me. She helped me in so many ways and always with a big
smile and loving spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">She was here in Clay County
only a few years ago, but she left us an example to follow. Raven gave of herself
and her time to others. When she saw that someone needed encouragement and
support, she quietly gave it. If it meant driving to another town miles away to
attend a friend’s art exhibit, she drove there. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Once the cancer had been
diagnosed, and she was told it was terminal, she did everything possible to
beat it with natural means – hiking in the woods, soaking in the calm and
energy of the trees, grass, and animals. She embraced acupuncture, energy
healing, and a strict diet. She lived longer than the six months predicted. She continued
her activities including mowing her yard up until only a few weeks ago. She had
a <a href="https://www.caringbridge.org/search?q=Raven+Chiong">Caring Bridge
account</a> where we followed her through the ups and downs. There I found Raven had many
friends in Utah and how much they loved her.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Raven Chiong will be missed
in Clay County for a long, long time. We will do all we can to continue her
work for NCWN-West. The outpouring of love and admiration for her has been
amazing. I hope we can follow her example of loving and caring about others, encouraging,
and supporting each other, as we continue our own journey with dignity and
kindness.</span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Ed28Zlsq50Sl_t04GmK8V22C5xXPSbL31O5n_5CuhoEPvBGqtGpFTF6aQWpYv_QZrvforO-pywBx2B5ePPamCJrJLHzFqOXW154T7o9LoroJ33dfSH05rQHFIhU0QPplgjd4MErXN3ng2DVMtTKZG5U9DcG5cy7ILE-LzTExhienPh4TLOci9BHQ1SM/s3857/Netwest%20Bee%20City%20Poets%20gathered%20on%20August%203%202023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1913" data-original-width="3857" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Ed28Zlsq50Sl_t04GmK8V22C5xXPSbL31O5n_5CuhoEPvBGqtGpFTF6aQWpYv_QZrvforO-pywBx2B5ePPamCJrJLHzFqOXW154T7o9LoroJ33dfSH05rQHFIhU0QPplgjd4MErXN3ng2DVMtTKZG5U9DcG5cy7ILE-LzTExhienPh4TLOci9BHQ1SM/w400-h199/Netwest%20Bee%20City%20Poets%20gathered%20on%20August%203%202023.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Netwest Bee City Poets. Raven is standing on second row right</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>Glenda Beallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17953170428175025248noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327770929317819999.post-77650874442253292212023-12-13T12:30:00.001-05:002023-12-13T12:35:00.850-05:00Memory of Raven Chiong<p> Memory of Raven Chiong</p><div style="text-align: left;">We lost one of our own,</div><div style="text-align: left;">Raven led the Poetry Circle</div><div style="text-align: left;">and touched many lives.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Her gift will live forever</div><div style="text-align: left;">to those who read,</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Ode to the Still, Small Voice.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;">This gentle, soft-spoken woman</div><div style="text-align: left;">was devoted to her animals:</div><div style="text-align: left;">the dogs she rescued.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Strong and humble,</div><div style="text-align: left;">the marathon champion</div><div style="text-align: left;">connected with the good earth.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Like a butterfly, this soul</div><div style="text-align: left;">stayed just a short time,</div><div style="text-align: left;">we are better people</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">for knowing and loving her;</div><div style="text-align: left;">the privilege of friendship</div><div style="text-align: left;">with Raven Chiong.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> --Brenda Kay Ledford </div><p><br /></p>Brenda Kay Ledfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03077314514118637590noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327770929317819999.post-58607947771660851632023-12-08T15:13:00.001-05:002023-12-08T15:13:36.877-05:00Brenda Kay Ledford's Poetry Published<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZTxPXXr-CPu1opk_Ho1JcwaTthRjoKgqIG0867NycCgJQ4SmMiIARtO51DtNSy-S1q5stm5hHZ4KLyWI5GAdDuUDcHeJQTfQwd5UsaFaSNhq-fSB5gM6EYyJsLb03hqWcmrnQluOZbSZzOfKB0_cx-uqp7LdY0ItlBo5p1F_n91vEbE4rwh-dM5zAQG_/s875/Brenda%20&%20fall%20foliage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="875" data-original-width="569" height="509" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZTxPXXr-CPu1opk_Ho1JcwaTthRjoKgqIG0867NycCgJQ4SmMiIARtO51DtNSy-S1q5stm5hHZ4KLyWI5GAdDuUDcHeJQTfQwd5UsaFaSNhq-fSB5gM6EYyJsLb03hqWcmrnQluOZbSZzOfKB0_cx-uqp7LdY0ItlBo5p1F_n91vEbE4rwh-dM5zAQG_/w321-h509/Brenda%20&%20fall%20foliage.jpg" width="321" /></a></div><br /> Brenda Kay Ledford's poetry has been published in the following journals:<p></p><p>"A Blue Ridge Snow," appeared in <i>West End Poets Newsletter, </i>December/January/February 2024</p><p>www.westendpoetsweekend.com</p><p>Created and issued by: Carrboro Recreation, Parks & Cultural Resources Department</p><p>**********************************************************************************</p><p>Her poem, "Unicorn License," was published in <i>Tigershark Magazine, </i>an international publication based in the United Kingdom; Issue 34, Autumn/Winter 2023</p><p>tigersharkpublishing@hotmail.co.uk</p>Brenda Kay Ledfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03077314514118637590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327770929317819999.post-29265116234064081192023-11-28T00:02:00.000-05:002023-11-28T00:02:56.944-05:00Maren Mitchell, poet and facilitator for poetry group at Young Harris Library<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Maren Mitchell, a member of NCWN-West for a long time, has had a busy year. Her poems have been widely published in literary journals, online publications, and most recently in a chapbook,<i> In</i> <i>My Next Life I Plan</i> by Dancing Girl Press.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> Three of her poems have been nominated for Pushcart Prizes. She has received a 1</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 0; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">st</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> Place Award for Excellence in Poetry from the Georgia Poetry Society.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">If you are a poet, you might want to check out these publications.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "New serif", serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="http://www.thelakepoetry.co.uk/">The Lake</a></span></i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "New serif", serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="http://www.thelakepoetry.co.uk/">, (UK) </a>November 2023 issue, "As They Go, So Go We" and
