I like to post articles or posts that benefit my readers, so today I am sharing a site that is full of good advice for writers. In this post, the writer tells us, with humor, why our books are not selling and what we must do to sell at a time when reading books has fallen as a major entertainment for people.
I have been reading Kristen Lamb for a long time and I have learned so much from her articles. Do you subscribe to Kristen? If so, what do you like about her site?
https://authorkristenlamb.com/2019/02/how-to-sell-more-books-a-tale-of-fishing-catfishing/
What do you think about her suggestions on how to sell books?
Showing posts with label Glenda Beall. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Glenda Beall. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Saturday, October 13, 2018
Ron Hill presented with Quilt of Valor
A decade ago I met Ron Hill who was a writing student in my
class at EAGLE, an adult education program at a church in Sautee Nacoochee, GA.
I enjoyed Ron’s stories about his interesting life. I learned that he was from
my region of North Carolina and served as Director of the John C. Campbell Folk School
many years ago. We have kept in touch by email all these years. Today I
received the following.
 |
| Ron Hill, former Director of John C. Campbell Folk School |
Presentation of Quilt of Valor to US Army War Veteran Ron
Hill
A Quilt of Valor was presented to retired Captain/Sergeant
Major Ron Hill of Sautee Nacoochee, GA on October 11, 2018.
The presentation was made by Karen Trombley and Terry
Wright, Georgia Quilts of Valor volunteer members. In addition to the
presentation, Trombley and Wright told the audience of the Northeast Georgia
Veterans Society about the mission of the Quilts of Valor organization which is
"to cover service members and veterans touched by war with comforting and
healing Quilts of Valor."
They
continued by relating the meaning behind the three layers that are used to construct
a quilt. "The top of the quilt with its many colors, shapes, and fabrics,
represents the communities and the many individuals we are. The batting, the
filler, is the center of the quilt, its warmth. It represents our hope that
this quilt will bring warmth, comfort, peace, and healing to the individual who
receives it. The backing is the strength that supports the other layers. It
represents the strength of the recipient, the support of his or her family, our
communities, and our nation. Each stitch that holds the layers together
represents love, gratitude, and sometimes the tears of the maker." The presentation concluded with a short
biography of Ron’s service in the United States Army, which included his
service in the Korean War 1953-54, Vietnam War 1969-70 and Desert Storm 1991.
Karen and Terry displayed the quilt during the presentation
and then awarded the quilt to Ron. As the quilt was draped over his shoulders,
Ron’s smile made all of our efforts worthwhile. We could tell that he was very
pleased with the award and understood its meaning. Every stitch in this quilt
was made with thanks to Ron for his service to our country.
Sunday, March 25, 2018
Poet Mike James to teach a poetry workshop at Writers Circle Studio, Hayesville, NC, Saturday, April 14, 2018
Saturday, April 14, 2018
Poetry workshop, Formally Speaking - 12:00 noon until 3:00 PM
Poetry workshop, Formally Speaking - 12:00 noon until 3:00 PM
Writers Circle Studio, Hayesville, NC
Formally Speaking
This class will focus on different types of traditional poetic forms such as the sonnet, the villanelle, and the sestina, and will also include other verse forms such as erasures, found poems, prose poems, and last poems.
Mike James
is the author of eleven poetry collections. His most recent books
include: Crows in the Jukebox (Bottom Dog, 2017), My Favorite Houseguest
(FutureCycle, 2017), and Peddler’s Blues (Main Street Rag, 2016.)
His work has appeared in over 100 magazines and anthologies throughout the country. He has also been active as an editor for The Kentucky Review, Autumn House Press, and his own Yellow Pepper Press. He has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and the Paterson Poetry Prize.
Read a recent interview with Mike here.
After years spent in South Carolina, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Georgia, he now makes his home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina with his large family and a large assortment of cats
After years spent in South Carolina, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Georgia, he now makes his home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina with his large family and a large assortment of cats
Friday night, April 13, 7:00 PM.
