What do you think about the Good Old Days?

Many of our local poets are published in the latest anthology by Old Mountain Press, The Good Old Days. This book includes 69 poets and prose writers with the theme of anything about memories/events from the past good, bad, sad, or a funny take on the good old days, or of Summertime.

Cover photo by Carolyn York

Available in Kindle Format  for $2.99

FREE if you participate in the Kindle Unlimited and/or the Kindle Owners' Lending Library: NOTE Amazon Prime members who own a Kindle can choose one book from each month with no due dates.

One of my poems, If, is in this edition along with poems by some of my students, Donna Beal (with one L) and Alan Frutchey. This is Alan's first publication although he has been writing poetry for a long time. I am happy for both of them.  

When I send a poem to an anthology, I usually submit something I have already published in a literary magazine or a publication with a larger readership. But Tom Davis, publisher of Old Mountain Press, has a very wide audience. 

"The OMP Anthology Series consists of 55 volumes with contributions from 287 writers and poets from North America, Europe, and Africa and has sold 6812 copies. I assume that someone has read all or parts of the 6812 copies as the contributors read and gift copies to individuals who read at least parts of the anthologies. Gotta be some kind of a record," Tom tells me.

"Of note is that one person (me:-) does ALL the work (cover design---front, back, spine, interior formatting, author corrections, website design, advertising, sales, distribution of copies, I'm sure I've forgotten something...) except the printing." Tom adds, "Only those who have taken part in putting together an anthology project will appreciate this." :-)

I do appreciate this. A massive job well done by Tom Davis. I helped publish Echoes Across the Blue Ridge an anthology of work by mountain writers, with many NCWN-West members, but I did not do the technical parts as Tom does. My job was organizing sales, creating a marketing plan, and distributing the books to all Netwest county representatives and to retail outlets that sold books in my area. 

Some of our best NC poets publish in OMP anthologies, including former poet laureate, Shelby Stephenson. I know it is likely their way to support Old Mountain Press and many beginning poets, but Brenda Kay Ledford of Clay County, NC is widely published in poetry and other genres. Her work is included in every anthology Tom has published. If you like to read poetry, you will love poems by Carroll S. Taylor, YA novelist, and author of two children's books. She recently published her first poetry book, Facing Toward the East. 

I also enjoy the short prose pieces both fiction and nonfiction such as those by Celia Miles prolific mystery novelist from Asheville, NC.  Sandy Benson journalist is also the author of a memoir My Mother’s Keeper: One Family’s Journey Through Dementia. She submitted a short piece that I liked. 

Poetry by NCWN-West members, Mary Ricketson and David Plunkett, grace the pages of The Good Old Days. Many other excellent writers from our western North Carolina and north Georgia region can be found between the covers of this book. 

Only past contributors or someone recommended by a past contributor will be published in the Old Mountain Press. Beware, your work is not edited before it is published. Be sure you have had it edited or have had several pairs of eyes, knowledgeable eyes, on it before you send it to Tom. That is another reason to send something that was accepted elsewhere.

Be generous: If you read a poem or short prose piece that you think is extra good, that you relate to, or feel deserves recognition, take a minute and email or better, write a note to the author. 

It will make their day. We can do so much with so little effort. 

Give Yourself the Write Start in January... with a Folk School class

January 26 Weekend: "Your Write Time" 

all genres & levels of writing experience welcome

taught by Karen Paul Holmes

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. 

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. 

Local residents usually qualify for a discount. 

For more information and to register visit John C. Campbell Folk School: www.folkschool.org

About the instructor:  Karen Paul Holmes won the 2023 Lascaux Poetry Prize and received a Special Mention in the Pushcart Prize anthology. Her two poetry books are No Such Thing as Distance (Terrapin Books) and Untying the Knot (Aldrich Press). She's is widely published in literary journals, including Plume, Gargoyle, and Prairie Schooner, and her poems have been read by Garrison Keillor on The Writer's Almanac and by the US Poet Laureate on The Slowdown 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. www.karenpaulholmes.com

Writers' Conference, Blue Ridge, GA, April 8-9

Keynote Speaker: Julie Guinn 

"How to Write a NY Times Bestseller"

There's something for writers of every genre with authors Renea Winchester, Rona Simmons, Kim Zackman, and NCWN representative Karen Paul Holmes, who will lead the following poetry workshops:

Poetry That Pops: Unexpected Word Pairings

Each word in a poem counts, as do the words next to it. Adjective-noun and subject-verb pairs that the reader hasn’t seen before can add vitality. Did the rain fall or did it slither down the glass? Each creates a particular image in the mind, but the latter also sets a certain mood. We’ll look at examples from skilled poets and try a fun prompt that helps you dig deeper for the just-right word combination.
  

Publishing in Journals & Anthologies: 

Submitting your poetry can be daunting and discouraging, but then an acceptance arrives and makes your day. We’ll discuss strategy, pitfalls to avoid, choosing which poems to send and where, and what makes a good cover letter. You’ll go home with an arsenal of  submission tips and tools. 

