The Literary Hour at JCCFS, Brasstown, NC, to feature Joan Ellen Gage, Bob Grove, and Carroll S. Taylor on Wednesday, April 17, 2019

On Wednesday, April 17, 2019, at 7:00 PM, John C. Campbell Folk School and NC Writers' Network-West will sponsor The Literary Hour. At this event, NCWN-West members will read at the Keith House on the JCCFS campus, in Brasstown, NC. The Literary Hour is held on the third Thursday of the month unless otherwise indicated. This reading is free of charge and open to the public. This month's featured readers will be Joan Ellen Gage, Bob Grove, and Carroll S. Taylor. For more information on this event, please contact Mary Ricketson at: maryricketson311@hotmail.com.

Joan Ellen Gage is an author of humor and inspiration written from her own unique perspective. Her recipe for her writing focuses on staying upbeat and laughing at her own foibles. Gage’s photos are the spice in the mix that serve to punctuate the writing and add that special garnish to her creations. 

Joan has written and published five books, Water Running Downhill, Embracing Your Inner Cheerleader, A Redhead Looks At 60, Trinity's Adventures in Imagination, and a special edition of Water Running Downhill! the Rose Edition, as a tribute to her friend Rose Macedo Kull. All of the books are available on Amazon. Currently, Gage is working on a new book entitled: Words of Defiance and Empowerment.

Gage is a former administrator for the NCWN-West blog. Additionally, Ms. Gage has two blogs, Traveling at the Speed of Now, www.joanellengage.com,and A Redhead Blogs at 60, https://joans-zone.com/.

Bob Grove: Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Bob holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kent State University and a Master of Science degree from Florida Atlantic University. His diversified curriculum qualified him to teach high school courses in biology, anatomy and physiology, earth and space science, astronomy and space science, psychology, English, journalism, and creative writing.  

 Bob was an ABC-TV public affairs director and on-air program host, and founder and publisher of Monitoring Times Magazine. He has published 19 books and hundreds of articles in 23 magazines. Additionally, he has published a mystery novella, Secrets of Magnolia Manor, his memoir, Misadventures of an Only Child, a collection of children’s stories: Adventures of Kaylie and Jimmy, and many flash fiction stories as well as some poetry. Grove’s books can be found on Amazon.

Grove is prose critique facilitator for the North Carolina Writers Network and a co-facilitator of the Ridgeline Literary Alliance.

Carroll S. Taylor grew up in rural West Central Georgia. A graduate of Tift College (Mercer University) with a BA in French, she holds graduate degrees in French and English as well as an EdS in Educational Leadership. An educator for forty-three years, Taylor taught French, English, Journalism, Creative Writing, and ESL, and advised students to create and publish school newspapers and yearbooks. After retirement, she moved on to her second career as a part-time instructor at Columbus State University, teaching freshman composition. 

Taylor is the author of two young adult novels, Chinaberry Summer and Chinaberry Summer: On the Other Side. She is currently writing the third novel in the series, Chinaberry Summer: Down by the Water. Her books emphasize generational storytelling and respect for the valuable role of reptiles and amphibians in our ecosystem. One of the personal highlights of publishing her novels was her book reading held in the childhood home of Carson McCullers. 

Readers may find her journal blog at chinaberrysummer.com, and  follow her at: https://www.facebook.com/ChinaberrySummer/. .

Carroll is a member of North Carolina Writers’ Network, North Carolina Writers’ Network-West, and the Georgia Poetry Society.

Simpson Beck Student Writing Contest to resume in April 2019

The Simpson Beck Writing Contest for Clay County Middle and High School will be held in April of this year. This contest is named for the late poet, Nancy Simpson, and for Reba Beck, retired art teacher for Clay County Schools. The categories for 2019, will be writing Poetry and Personal Essay. The contest commences on April 5, 2019, and the turn-in date for the entries is April 15. The winners will be announced at the Hayesville High Lecture Hall, on Tuesday, April 23^rd, at 7:00 PM. 

This year’s judges are: Rosemary Rhodes Royston, for Poetry, and Janice Townley Moore and Carroll S. Taylor for Personal Essay.

Rosemary Rhodes Royston holds an MFA in Writing from Spalding University and is a lecturer at Young Harris College, Georgia. She is the author of Splitting the Soil (Finishing Line Press). Royston's poetry has been published in journals such as Appalachian Heritage, Split Rock Review, Southern Poetry Review, KUDZU, Town Creek Review, and *82 Review. She’s the VP for Planning and Special Projects at Young Harris College, where she teaches the occasional creative writing course. 

Her poetry has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, she was the recipient of the 2010 Literal Latte Food Verse Award, received Honorable Mention in a George Scarborough Poetry Contest, at the Mountain Heritage Literary Festival, and her short fiction being selected as Honorable Mention in the Porter Fleming Literary Awards, 2012. 

Royston is treasurer for the North Carolina Writers’ Network-West.

Janice Townley Moore, who lives in Hayesville, NC, is an Atlanta native and Associate Professor Emerita of English at Young Harris College. Her poems have appeared in numerous journals including The Georgia Review, Prairie Schooner, Connecticut Review, Southern Poetry Review, Poetry East, and The Journal of the American Medical Association. 

Moore's chapbook, Teaching the Robins, was published by Finishing Line Press. Among the anthologies that include her poems are The Bedford Introduction to Literature, and three volumes of: The Southern Poetry Anthology: Contemporary Appalachia, Georgia, and North Carolina from Texas Review Press. 