Contact Karen Holmes - http://www.facebook.com/karenholmespoetry
WRITERS CIRCLE AROUND THE TABLE 2018 CLASSES
Contact Glenda Beall -- gcbmountaingirl@gmail.com
Don't wait until the last minute to register for a class. If we don't have a minimum five days before the start of the class, we cancel the workshop.Fee: $45.00 Limit: 10 students
To Register for classes, send check to arrive before deadline, to Glenda Beall, Writers Circle, 581 Chatuge Lane, Hayesville, NC 28904 - Please copy and include the Registration Form page. You may also pay online with PayPal for this class. The link for this class is:
http://www.glendacouncilbeall.com/p/schedule.html,
Monday, February 19, 2018
Great Opportunities for all at NCWN-West Bookfest
NCWN-West is holding a Bookfest
Where: Moss Memorial Library 26 Anderson St, Hayesville, NC 28904
When: Saturday, March 24, noon until 4:00 PM.
Who is invited: Everyone!!
ADMISSION: FREE TO ALLTen or more authors, members of NCWN-West, will be on hand to sign books, to talk with the public about publishing and marketing, and to give tips and advice based on their own experiences in the literary world.
Participating authors are eligible for drawing for one year's paid dues to North Carolina Writers' Network.
Drawings for door prizes will be held throughout the afternoon including a free writing class at Writers Circle around the Table in Hayesville, NC and free editing by Carol Crawford of up to thirty pages of your writing.
Refreshments will be offered.
Speakers include:
Deanna K. Klingel: author of books for young and young-at-heart readers. Deanna’s first published book, Just for the Moment: The Remarkable Gift of the Therapy Dog, 2010, was inspired by her own golden retriever therapy dogs and is a collection of moments that the dogs made a difference in other people’s lives.
Carol Crawford: Poet and author of Habits of Mercy, Poems about Daughters and Mothers. She is owner of Carol Crawford Editing,
Polly Davis: Writer, author, college professor, mother of two, and world traveler. Her recent memoir is Stumbling Toward Enlightenment: A Wife's Thirty-year Journey with Her Green Beret
Tom Davis: A writer, publisher of the Old Mountain Press, and 30 year military veteran. Tom’s memoir covers it all!.The Most Fun I Ever Had with My Clothes On.
Lisa Turner: Newspaper columnist and author of House Keys: Tips & Tricks from a Female Home Inspector. This book won Writers' Digest award for best self-published eBook.
Carol Crawford, editor and writer
Lisa Turner, award winning author
Polly Davis, author
Tom Davis, writer and publisher
Deanna Klingel, award winning author
Contact Glenda Beall, glendabeall@msn.com with any questions or for more information.
Sunday, January 28, 2018
Breath and Shadow Winter Issue is up.
A few years ago I discovered a journal specifically for people with disabilities. I mean the writers of the articles have some disability. Disabilities run the gamut of health problems. I found I qualified to write for this publication because I have fibromyalgia, a physically limiting issue. I was honored they accepted my work.
I know of other writers who have contributed and the work in this journal is excellent. You can read more about it on Twitter, Facebook or here To learn about resources for people with disabilities, scroll down the blog and find articles that are helpful.
If you have submitted your work to Breath and Shadow or if you have read it, please leave a comment and tell us your thoughts.
I am including an email I received from the editor in chief of Breath and Shadow, Chris Kuell. If you can, please consider a tax-deductible donation to this organization.
Glenda Beall
NCWN-West Program Coordinator
*****************************************************************************
Breath and Shadow
Volume 15 Number 1
Winter 2018
The editors of Breath and Shadow are proud to announce our Winter
issue is up and ready for reading. We present poems by Emma Gorka,
Rick Blum, Sergio Ortiz, and Ken Allen Dronsfield. There are
non-fiction pieces by J. Astrian Horsburgh and Barlow Adams. We also
have an article about disabled fashion models by Denise Noe. We have
short fiction by Scott MacAulay,Lyn G. Farrell, and Tara Calaby.
Finally, more must-read works in our ‘New On The Bookshelf’ section.
Our editors hope you enjoy this issue of Breath and Shadow. Please
share and recommend us to your friends, and let us know what you
think.