"The Theory of Everything." </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "New serif", serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0in;">POEM</span></i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "New serif", serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0in;">, #123, May 2023 issue, "Light Enough To See." </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "New serif", serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0in;">The Antigonish Review</span></i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "New serif", serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0in;">, (Canada) Spring 2023 issue, "I swear the most" and
"Nothing to Say, II." Silver Birch Press, September 8, 2023, the
"Spices & Seasonings" series, "Nasturtiums." </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "New serif", serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0in;">About Place Journal</span></i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "New serif", serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0in;">, The More-Than-Human World issue, Communion, "Dermodex Brevis;
Dermodex Folliculorum." </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "New serif", serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0in;">Twelve Mile</span></i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "New serif", serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0in;"> <i>Review</i>, Winter 2023, "The gravity of our situation is
what we want to escape from and" and "Greeks favor red mullet."</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; padding: 0in;">Maren O. Mitchell, is a poet and author of a nonfiction book, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Beat-Chronic-Pain-Insiders-Guide/dp/0985311908/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373659867&sr=1-1&keywords=beat+chronic+pain">Beat Chronic Pain, An
Insider's Guide</a></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; padding: 0in;"> <i><a href="https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdulcetshop.myshopify.com%2Fproducts%2Fin-my-next-life-maren-o-mitchell&data=05%7C01%7C%7Cf153ec59e1ae4734c01508dbee1f5ee4%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638365590725748707%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=n4Qy3nfmNoc%2BnyZT8gILRF78fs3UrK8INHkWNOTlSew%3D&reserved=0"><span style="color: blue;">In my next life I plan...</span></a></i><a href="https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdulcetshop.myshopify.com%2Fproducts%2Fin-my-next-life-maren-o-mitchell&data=05%7C01%7C%7Cf153ec59e1ae4734c01508dbee1f5ee4%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638365590725748707%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=n4Qy3nfmNoc%2BnyZT8gILRF78fs3UrK8INHkWNOTlSew%3D&reserved=0"><span style="color: blue;"> (dancing girl press, 2023)</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> <o:p></o:p></span>Learn more about Maren on our membership page.</p><div align="left" class="MsoNormal"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://netwestmembers.blogspot.com/2015/05/maren-o-mitchell.html">https://netwestmembers.blogspot.com/2015/05/maren-o-mitchell.html</a></div><p>
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<!--[endif]--></span></p>Glenda Beallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17953170428175025248noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327770929317819999.post-10202882333266410602023-11-12T11:33:00.000-05:002023-11-12T11:33:27.925-05:00Special Closing Program to Literary Hour at Campbell School<p> <span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The Literary Hour at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC, will close out its 2023 season with a special program. Instead of having a featured poet and writer, everyone who attends will have an opportunity to present and talk about a personal or favorite poem or prose piece. The program will start at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16, in the Kieth House library on the Folk School campus.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQirS8xodCN0YAHuoG81Mjjn899vM2kmehCAOTNMlD0N-88jNh6751eMk0eCCgyz7G4mDCtkdUu4ftBXTp-8tENyqrJYAJuZBu7_EXD58IL-f5HdxzlQmic2H666UO1gZIrlJHZcSl18uj-r8MJ1Tz3Jx5Qk8YAXlhyphenhyphen1iTjYwTtfFzevLUauxQ7uBFIBfP/s275/ncwc-180x275-yearly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="180" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQirS8xodCN0YAHuoG81Mjjn899vM2kmehCAOTNMlD0N-88jNh6751eMk0eCCgyz7G4mDCtkdUu4ftBXTp-8tENyqrJYAJuZBu7_EXD58IL-f5HdxzlQmic2H666UO1gZIrlJHZcSl18uj-r8MJ1Tz3Jx5Qk8YAXlhyphenhyphen1iTjYwTtfFzevLUauxQ7uBFIBfP/s1600/ncwc-180x275-yearly.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Readers will have up to five minutes to present either an original piece they have written, or a piece by another author they especially love. Each reader should be prepared to briefly describe the piece after reading it and, if an original work, talk about what inspired it, what went into writing it or the intent behind writing it, etc. If it is a favorite piece by another author, then discuss why it is memorable or special.<p></p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The program is intended as an open session where everybody has an opportunity to share and exchange motivations, inspirations, and ideas which led them to love and produce literature. I hope you will make plans to attend and present (if you want to) or just enjoy an evening listening to others read and talk about the meaning and love of literature.