Poet Donna Beal and Novelist David Plunkett to Read at Campbell School

                 Local poet Donna Beal and novelist David Plunkett are the featured readers for the final Literary Hour of the 2025 season at the J.C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC, Thursday, October 16, at 7 p.m. in the Keith House.  Literary Hour is free and open to everyone who enjoys reading and writing poetry and prose.

Donna Beal

                 Donna Beal lives and writes in Hayesville, NC.  Her poetry has appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies including publications by Jacar Press, Chapel Hill Press, The Bluestone Review, Anuran, The Snapdragon Journal For Art And Healing, and is a frequent contributor to Old Mountain Press anthologies.  An active member of The North Carolina Writer’s Network, The North Carolina Poetry Society and SistaWRITE, she is currently working on a book of stories about her mother and will be sharing several poems tracing her mother’s journey through dementia.

David Plunkett

                 David Plunkett of Young Harris, GA, is a novelist and poet best known for his Chessboard Series thrillers, “Chessboard” and “Poisoned Pawn” which follow the adventures of Kathy and Al Sutton as they face intrigue and danger in the Middle East.  He is currently working on the final novel of the series, “End
Game,” which will complete the trilogy.  His plan for Literary Hour, however, is to read not from his novels but from some of his short stories and flash fiction which take listeners from an evening in the quiet Georgia hills to the depths of outer space.

                 The Literary Hour is hosted by well-known Murphy, NC, author Mary Jo Dyre, whose novel “Springheads” combines elements of historical fiction, romance, mystery, adventure and fantasy to create a story of self-discovery.

                 The Literary Hour at the folk school brings local writers to the campus to share their work with the community.  It is sponsored by the North Carolina Writers’ Network-West on every third Thursday of the month through October.  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/.

Owens and Beal to Read at Literary Hour Sept. 19

  Poet Scott Owens and Author Donna Beal will be the featured readers at the next Literary Hour Thursday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m. in the Open House on the John C. Campbell Folk School campus. The Literary Hour is sponsored by the North Carolina Writers’ Network-West and is free and open to everyone.

Scott Owens

        Scott Owens is the author of 22 collections of poetry and recipient of awards from the Academy of American Poets, the Pushcart Prize Anthology, the Next Generation/Indie Lit Awards, the NC Writers Network, the NC Poetry Society, and the Poetry Society of SC. His poems have been featured in The Writer’s Almanac eight times, and his articles about writing poetry have been used in Poet’s Market four times. He has twice been nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award and to be North Carolina Poet Laureate. Owens holds degrees from Ohio University, UNC Charlotte, and UNC Greensboro.  He is Professor of Poetry at Lenoir Rhyne University, and former editor of Wild Goose Poetry Review and Southern Poetry Review. He owns and operates Taste Full Beans Coffeehouse and Gallery and coordinates Poetry Hickory in Hickory, NC.

Western North Carolina writer, Donna Beal, was raised in Greensboro, NC, and has lived in various towns in the eastern states. She moved in June of 2023 to her husband’s hometown of Hayesville, NC, where they live the good life with their two Chinese Crested dogs Honey Bear and Gracie Bear, an unnamed visiting bear and a gang of turkeys.

Donna Beal

        Beal is a graduate of Winthrop University with a double major in philosophy and religion and concentrations in both technical and creative writing. After college she began working in a large financial institution where she became a senior vice president and director. After retiring she pursued her interest in writing.  She has been published in numerous journals and is a member of The North Carolina Writer’s Network-West and the sistaWRITE group founded by North Carolina Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green. She’s even been known to preach a few sermons.

Well known local author Mary Jo Dyre (“Springheads,” Redhawk Publications, 2023) will host the event.

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

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