Ricketson and Westwood to Read at May 16 Literary Hour

  Poet Mary Ricketson of Murphy, and writer David Andrew Westwood of Hayesville will be featured at the Thursday, May 16, Literary Hour at 7 p.m. in the Keith House library on the John C. Campbell Folk School campus in Brasstown, NC.  The Literary Hour is sponsored by the North Carolina Writers’ Network-West and is free and open to everyone.

Mary Ricketson

Ricketson has been writing poetry for over twenty-five years.  Her poems have been published in numerous poetry reviews and in her recent collection, “Stutters, A Book of Hope,” as well as five other full-length poetry collections and two chapbooks.  She won first place in the 2011 Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest 75th anniversary national poetry contest.  Inspired by nature and her role as a mental health counselor, her poems reflect the healing powers of nature, a path she follows from Appalachian tradition, with the surrounding mountains as midwife for her words.

David Andrew Westwood

Westwood was brought up in 1960s London, got stuck in Los Angeles for far too long, and is now happily settled in Hayesville.  He writes mostly historical fiction — 17 novels so far — but also the occasional short story and essay.  His novels have won three awards from the Military Writers Society of America, and a recent short story was a finalist for North Carolina’s Doris Betts Prize.  His latest novel, “Bitternut Creek,” will be released in August.

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

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

Special Closing Program to Literary Hour at Campbell School

  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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Ken Chamlee and Annelle Beall to Read at Oct. 19 Literary Hour

  North Carolina poet Ken Chamblee and Georgia novelist Annelle Beall will read from their works at the Literary Hour in the Keith House on the John C. Campbell Folk School 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.

Ken Chamlee

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.

        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.

Annelle Beall

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.

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

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