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The Literary Hour season for 2024 will start again in March and continue every third Thursday of the month through November bringing local writers to the campus to share their work with the community. The Literary Hour is sponsored by the North Carolina Writers’ Network-West and is free and open to members of NCWN-West and Folk School students and faculty.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>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 <a href="https://www.folkschool.org/">https://www.folkschool.org/</a></p>David Plunketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10932233825864255292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327770929317819999.post-64718704898821961282023-11-06T15:58:00.000-05:002023-11-06T15:58:11.275-05:00Ken Chamlee Book Launch Set for Nov. 9 at 7 p.m.<p><span> </span>Poet Kenneth Chamlee will launch his latest book, "<a href="https://www.kennethchamlee.com/publications" target="_blank">The Best Material for the Artist in the World</a>," (Stephen F. Austin State University Press) Thursday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. over Zoom.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpwdikoI5BCqlIoYvLJ0ubVe4kD_rUgdSktNkZzZQ_sbeUe__YdSzveZwSJyEfa7ImG2_FIzWKfHYSym10wYhlpjV8L7DhqHpLHdkg10eFQjRStwjwR4Sy-QuVx5G7KW2KP0W1A7Maz48Tj48rLriJGQqKEUgUrra8smwWj4p1mG-w7N7PQsiwT4K8dwzw/s448/Best%20Material.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="302" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpwdikoI5BCqlIoYvLJ0ubVe4kD_rUgdSktNkZzZQ_sbeUe__YdSzveZwSJyEfa7ImG2_FIzWKfHYSym10wYhlpjV8L7DhqHpLHdkg10eFQjRStwjwR4Sy-QuVx5G7KW2KP0W1A7Maz48Tj48rLriJGQqKEUgUrra8smwWj4p1mG-w7N7PQsiwT4K8dwzw/s320/Best%20Material.png" width="216" /></a></div> "The Best Material for the Artist in the World" tracks the life and career of landscape artist Albert Bierstadt. Relaying the story primarily through his voice, these narrative, lyric, and ekphrastic poems touch the momentum of the developing west, the devastation of native tribes and great buffalo herds, and the resiliency of Bierstadt’s art in our time of environmental awareness and expansionist reappraisal.<p></p><p> To get a link and join the Zoom presentation contact Ken at <a href="mailto:chamleek@gmail.com">chamleek@gmail.com</a>.</p><p><span> </span>Bierstadt was born in Germany and came to America with his parents at age two. Growing up in New Bedford, Massachusetts, the young artist apprenticed in Europe, but the Rocky Mountains and Yosemite Valley became the subjects driving his expansive, often romanticized sense of nature. Though best known for large-scale paintings with atmospheric trees and ethereal lighting, Bierstadt was also a master of intimate detail and animal portraiture. </p><p> <span> </span>Chamlee’s biography-in-poems follows the arc of Bierstadt’s life and career, from youth to extraordinary success to eventual decline. Primarily in the artist’s voice, the poems also speak through other important characters, renderings of specific paintings, and the poet’s own sense of engagement. With realistic description and emotional embrace, this fine collection explores Bierstadt’s determination to depict a glorious post-war West while also revealing personal and historic loss.</p><h1 class="font_0 wixui-rich-text__text" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: rgb(var(--color_15)); font-size: 20px; line-height: normal; margin-block: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-family: clarendon-w01-medium-692107, clarendon-w02-medium-693834, serif; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Order from </span><a class="wixui-rich-text__text" href="https://www.tamupress.com/book/9781622889488/best-material-for-the-artist-in-the-world/" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><span class="color_11 wixui-rich-text__text" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: rgb(var(--color_11)); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-family: clarendon-w01-medium-692107, clarendon-w02-medium-693834, serif; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Stephen F. Austin</span><br class="wixui-rich-text__text" /><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-family: clarendon-w01-medium-692107, clarendon-w02-medium-693834, serif; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">State University Press</span></span></span></a><br class="wixui-rich-text__text" /><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-family: clarendon-w01-medium-692107, clarendon-w02-medium-693834, serif; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Also available at<br class="wixui-rich-text__text" /><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="wixui-rich-text__text" href="https://www.highlandbooksonline.com/item/QmNTCz3lVVxBZNLQXqGdKQ" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Highland Books, Brevard, NC</a></span><br class="wixui-rich-text__text" />C<span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="wixui-rich-text__text" href="https://www.citylightsnc.com/book/9781622889488" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">ity Lights Bookstore, Sylva, NC</a></span><br class="wixui-rich-text__text" /><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="wixui-rich-text__text" href="https://www.malaprops.com/book/9781622889488" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Malaprop's Bookstore, Asheville, NC</a></span><br class="wixui-rich-text__text" /><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="wixui-rich-text__text" href="https://www.unionavebooks.com/book/9781622889488" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Main Street Books, Davidson, NC<br class="wixui-rich-text__text" />Union Avenue Books, Knoxville , TN</a></span></span></span></h1><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>David Plunketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10932233825864255292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327770929317819999.post-67638166774273152552023-11-06T15:33:00.002-05:002023-11-06T15:33:28.632-05:00Utah State Poetry Society Gifts