Additionally,if you are a past contributor to Breath and Shadow and
have a new book coming out—please let us know.
breathandshadow@gmail.com
Dozen: The Best of Breath and Shadow
An anthology of the best of our first twelve years is now available in
paperback and all e-book formats at your favorite online bookseller.
Follow us at:
Twitter: @abilitymaine
Blog: abilitymaineblog.blogspot.com
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To read our Winter (or past issues) please visit:
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Breath and Shadow Staff:
Chris Kuell, Editor in Chief
Assistant Editors: Abby Astor, Dorothy Baker, Todd Hanks and Anne Chiapetta.
Breath & Shadow is a collaborative effort of AbilityMaine, Resources
for Organizing and Social Change (ROSC), and our many valuable readers
and contributors.
Please consider donating to Breath and Shadow. We need
your support to achieve our mission, and your gift is tax deductible.
You can learn more by visiting:
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Thursday, August 24, 2017
Holmes & Krawiec at Writers' Night Out, September 8
Please join us for this reading featuring poet, author, playwright and founder of Jacar Press, Richard Krawiec, and poet, Karen Paul Holmes. Share your work at open mic, too! Union County Community Center, Blairsville, GA
Richard will also teach at Writers Circle in Hayesville the next day. See Glenda Beall's Writers Circle Blog for more information.
Richard will also teach at Writers Circle in Hayesville the next day. See Glenda Beall's Writers Circle Blog for more information.
Thursday, July 6, 2017
Write about your life with Glenda Beall
Glenda Beall, Program Coordinator for NCWN West and writing
instructor, will teach a writing course at the Institute
of Continuing Learning at Young Harris College, Young Harris, GA. She has
been teaching memoir writing for ten years at John C. Campbell Folk School,
Tri-County Community College or at ICL.
She also teaches at her studio, Writers Circle around the
Table, in Hayesville, NC. Call her with any questions about classes at
828-389-4441.
Registration for the ICL class closes Friday morning, July
7.
Entertain and Enlighten your Readers with your Life Stories.
Wednesdays, 3:15 pm - 5:15 pm July 12 – July 26
How do we begin to write about our lives? Can we use dialogue, stories passed down from parents, and do we have to prove they are true? In today’s world where family members often live long distances from each other, it is difficult to share the interesting lives we have lived. There seems to be no time to sit on the porch and talk about the past. But we can still share our life experiences with our children, grandchildren and future generations by writing them now. In this class we will write entertaining as well as enlightening short pieces or memoir chapters and receive feedback from our classmates.
How do we begin to write about our lives? Can we use dialogue, stories passed down from parents, and do we have to prove they are true? In today’s world where family members often live long distances from each other, it is difficult to share the interesting lives we have lived. There seems to be no time to sit on the porch and talk about the past. But we can still share our life experiences with our children, grandchildren and future generations by writing them now. In this class we will write entertaining as well as enlightening short pieces or memoir chapters and receive feedback from our classmates.
Click Here for
registration information and contact phone number.
Thursday, June 1, 2017
Monday, November 30, 2015
Writers and poets seem to have one question these days. NCWN-West will answer on December 12, 2015 at a Panel Discussion in Hayesville, NC.
 |
| Wally Avett |
 |
| Deanna Klingel |
“How
do I get my writing published?” And then they have another question. “How do I
sell my book?”
We hope to have some answers for them on Saturday, December
12, 2015 from 1 – 3 p.m. at Moss Memorial Library, 26 Anderson Street, Hayesville, NC. No charge to attend.
We will have a panel of three novelists and me,
Glenda Beall. Cherokee County resident, Wally Avett, journalist and author of
four novels, Deanna Klingel, of Sapphire, NC, author of nine books for young and young at heart readers, and Tom Davis, who lives in western NC, an author who also
owns Old Mountain Press. Each of these writers will have a story to
tell about their publishing experiences and the way they promote their writing
careers.
 |
| Glenda Beall, moderator of the panel discussion |
Recently I asked Scott Owens, well-published poet and
teacher from Hickory, NC to share his publishing experiences and his ideas on
marketing and publishing. He publishes a new book of poems about every two years. His latest is from Main Street Rag Press.