For registration, schedule, class descriptions, and more: https://www.blueridgewritersconference.com/

Celia Miles has a new book in the local bookstores and elsewhere.

 Congratulations to our friend, Celia Miles, author, on the publication of her latest book. See more 

here.

Celia Miles at the Blue Ridge Writers' Conference

Don't miss the opportunity to apply for this online conference.

SQUIRE ONLINE 2020

Community, but not Communicable

https://ncwriters.org/index.php/programs-and-services/conferences/11189-so20

Fiction session is closed, but there is room in Poetry and Creative Nonfiction. The price is right. Very reasonable cost for members of NCWN and NCWN-West, with discounts for seniors and for students. 

If you have not taken classes on Zoom, I think you will enjoy it. I have taught on Zoom and took classes at the Cabin Fever Conference earlier this year. I really like being able to attend a workshop by a professional writer, to ask questions and hear comments from other participants while sitting in my own home.

This is an excellent method for older folks to participate without having to brave the outside world right now. 

See the link above to register, but the deadline for registration is June 29, so don't wait. Do it now.
You don't have to be a member to register, but if you want to join at the time you register, you will get a nice discount. 

Meet our Writers' Night Out Headliners: Linda Jones & Alan Cone

October 11, 7 pm

Union County Community Center

Blairsville, GA

Open Mic follows the reading

Join us for Linda's intelligent, heartfelt poetry; and Alan's smart, quirky prose. (Read his bio below for a sample). 

Linda Grayson Jones is an Associate Professor of Biology and Dean of Math and Science at Young Harris College. She has read and written poetry since childhood and recalls reading The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes to her third-grade classmates. With a B.S. in Biology from Stetson University, an M.A. in Biology and a Ph.D. in Pathology from Vanderbilt University, Linda's career path was primarily in academic biomedical research, but in 2009 she returned to her first love—teaching. She remains a reader and writer of poetry and is a member of the North Carolina Writers’ Network. She credits North Carolina poet Nancy Simpson (1938-2018) for encouraging her to use Grayson Jones as her published poet’s name.

 Alan Cone is the author of many short stories and a novel, The History of the Decline and Fall of Roland Arnheiter. He explains that he “comes to North Georgia by way of Texas, on our nation’s frontier, where a man writes with both fists or perishes.” Alan's work is anchored always in a common man’s self-effacing humility. His penchant for dry humor and sarcasm is reflected in his artist’s statement: “With acuity and wisdom, with perceptiveness and whimsy, I usher audiences through an odyssey of freshman-level erudition and beyond. My quietly courageous abasement of the writer’s dais will leave you challenged, thoughtful, hungry for less.”  He also admits that he does not actually smoke a pipe.

The Literary Hour Readings, Wednesday, March 20, 2019, at The John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, NC

On Wednesday, March 20, 2019, at 7:00 PM, the John C. Campbell Folk School and NC Writers' Network-West (NCWN-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, poet and author Natalie Grant, poet Joan M. Howard, and poet Mary A. Ricketson.

Natalie Grant has spent much of her life in Western North Carolina and most of her career as the only high school language arts teacher at a rural k-12 school. She writes both fiction and poetry and is inspired by the landscape of her mountain home, its people, and the many storytellers in her family.

Currently, Grant is writing short stories and a volume of poetry entitled The Language of Bones. Her educational background includes an MFA in creative writing from the University of the South's School of Letters, an MA in English from Western Carolina University, and a BA in History and English from Berea College. Grant is also a Rep for NCWN-West. 

Joan M. Howard, whose poetry has been published in POEM, The Road Not Taken: The Journal of Formal Poetry, the Aurorean, Lucid Rhythms, Victorian Violet, the Wayfarer and other literary journals. She published the book Death and Empathy: My Sister Web, in 2017.  Her latest book is: Jack, Love and the Daily Grail, from Kelsay Publications.

Howard is a former teacher with an MA in German and English literature and is a member of the North Carolina Writers' Network.  She enjoys birding and kayaking on the beautiful waters of Lake Chatuge near Hiawassee,

Mary A. Ricketson, Murphy NC, inspired by nature and her work as a mental health counselor, has poetry published in Wild Goose Poetry Review, Future Cycle Press, Journal of Kentucky Studies, Lights in the Mountains, Echoes Across the Blue Ridge, Red Fox Run, It’s All Relative, Old Mountain Press, Whispers, and Voices. Her chapbook is, I Hear the River Call my Name, and she has two full length collections, Hanging Dog Creek, and Shade and Shelter.  Her new book, Mississippi: The Story of Luke and Marian, is forthcoming, 2019, from Kelsay Books.

Currently Mary is using her own poetry to present empowerment workshops, combining roles as writer and her helping role as a therapist. Ricketson’s poems and activities relate with nature, facilitate talk about a personal path, and focus on growth in ordinary and unusual times. She writes a monthly column, Women to Women, for The Cherokee Scout, is a Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor, a Rep for NCWN-West, and an organic blueberry farmer.

For more information about this event, contact Mary Ricketson at: maryricketson311@hotmail.com.