Moore serves as the coordinator of the North Carolina Writers’ Network-West poetry critique group, is a Rep for the North Carolina Writers’ Network-West and is on the poetry editorial board of The Pharos, publication of Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.

Carroll S. Taylor is a graduate of Tift College (Mercer University) with a BA in French. She holds graduate degrees in French and English as well as an EdS in Educational Leadership. She was an educator for forty-three years. As a secondary teacher, she taught French, English, Journalism, Creative Writing, and ESL. She advised students in the creation and publication of school newspapers and yearbooks. After her retirement, Taylor moved on to her second career as a part-time instructor at Columbus State University, teaching freshman composition. 

She is the author of two young adult novels, Chinaberry Summer and Chinaberry Summer: On the Other Side. She is currently writing the third novel in the series, Chinaberry Summer: Down by the Water. Her books emphasize generational storytelling and respect for the valuable role of reptiles and amphibians in our ecosystem. One of the personal highlights of publishing her novels was her book reading held in the childhood home of Carson McCullers. 

Carroll is a member of North Carolina Writers’ Network, and the Georgia Poetry Society. Readers may find her journal blog at chinaberrysummer.com.

Reba Beck, a former Art Instructor for Clay County Schools, and the President of the Clay County Historical and Arts Council, and Joan Ellen Gage, of North Carolina Writers’ Network West are sponsoring the Simpson Beck Student Writing Contest. High School English instructor Carla T. Beck, who is integral to this writing contest, is the contact for Clay County Middle and High School.

Mountain Writers Meeting Tuesday, March 12

Carroll Taylor and Glenda Beall will be presenting a program for Mountain Writers in Waynesville, NC at noon on Tuesday, March 12, at Panacea Coffee House and Café on Commerce Street.

Glenda Council Beall

Glenda Beall is program coordinator for the NC Writers’ Network – West, the mountain program of the state organization, NCWN. Her poems, fiction and creative nonfiction have been published in journals, magazines and reviews since 1996. Recently she and her co-author, Estelle Rice of Marble, NC published a collection of stories, poems and color photos in a book titled, Paws, Claws, Hooves, Feathers and Fins; Family Pets and God’s Other Creatures.

Beall is the owner/director of Writers Circle around the Table, a writing studio in Hayesville, NC where instructors from Asheville to Atlanta teach workshops in the spring, summer and fall. She will discuss her experience of co-writing and self-publishing as well as successful marketing.

Carroll Taylor

Carroll Taylor grew up on a dirt road in rural West Central Georgia. 
A graduate of Tift College (Mercer University), she holds graduate degrees in French, English, and Educational Leadership. She retired after teaching over forty years.
She is the author of two young adult novels, Chinaberry Summer and Chinaberry Summer: On the Other Side. Her books emphasize generational storytelling and her love for reptiles and amphibians.

She and her husband retired to Hiawassee, Georgia, and she’s always looking for adventures, whether it’s standing on Prime Meridian, studying in Oxford, watching alligators in the Okefenokee Swamp, or taking pictures of flowers and critters.
She is a member of North Carolina Writers’ Network, North Carolina Writers’ Network-West, and the Georgia Poetry Society. She recently won an award in the Georgia Poetry Society contest. Readers may find her journal blog at www.chinaberrysummer.com and follow her at facebook/chinaberrysummer.
Contact Charley Pearson, charley.pearson@gmail.com  for more information.

Carroll S.Taylor's poem "In Memoriam" awarded Second Place in the Mnemosyne Award for the 2018 Georgia Poetry Society's fall contest.

Carroll S. Taylor has been awarded Second Place for her poem, "In Memoriam," in the Mnemosyne Award contest for the 2018 Georgia Poetry Society's fall contest. The poem will be published in the 2019 edition of The Reach of Song. 

Carol Crawford judged this award category. Her comments are as follows: 

"In Memoriam" comes at the reader with vivid visual imagery. It reads like an artist's black and white photograph, with sharply drawn contrasts. The word pictures of death and mourning are dramatic. The stark warning of the dead bird bringss to mind violence humans commit against each other and serves as its own warning and cautionary tale.

Carroll S. Taylor grew up on a dirt road in rural West Central Georgia. A graduate of Tift College (Mercer University) with a BA in French, she holds graduate degrees in French and English as well as an EdS in Educational Leadership. She was an educator for forty-three years. As a secondary teacher, she taught French, English, Journalism, Creative Writing, and ESL. She advised students in the creation and publication of school newspapers and yearbooks. After her retirement, she moved on to her second career as a part-time instructor at Columbus State University, teaching freshman composition. 

She is the author of two young adult novels, Chinaberry Summer and Chinaberry Summer: On theOther Side. She is currently writing the third novel in the series, Chinaberry Summer: Down by the Water. Her books emphasize generational storytelling and respect for the valuable role of reptiles and amphibians in our ecosystem. One of the personal highlights of publishing her novels was her book reading held in the childhood home of Carson McCullers.

Carroll is a member of North Carolina Writers’ Network, North Carolina Writers’ Network-West, and the Georgia Poetry Society.

 She and her husband retired to Hiawassee, Georgia, where they share a home with their two cats. She loves studying nature, especially snakes. She enjoys writing in all forms, including poetry and novels. Readers may find her journal blog at chinaberrysummer.com and follow her at: https://www.facebook.com/ChinaberrySummer/.