Scott Douglas, owner of Main Street Rag Press, was generous
with his answers to questions I posed to him on these topics. He has built his
small press into a well-established business with some of the best poets on his
author list. He once told me that he publishes books for people he is confident
are good readers who can promote their books. That is one thing a writer will
not get from a small press – book promotion. They don’t have the staff or time
to do that. It is up to the author to build a readership and
promote his work.
Kevin Watson, founder of Press 53, in Winston-Salem, NC answered my questions as well and gave me
great insight into what it takes for a small press to accept your manuscript and publish your book.
Press 53, which opened in 2005, quickly began earning a reputation as a quality publishing house of short fiction and poetry collections.
With all the information from Scott Owens, Main Street Rag
and Press 53, I will be able to speak to those who want to publish poetry books
as well as short fiction.
Today, writers are often in a hurry to get their first book
out to the public. They can do this by paying for the publishing or printing
themselves. Tom Davis helps people self-publish, and his website fully explains what a writer needs to know about that process.
We ask that everyone hold their questions until the end when
we will have a question and answer session. Nothing is more irritating to the audience than people who interrupt the speakers with personal questions.
We will have a short break when audience members can talk with the
panelists.
We hope all local writers will mark December 12, 2015 on their calendar. Our speakers will have their books for sale and will be happy to sign them for you.
This event is sponsored by the North Carolina Writers’ Network—West, a program of the state literary organization, the North Carolina Writers’ Network.
Sunday, September 6, 2015
Scott Owens & Glenda Beall at Writers' Night Out, Sept 11
Join us for this dynamic duo on Friday evening, September 11 at 7 p.m.
 |
| Glenda Beall |
 |
| Scott Owens |
Dinner in The View Grill: please arrive by 6 p.m. or earlier*
Program in the Ballroom: 7 p.m. followed by open mic
Union County Community Center
129 Union County Recreation Center Road (near intersection of 129 and 76)
Blairsville, GA
map (note: the Holiday Inn on the map is now a Comfort Inn)
The readings are free and open to the public.
Sign up at the door for open mic, limited to 3 minutes per reader.
*Optional food/refreshments are self-pay.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Write Your Own Biography with author Jack J. Prather
Write your own biography
program offered by Hendersonville, NC
Author Jack J. Prather
‘Write Your Own Biography’ is a new program offered by Jack J. Prather,
author of two books of biographies: Twelve
Notables of Western North Carolina (400-pages/134-photos) that was
nominated for the NC Literary & Historical Association’s 2012 Ragan Award for
Non-Fiction; and Six Notable Women of
North Carolina (January 2015/238-pages/ 81-photos).
The new program allows participants to tell their life and career story,
reveal their ‘core essence’, and preserve their legacy through a personal and
fully edited biography written or co-written by Prather. He also provides
advice and direction about getting a completed biography published.
For details about what he considers a fun writing process, and for the affordable
fee schedule, call 828-808-0660, or email prathergroup@aol.com.
For more information and insight about Prather’s body of work, visit
futurenowpublishing.com
Sunday, July 19, 2015
NCWN-West at Festival on the Square
Our weekend at the Festival on the Square was delightful except for the high temperatures on Saturday. Deanna Klingel and Miriam Bradley drove down to Hayesville from Sapphire and from Hendersonville, NC. Both write books for children but have non-fiction books for adults as well. See their websites for more of their books.
We all promote reading for children and it was heart-warming to see the kids visit Deanna and Miriam with their parents and then come back later with cash in hand to purchase the mystery series books from Miriam’s table or the Avery books from Deanna.
 |
| Deanna Klingel |
 |
| Miriam Jones Bradley |
Our many volunteers this year made it possible to have a booth at the Festival on the Square sponsored by the Clay County Historical and Arts Council. Deanna and Joan Gage carried tables and chairs and boxes as we loaded up Rob’s truck on Friday afternoon and set up our tent. I counted on Joan all weekend to help me and to be there when I could not. She also presented her books of inspirational and motivating poetry for women. Water Running Down Hill, Empowering Your Inner Cheerleader and her most recent, A Redhead Looks at 60.
 |
| Joan Ellen Gage |
Karen Holmes and Carole Thompson volunteered so that on Saturday and on Sunday we had someone at the main table to give out brochures, answer questions about NCWN and NCWN West, discuss writing with visitors and give them information about local literary events and places where they can receive instruction.
 |
| Carole Thompson author of Enough |
Valeria Nieman visited with us Sunday afternoon with her new poetry book, Hotel Worthy and her very interesting novel, Blood Clay. We are always happy to see Val here in our neck of the woods.