Book to Bee City Poets, Announces Contest<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU7OQfMPh_BlXfMVsNvIto8Nn3tOL3bamj_J71hddGLKje2uf4_yG1QBWXR-eVCTgA_hPlGTjcsZdm4Gu0letuV1e3jS1eh17VA8CrrhDGgdK5inx0C1HPuH54m2Vx57FJZnlTEbf0wT9jAdgOR0VqXpsAlEj1mU9KdU0hr6MTRjpjW5iz8Zax3UI0fdyB/s2982/Netwest%20Bee%20City%20Poets%20Photo11.2.23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1768" data-original-width="2982" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU7OQfMPh_BlXfMVsNvIto8Nn3tOL3bamj_J71hddGLKje2uf4_yG1QBWXR-eVCTgA_hPlGTjcsZdm4Gu0letuV1e3jS1eh17VA8CrrhDGgdK5inx0C1HPuH54m2Vx57FJZnlTEbf0wT9jAdgOR0VqXpsAlEj1mU9KdU0hr6MTRjpjW5iz8Zax3UI0fdyB/w577-h343/Netwest%20Bee%20City%20Poets%20Photo11.2.23.jpg" width="577" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span> </span>Bee City Poets at its First Thursday" gathering in Hayesville yesterday received a "Book Of The Year" gifted from the Utah State Poetry Society of which NCWN-West member Raven Chiong is a member.</p><p><span> </span>The Utah State Poetry Society also generously extended an invitation for NCWN-West members to enter in its upcoming 2024 annual poetry contest. There are 38 categories (18 categories for non-members of UTSPS) and cash prizes! "Personally, I have submitted poems to the contest the last 5 years, won a few dollars, and have sponsored Category #12," Raven said. "The process is a fun learning experience and can be extra motivation to pollinate the world with our words."</p><p><span> </span>The submission window is December 1, 2023-February 1, 2024. </p><p><span> </span>Here is a convenient link for direct access to all the details: (As you may already know, it's important to follow the guidelines to avoid disqualification of your entries)</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><a href="https://www.utahpoets.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/UTAH-STATE-POETRY-SOCIETY-2024-CONTEST.pdf">UTAH-STATE-POETRY-SOCIETY-2024-CONTEST.pdf
(utahpoets.com)</a></span></p><p><span> </span>If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Raven, who added: "I hope we surprise and overwhelm the good folks in Utah with our participation from the Great North State!"</p><div><br /></div>David Plunketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10932233825864255292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327770929317819999.post-62852744650021423302023-10-13T14:33:00.000-04:002023-10-13T14:33:02.512-04:00Mary Jo Dyre featured guest reader at Oct. 26 Mountain Wordsmiths<p> 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.</p><p> 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.</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8KwpILq35aDDjQCpzURVnhsW4pT-C1ofatAk2h-M8xl2UYteidauasFyOA8DkSoMIwTi_c_ZaoSOFwYv03_TNiPZ1ZZYniJKdU2S960Dxb-CXT1ve7dhuUYVBCe1Js8SfobZZehwQ0e4Bsnl9-mvV0OPsS-JcKpF6daYT3vjhzckvzZB88rJB3SlyKZWZ/s250/Mary%20Jo%20Dyre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="188" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8KwpILq35aDDjQCpzURVnhsW4pT-C1ofatAk2h-M8xl2UYteidauasFyOA8DkSoMIwTi_c_ZaoSOFwYv03_TNiPZ1ZZYniJKdU2S960Dxb-CXT1ve7dhuUYVBCe1Js8SfobZZehwQ0e4Bsnl9-mvV0OPsS-JcKpF6daYT3vjhzckvzZB88rJB3SlyKZWZ/w150-h200/Mary%20Jo%20Dyre.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary Jo Dyre</td></tr></tbody></table> 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.</p><p> 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.</p><p> 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."</p><p> 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.</p><p> Those wishing to attend Mountain Wordsmiths may contact Carroll Taylor at <a href="mailto:vibiaperpetua@gmail.com">vibiaperpetua@gmail.com</a> or <a href="mailto:ncwngeorgiarep@gmail.com">ncwngeorgiarep@gmail.com</a> 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.</p><div><br /></div>David Plunketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10932233825864255292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327770929317819999.post-52973558833385201992023-10-13T14:19:00.002-04:002023-10-13T14:19:36.805-04:00Ken Chamlee and Annelle Beall to Read at Oct. 19 Literary Hour <p> <span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>North Carolina poet <a href="http://www.kennethchamlee.com" target="_blank">Ken Chamblee</a> and Georgia novelist <a href="https://anntonnell.com/" target="_blank">Annelle Beall</a> will read from their works at the Literary Hour in the Keith House on the <a href="http://www.folkschool.org" target="_blank">John C. Campbell Folk School</a> campus at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19. The Literary Hour is sponsored by the North Carolina Writers’ Network-West and is free and open to everyone.<br /></span></p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZYN1K4HArqHHelz7Kndc2LhduTplHWs6ew0MksqG0_CQ5rpXXxCnBEvzEScruGQ3Zdxbp8kl1OBPM7mA7x1KS70TT9pZaGgz_0PHkhHE7eEmJtgW5dbXxbFjvcuR9F1qnvUfbUpRa08itEu3kWBoO9F5MC-NCZEu3Vk6v1nIGfD3tSA0I9pmymLW3oUY/s912/Ken%20Chamlee%20post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="912" data-original-width="553" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZYN1K4HArqHHelz7Kndc2LhduTplHWs6ew0MksqG0_CQ5rpXXxCnBEvzEScruGQ3Zdxbp8kl1OBPM7mA7x1KS70TT9pZaGgz_0PHkhHE7eEmJtgW5dbXxbFjvcuR9F1qnvUfbUpRa08itEu3kWBoO9F5MC-NCZEu3Vk6v1nIGfD3tSA0I9pmymLW3oUY/w121-h200/Ken%20Chamlee%20post.jpg" width="121" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ken Chamlee</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Chamlee is the author of “If Not These Things” and “The Best Material for the Artist in the World,” a poetic biography of 19th century American landscape painter Albert Bierstadt. He has two contest-winning chapbooks, “Absolute Faith” and “Logic of the Lost.” His poems have appeared in “The North Carolina Literary Review,” “Tar River Poetry,” “Cold Mountain Review,” “Pinesong,” “Kakalak,” and in many other places.</p><p><span> </span><span> </span>He is Emeritus Professor of English at Brevard College in North Carolina and holds a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. Chamlee teaches for the Great Smokies Writing Program of UNC-Asheville and was the first director of the Looking Glass Rock Writers’ Conference, held annually in Brevard.</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH5y5btOYibzptOJetlNnokvzfXqcXbAjp8YfmRQsSjOGAa_5LxR_iveWT8sUMw2GGFDUqoA7YY_N7i-1zMMNnFUnViJtEM9kRQiPkWB4ZdNhItFdCKZz95E7R35vyIlDe0nNHJtdivc8pNhjAuLqjyzzc3bk5BTYBeIMASs3RzePhmHLFMUysXszlB2Ng/s1034/Annell%20Beall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="616" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH5y5btOYibzptOJetlNnokvzfXqcXbAjp8YfmRQsSjOGAa_5LxR_iveWT8sUMw2GGFDUqoA7YY_N7i-1zMMNnFUnViJtEM9kRQiPkWB4ZdNhItFdCKZz95E7R35vyIlDe0nNHJtdivc8pNhjAuLqjyzzc3bk5BTYBeIMASs3RzePhmHLFMUysXszlB2Ng/w119-h200/Annell%20Beall.jpg" width="119" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Annelle Beall</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A native North Carolinian, Annelle Beall grew up in Wilmington, graduated from Western Carolina University, and now lives in Union County, Georgia. Her debut lesbian romance novel, “How Sweet the Sound,” was published in July 2022 under the pen name Ann Tonnell. Her second and third novels, “Not Sorry” and “Not Too Old” followed and her fourth book “Not Again,” is slated for release in the first quarter of 2024, with a fifth mystery/romance novel on target for the third quarter 2024. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Western in sociology, with a concentration in journalism. Her original “Not Sorry” manuscript landed her a mentorship with author Nat Burns through the Golden Crown Literary Society’s Cate Culpepper Mentorship Program.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>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.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>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 <a href="http://www.folkschool.org">www.folkschool.org</a>.</p><div><br /></div>David Plunketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10932233825864255292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327770929317819999.post-72391417360111606472023-09-30T12:48:00.001-04:002023-09-30T12:48:35.375-04:00Brenda Kay Ledford Wins NC State Senior Games Finals <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmhXEQYOr-Hw1Fz2fIOpsG6t-2U-VpObw2236wEvIV4-DJqpbIoD-W2x91sVK-AK83j0sjeDqItOBbXKdtAL23VzxwC0h_WpE5vmyiXxtWcpPmyk3AUBrX2OsIMA0RLtmz8dlJFuTmgB8IYuL64dzDHy5qNm1vePta4Lll_RB2nM6PYuHs-JjC0Fw42RKY/s3240/p10515ta107321_25_00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3240" data-original-width="2592" height="457" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmhXEQYOr-Hw1Fz2fIOpsG6t-2U-VpObw2236wEvIV4-DJqpbIoD-W2x91sVK-AK83j0sjeDqItOBbXKdtAL23VzxwC0h_WpE5vmyiXxtWcpPmyk3AUBrX2OsIMA0RLtmz8dlJFuTmgB8IYuL64dzDHy5qNm1vePta4Lll_RB2nM6PYuHs-JjC0Fw42RKY/w373-h457/p10515ta107321_25_00.jpg" width="373" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Brenda Kay Ledford's essay, "Art Therapy," won Honorable Mention in the 2023 North Carolina State Senior Games Finals.</p>Brenda Kay Ledfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03077314514118637590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327770929317819999.post-78393252874824931982023-09-26T12:18:00.000-04:002023-09-26T12:18:40.298-04:00Mary RIcketson and Brenda Kay Ledford Appear on WJRB Radio<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mary Ricketson and Brenda Kay Ledford will appear on "Mountain Real Estate with Rick Andrews," on 95.1 FM Radio Station; Saturday, October 7, 2023 at 7:06am and 2:06 pm. The show will air again on Sunday, October 8, 2023 at 7:06 am and 2:06 pm.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Rick Andrews interviewed Ricketson and Ledford on his program.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKqlkYtlRAEIiC80AjaUVjOE31nY3aCZbBgTyU_xb8d9L62_hRlbHRR-wO1fMSE9PCNG2VFR9Ol1qh6lTfoGtVMSGp6-bAk_PyMkF8kvNt4d4Bjc63iA1lb462Ev9EZapXOoydUxoTujYcSu-BC1VOHOseAvALD90eDEnKijECjOKQyNGyKIjJtDOXx5KI/s600/Mary%20Ricketson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="574" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKqlkYtlRAEIiC80AjaUVjOE31nY3aCZbBgTyU_xb8d9L62_hRlbHRR-wO1fMSE9PCNG2VFR9Ol1qh6lTfoGtVMSGp6-bAk_PyMkF8kvNt4d4Bjc63iA1lb462Ev9EZapXOoydUxoTujYcSu-BC1VOHOseAvALD90eDEnKijECjOKQyNGyKIjJtDOXx5KI/s320/Mary%20Ricketson.jpg" width="306" /></a></div><br /> Mary Ricketson' new book, <i>Stutters, a Book of Hope, </i>has been published by Redhawk Publications.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-X6pU_atFcSqY2xlkfJZiZ7sr9nB0vPvWPsqllSkpMAJUvNtL5gz5wjBREExYYu8vTIF0w3ao0ZpROzMrlkVj4yqy4-pPTF5Bmm9uB6xxwbpT6odtbleCuJvXVFH2oXR8IiqVQxkDeX_GcpvI62xd4gEoAlPUDOHwTOjos1f4dPro9j1MiwdghhTggqy/s1500/Stutters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1047" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-X6pU_atFcSqY2xlkfJZiZ7sr9nB0vPvWPsqllSkpMAJUvNtL5gz5wjBREExYYu8vTIF0w3ao0ZpROzMrlkVj4yqy4-pPTF5Bmm9uB6xxwbpT6odtbleCuJvXVFH2oXR8IiqVQxkDeX_GcpvI62xd4gEoAlPUDOHwTOjos1f4dPro9j1MiwdghhTggqy/w287-h356/Stutters.jpg" width="287" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvMxNA86F0xIjcQowXb7pRWtSqhMnB1gqBhw24ih-LZk5hw6MVrzlpyPB-yz6ounsNOn90PCdEYC7tP4tAq0fjouVHrkf-WHrAD5PwVDvf_8AYdIiQ5060bdcn0aJxTp2QNzDQn88WYdBW1_71aq9d7flFCwutSIPwtj0Ag8DzWCR_XgkoF5tY4XVJdhyz/s1600/Brenda%20Kay%20Ledford.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvMxNA86F0xIjcQowXb7pRWtSqhMnB1gqBhw24ih-LZk5hw6MVrzlpyPB-yz6ounsNOn90PCdEYC7tP4tAq0fjouVHrkf-WHrAD5PwVDvf_8AYdIiQ5060bdcn0aJxTp2QNzDQn88WYdBW1_71aq9d7flFCwutSIPwtj0Ag8DzWCR_XgkoF5tY4XVJdhyz/w473-h336/Brenda%20Kay%20Ledford.JPG" width="473" /></a></div>Brenda Kay Ledford is the author of<i> Leatherwood Falls </i>and <i>Blanche.</i>Brenda Kay Ledfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03077314514118637590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327770929317819999.post-50732003125838583212023-09-25T19:56:00.001-04:002023-09-25T20:22:42.650-04:00Raven Chiong to be Featured Reader at Mountain Wordsmiths Sept. 28<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6zptEHMXQAJUxEA1rVCuyJdfREHZB3jp4M2IrbNqrIGvBWkxLSjcLWuLLGNlDhTkSebrzH4rP8qtn_Lzzs3s2ljigsX7o7l401r0_AiIOHrRTVUD1GQOST2Ph6Ga6hT53itfBgu7nEEipoaxYij_jNOV0XJiWfNkl5uzN05H8hfPFcOaAyF4szoNvwZE/s4160/Dulce%20and%20Raven-July%202022%20-%20Pic%20for%20Literary%20Hour.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="2080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6zptEHMXQAJUxEA1rVCuyJdfREHZB3jp4M2IrbNqrIGvBWkxLSjcLWuLLGNlDhTkSebrzH4rP8qtn_Lzzs3s2ljigsX7o7l401r0_AiIOHrRTVUD1GQOST2Ph6Ga6hT53itfBgu7nEEipoaxYij_jNOV0XJiWfNkl5uzN05H8hfPFcOaAyF4szoNvwZE/s320/Dulce%20and%20Raven-July%202022%20-%20Pic%20for%20Literary%20Hour.jpg" width="160" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raven and Dulce</td></tr></tbody></table> Gifted (and beloved) poet and playwright Raven Chiong will be the featured reader for this month’s gathering of Mountain Wordsmiths on Thursday, Sept. 28, at 10:30 a.m. via Zoom. The monthly event is sponsored by North Carolina Writers’ Network-West.<p></p><p> Chiong is a member of the North Carolina Writers Network, North Carolina Poetry Society, Utah State Poetry Society, Florida State Poetry Association, and National Federation of State Poetry Societies. Her poetry and prose have been widely published from coast to coast. Chiong will share her lifelong writing process and read selections from her recently published book, "Ode to the Still Small Voice-A Memoir of Listening."</p><p> Her writing career began at five years of age when she became a loyal pen pal to her absent mother. She earned her Master of Arts in Exercise and Sport Science from the University of Florida. She is a lifelong student, life coach, and educator. Career highlights include qualifying for the First Ever 1984 Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials and paying it forward with her 19-year cross country coaching career at DePauw University, Florida Atlantic University, Pine Crest Prep School, and Mills College. After a long competitive running and coaching career, she now runs her pen across the pages of this life.</p><p> She has been working with Best Friends Animal Society since 2008. Above all, she is the proud and devoted mama of four rescue dogs who found her wandering in the high desert of Southern Utah. They are her ongoing source of inspiration, a-muse-ment, and greatest teachers.</p><p> Email Carroll Taylor at <a href="mailto:vibiaperpetua@gmail.com">vibiaperpetua@gmail.com</a> for the Zoom link.</p><div><br /></div>David Plunketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10932233825864255292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327770929317819999.post-61944927983618854782023-09-12T16:06:00.000-04:002023-09-12T16:06:50.904-04:00Local Writers Karen Paul Holmes and Bob Grove Featured at Literary Hour<p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>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 <a href="http://www.karenpaulholmes.com" target="_blank">Karen Paul Holmes</a> and author <a href="https://www.amazon.com/stores/Bob-Grove/author/B00B0LRAV0?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true" target="_blank">Bob Grove</a> 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.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWEku_NU9s1g4OkQu5acxjtXJVKs2XKPfV1tLW97W6_K-xm9nVGKY6de6mTMju5Xgne_ZI8Pc4iqjHqDqFxv2J3dCjGmBVGtn8NO_jzjRJyp735fco89XgzL6vAWh_QRN-SSEj8FHwg7TWQbXrcRY0GU0k6uJJg1kcsA_0eeojpFRULM4mu5MxG0AByMKa/s3343/Karen%20Paul%20Holmes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3343" data-original-width="2507" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWEku_NU9s1g4OkQu5acxjtXJVKs2XKPfV1tLW97W6_K-xm9nVGKY6de6mTMju5Xgne_ZI8Pc4iqjHqDqFxv2J3dCjGmBVGtn8NO_jzjRJyp735fco89XgzL6vAWh_QRN-SSEj8FHwg7TWQbXrcRY0GU0k6uJJg1kcsA_0eeojpFRULM4mu5MxG0AByMKa/w150-h200/Karen%20Paul%20Holmes.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karen Paul Holmes</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span>Holmes won the <a href="https://lascauxreview.com/contest-results/" target="_blank">2023 Lascaux Poetry Prize</a> 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.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Holmes also teaches writing at the <a href="https://www.folkschool.org/" target="_blank">John C. Campbell Folk School</a>. 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.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>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.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhEEqpDkrbiPUdTnSvajuJmy_cWOKC8GA9isZ0qX6DFI4fz1XXis3KSftm68Ar80zNiD_FVwtQtxP4S8gr2IQ_ybAa-TtuyKVZf3R65IAnEmYeaGCa6gclSs8dLpfnlrb7ZdlytCIvJvnS0CB0O8MXBRImGoekR_FBZqYqmAoSi1MpIUy5G1gPn3kh95sj/s537/Bobby%20Grove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="537" data-original-width="448" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhEEqpDkrbiPUdTnSvajuJmy_cWOKC8GA9isZ0qX6DFI4fz1XXis3KSftm68Ar80zNiD_FVwtQtxP4S8gr2IQ_ybAa-TtuyKVZf3R65IAnEmYeaGCa6gclSs8dLpfnlrb7ZdlytCIvJvnS0CB0O8MXBRImGoekR_FBZqYqmAoSi1MpIUy5G1gPn3kh95sj/w167-h200/Bobby%20Grove.jpg" width="167" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bob Groves</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>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.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>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.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>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 <a href="https://www.folkschool.org/">https://www.folkschool.org/</a>.</p>David Plunketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10932233825864255292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327770929317819999.post-29210579699313396062023-08-31T16:08:00.000-04:002023-08-31T16:08:37.362-04:00Brenda Kay Ledford Gives Book Signing<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj194X0X5YfaYzClIShhqKRkFl6OIxdcS6BcQ9fuhI02Bt0aq6GuvNAiBYSI77w43jvY1_CEYySFkn3Y0017BF21VGPx96b7juoeZ0n7LMUmgnIqM_mrqoQG7fui-j0-ZH6xb4HhZRD_6dPlxfvrBtEh3pw3rJrd37r_yUapXrZK06k9ZdJr8AxDovViIYT/s875/Brenda%20&%20fall%20foliage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="875" data-original-width="569" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj194X0X5YfaYzClIShhqKRkFl6OIxdcS6BcQ9fuhI02Bt0aq6GuvNAiBYSI77w43jvY1_CEYySFkn3Y0017BF21VGPx96b7juoeZ0n7LMUmgnIqM_mrqoQG7fui-j0-ZH6xb4HhZRD_6dPlxfvrBtEh3pw3rJrd37r_yUapXrZK06k9ZdJr8AxDovViIYT/w317-h504/Brenda%20&%20fall%20foliage.jpg" width="317" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /> Brenda Kay Ledford, Award-Winning Author, will give a Book Signing; Sunday, October 8, 2023; 1:00-3:00 PM; BSG Coffee and Cafe; 808 NC-69; Hayesville, NC; (Old Fred's Pharmacy Building)<p></p><p>She will sign copies of her books: <i> Leatherwood Falls, Blue Ridge Mountains Poems</i> published by Kelsay Books; <i>Blanche, Blue Ridge Mountain Poems,</i> published by Redhawk Publishing; and <i>The Singing</i> <i>Convention</i>, published by Catch the Spirit of Appalachia.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_CXlMWeTA69-ho1KMlRsTdqtUPpllt1Yt--iyo7KAL9gzreFFz6q7-3t1VpI5WlV5IT7ZJ8sLr1rAlL0nFL0CBrhe_wiBCdj6tkpKfjAdE_nhIp6TtYh_kZqy9n_t7mnZP0dpca5uPk7hMij-1hBk3Ykd5u3Fx-BGI4jQaoPJEmq1rvZTsZOBuNILxjH/s275/Leatherwood%20Falls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="183" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_CXlMWeTA69-ho1KMlRsTdqtUPpllt1Yt--iyo7KAL9gzreFFz6q7-3t1VpI5WlV5IT7ZJ8sLr1rAlL0nFL0CBrhe_wiBCdj6tkpKfjAdE_nhIp6TtYh_kZqy9n_t7mnZP0dpca5uPk7hMij-1hBk3Ykd5u3Fx-BGI4jQaoPJEmq1rvZTsZOBuNILxjH/s1600/Leatherwood%20Falls.jpg" width="183" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA0k-Q88NBjojLkfI6W8BPabPSWYGU90-cOjXda9GrIB-0o6Rj4HFic8PIbqSMGZKelvj28JeW0Hfg1ETN8j6jJLz3ihcjkeGkIGFrEygfDHGdiJ0-DsK1AvcsPE05ZE0-CxkeXIVq8ptHL1uudWF3tQyM4nQjlQpyiyB6z0dToRHiITFwIG6dOvyAWGvZ/s1000/Blanche.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA0k-Q88NBjojLkfI6W8BPabPSWYGU90-cOjXda9GrIB-0o6Rj4HFic8PIbqSMGZKelvj28JeW0Hfg1ETN8j6jJLz3ihcjkeGkIGFrEygfDHGdiJ0-DsK1AvcsPE05ZE0-CxkeXIVq8ptHL1uudWF3tQyM4nQjlQpyiyB6z0dToRHiITFwIG6dOvyAWGvZ/s320/Blanche.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJWLXjyjV-bL8W21bZIuoyMABjXVSji7e1AgTT_9yJv1L892UtABEMZT0Gqy7J5MYg5eCpb20WXprNvM9b1Hp77dC9NQ92PXp3UJkle4ALmNdv-IwzeQQ8OMGS54fdCMcHcZtdypAtDngA0wQmTslIE9XNBxyGUyTAgNxKzGKxXwAYQmojlR0p9Pzgc1lo/s1200/The%20Singing%20Convention.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="1200" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJWLXjyjV-bL8W21bZIuoyMABjXVSji7e1AgTT_9yJv1L892UtABEMZT0Gqy7J5MYg5eCpb20WXprNvM9b1Hp77dC9NQ92PXp3UJkle4ALmNdv-IwzeQQ8OMGS54fdCMcHcZtdypAtDngA0wQmTslIE9XNBxyGUyTAgNxKzGKxXwAYQmojlR0p9Pzgc1lo/s320/The%20Singing%20Convention.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Brenda Kay Ledfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03077314514118637590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327770929317819999.post-41593964122336754952023-08-14T12:18:00.000-04:002023-08-14T12:18:07.346-04:00Dyre and Mitchell to Read at Literary Hour Aug. 17<p> <span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Author <a href="https://www.maryjodyre.com/" target="_blank">Mary Jo Dyre</a> of Murphy and Poet Maren Mitchell will read from their work at the Literary Hour Thursday, Aug. 17, at 7 pm in the Keith House Living Room of the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC. The Literary Hour is sponsored by the North Carolina Writers’ Network-West and is free and open to everyone.</span></p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwSHffzuc8fkODd9JCzd2LZTT5N3bbM2Z0N9tdN8ktYozgbTuGF30tXqNNN0OQd4qtz63By9krLRFbg8eUmRfLunR4Ugx0Xm4QAs2sQjVrJsqKNPciAT75SihdXn6OsdtR--wcZ_7gCR2NGcZU71x8pvHgxoHZk2LLEyhfzkMnwGY27kJhRIEX5z4BXWUh/s250/Mary%20Jo%20Dyre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="188" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwSHffzuc8fkODd9JCzd2LZTT5N3bbM2Z0N9tdN8ktYozgbTuGF30tXqNNN0OQd4qtz63By9krLRFbg8eUmRfLunR4Ugx0Xm4QAs2sQjVrJsqKNPciAT75SihdXn6OsdtR--wcZ_7gCR2NGcZU71x8pvHgxoHZk2LLEyhfzkMnwGY27kJhRIEX5z4BXWUh/w150-h200/Mary%20Jo%20Dyre.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary Jo Dyre</td></tr></tbody></table>Dyre is the author of “Springheads” which was published in 2023 and is a Murphy, NC, resident. She began her writing career by completing her deceased brother Arnold Dyre’s half-completed manuscript of “Dark Spot” which became the final book in his Jake Baker Mystery series.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Her novel combines multiple genres of historical fiction, romance, mystery, adventure, and fantasy to create a compelling story mixing broad sweeps of history gleaned from the Appalachian mountains, rural Mississippi, the wild west days of Arizona, and the continent of South America. Dyre is also known in the area for founding a school serving families and students in Cherokee, Clay, and Graham counties, and serving as its executive director from 2000-2021.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Maren O. Mitchell’s poems have appeared in regional, national, and international publications including “Appalachian Heritage,” “The South Carolina Review,” “Southern Humanities Review,” “Appalachian Journal,” and several anthologies. <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Three of her poems have been nominated for Pushcart Prizes and she received a 1st Place Award for Excellence in Poetry from the Georgia Poetry Society.</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYPjltdJFeJcGBo8JS_oML26gtiAFisMGv2GC9csnqMa6EhUHcc_tNqHNmsHH9TG_N5aWR7D90r7N7o9RDJOelvrsrJoRMfNykQuohD8aoZuI-gL7-QLDrgm5k9jc4PQp1uDczt5PhKAWJaLu3U13xlH5S_ywZG7L3EiKQbWqXQd6HtQfsQqpQQqH_uK20/s507/Maren%20O.%20Mitchell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="391" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYPjltdJFeJcGBo8JS_oML26gtiAFisMGv2GC9csnqMa6EhUHcc_tNqHNmsHH9TG_N5aWR7D90r7N7o9RDJOelvrsrJoRMfNykQuohD8aoZuI-gL7-QLDrgm5k9jc4PQp1uDczt5PhKAWJaLu3U13xlH5S_ywZG7L3EiKQbWqXQd6HtQfsQqpQQqH_uK20/w154-h200/Maren%20O.%20Mitchell.jpg" width="154" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maren O. Mitchell</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Her chapbook is “In my next life I plan....” She also has published a nonfiction book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Beat-Chronic-Pain-Insiders-Guide/dp/0985311908" target="_blank">“Beat Chronic Pain, An Insider’s Guide.”</a> Mitchell, a North Carolina native now living in Georgia, taught poetry at Blue Ridge Community College, in Flat Rock, NC, and catalogued at the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>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 <a href="https://www.folkschool.org/">https://www.folkschool.org/</a>. Students and faculty of the school are welcome to attend the readings.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The Literary Hour at the folk school started in 1995 and is offered every third Thursday of the month through November, according to Glenda Beall, NCWN-West coordinator. “Our goals for the Literary Hour at the folk school are to bring local writers and any member of NCWN who is in the area to the campus to share their work,” she said.</p><div><br /></div>David Plunketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10932233825864255292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327770929317819999.post-23090359270518640122023-08-13T19:57:00.001-04:002023-08-13T20:00:44.867-04:00The passing of a wonderful writer and Netwest Member, Jo Carolyn Beebe <p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <span face="Verdana, sans-serif">It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of
<b>Jo Carolyn Beebe,</b> a member of NCWN-West for many years.</span></span></p>
<div style="border: 1pt solid rgb(229, 231, 235); mso-border-alt: solid #E5E7EB .25pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-border-alt: solid #E5E7EB .25pt; mso-outline-level: 1; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in; padding: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #111827; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Jo Carolyn Beebe<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-border-alt: solid #E5E7EB .25pt; mso-outline-level: 2; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in; padding: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #111827; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">September 23, 1937 — August 6, 2023<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-border-alt: solid #E5E7EB .25pt; mso-outline-level: 3; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in; padding: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #111827; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Hiawassee<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; mso-border-alt: solid #E5E7EB .25pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in; padding: 0in;"><span style="color: #111827; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> Jo
Carolyn Beebe, age 85, of Hiawassee, Georgia, passed away on August 6, 2023, at
her home.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; mso-border-alt: solid #E5E7EB .25pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in; padding: 0in;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp20R-wC8YPKVRqe_zgE0zFSbkqimWlhD9zfYBwqrN0UNtDDIlEJtJE_-BiO7AQXS3AFV2vL5DR6NTuHqDPNjkgq15Jlw2Vjckd05Quw1NsxrBb6eOORGs21Pmk5aKVSouKY8RWJTnJb0/s1600/jo+carolyn+reading+at+JCCFS.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp20R-wC8YPKVRqe_zgE0zFSbkqimWlhD9zfYBwqrN0UNtDDIlEJtJE_-BiO7AQXS3AFV2vL5DR6NTuHqDPNjkgq15Jlw2Vjckd05Quw1NsxrBb6eOORGs21Pmk5aKVSouKY8RWJTnJb0/w400-h300/jo+carolyn+reading+at+JCCFS.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Jo Carolyn Beebe reading at the John C. Campbell Folk School<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; line-height: 106%;">I met Jo Carolyn in Nancy Simpson’s writing class when I first
came to NC in 1996. She was interested in Genealogy, and she wrote family
stories about growing up in Mississippi and stories about her ancestors. Her
readings were always entertaining. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; line-height: 106%;">Back in May, I received an email from her saying she
didn’t drive at night anymore and could not attend nighttime events. So many of
our members have reached an age when driving at night is difficult. Her dear
husband, John, who always accompanied her to Writers Night Out readings, is not well either. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; line-height: 106%;">The following is from 2017 when she and I and
Glenda Barrett were reading at the folk school for the Literary Hour.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; line-height: 106%;">“Jo Carolyn Beebe is a native of
Mississippi. Many of her poems and stories are based on her recollections
of conversations with her grandparents. Her Grandmother Anderson said,
"The Bartletts are kin to Daniel Boone. They came through the Cumberland
Gap with him." Great-grandfather Ricks showed her a greasy circle in his
front yard where no grass would grow. "This is where the Indians cooked
their food," he told her.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; line-height: 106%;">She also has her own memories of life in a small, rural
town. Her story, "The Way You Hypnotize a Chicken," really happened
when she and a friend hypnotized one of Grandmother's hens. And where else but
in a small town could two little girls play in the funeral home and pick out
their everyday casket and their Sunday casket?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; line-height: 106%;">Jo Carolyn has been published in <i>Main Street
Rag, Clothes Lines, Women's Spaces Women's Places, Lonzie's Fried Chicken,
Lights in the Mountains, Echoes Across the Blue Ridge, </i>and by
Abingdon Press. She was most gratified with her family history
book <i>The Beekeepers and Sons of Ander.</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="line-height: 106%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">She is a graduate of Miami University, Oxford, and has
been a resident of Towns County for 21 years.”</span><o:p style="font-size: 12pt;"></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="line-height: 106%;">Diana Smith said, "</span>She was kind, funny, talented, supportive
to everyone, and had a wonderful southern voice which was prominent in her
writing. She was an expert in genealogy and taught classes in it. We lost a
wonderful person too soon."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: verdana;">Her
short story, "Boys Can Be Angels Too" was for children and was published as a
Christmas play by Abington Press," Diana said, "and she has a book ready for publication now."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We will miss Jo Carolyn and send our heartfelt sympathy
to John and all of her family and many friends. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Glenda Beallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17953170428175025248noreply@blogger.com1