I want to thank Don and Marti Long for their help on Sunday afternoon. Although we were tired by Sunday afternoon, I had fun with my two guests, Deanna and Miriam at my house for the weekend. It is always great to see so many local friends at the festival on a typical summer weekend in a small mountain town in the beautiful western NC mountains.
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Author Jack J. Prather’s tour to present personal and career life stories of 18 NC ‘Notables’
The 18 Notables in Jack Prather’s two books of biographies are exemplary North Carolina residents who made their marks anywhere in the state, nation or world.
Each was selected after extensive research and recommendations from their peers; and for their record of giving back to the community. Each bio includes a photo-array that shows the Notable in various stages of her or his life.
The
in-depth personal and career life stories of these men and women from North
Carolina portrayed by Jack J. Prather will be the
focus of discussion during his upcoming statewide speaking and book-event tour.
Six Notable Women of North Carolina
(238-pages/81-photos) published in January was Prather’s sequel to Twelve Notables in Western North Carolina (400-pages/134-photos) that was
nominated for the NC Literary & Historical Association 2012 Ragan Award for
Non-Fiction. Prather’s books are available at Amazon.com, online book sites,
and bookstores and libraries by request.
The
Hendersonville author founded the Young Writers Scholarship at Warren Wilson
College in 2012 to honor the Notables in his books. He donates a portion of proceeds from sales to
the fund, and asks fellow authors, writers and avid readers to lend their support.
The next book in the ongoing series planned for 2016 will be Young Notables of North Carolina.
Favorable
reviews of Twelve Notables in Western
North Carolina appeared in the NC
Libraries Journal and the NC
Genealogical Society Journal; and for Six
Notable Women of North Carolina in NC
Woman magazine and The Hendersonville
Lightning.
Information about scheduling an author appearance in your area can be obtained by calling 828-808-0660, or by emailing info@futurenowpublishing.com.
Testimonials
about the Notable series have come from TV icon Katie Couric, noted reviewer
Rob Neufeld, writer and director of Writers Circle around the Table, Glenda Beall, music legend Doc
Watson, former Governor Jim Hunt, former Secretary of State Elaine Marshall,
former Supreme Court Chief Justice Jim Exum, biographer Bruce Chadwick, and
educator Ron Partin, et al.
The Six Notable Women of North Carolina are :
Kathy Reichs of Charlotte: novelist and
inspiration for the Bones TV series; certified forensic anthropologist.
Sharon Decker of Rutherfordton: former Secretary of Commerce; first female Duke Power
VP; founder of Tapestry Group.
Jennifer Pharr Davis of Asheville: Appalachian Trail record hiker; National
Geographic Adventurer of the Year.
Millie Ravenel of Raleigh: Director Emerita Center for International Understanding; Friendship
Force founder.
Kathryn Stripling Byer of Cullowhee: Poet Laureate 2005-9; Literary Hall of Fame; author
of five poetry books.
Anne Ponder of Asheville: Chancellor Emerita UNC Asheville; Collegiate
Honors Council fellow and president.
Kathryn Stripling Byer, first woman poet Laureate of NC
The 12 Notables in Western North
Carolina are:
Judge
Harry C. Martin of Biltmore Forest: former NC & Cherokee (EBCN) Supreme
Court Justice.
David
Holt of Fairview: Grammy winning musician; Doc Watson’s performing partner; storyteller.
Billie
Ruth Sudduth of Bakersville: first woman named NC Living Treasure, basket art in
Smithsonian.
Doug
Orr of Black Mountain: president emeritus of Warren Wilson College, musician, singer,
author.
GlenisRedmond of Piedmont: Hall of Fame Performance Poet; Kennedy Center Teaching
artist; author.
Julyan
Davis of Asheville: British Southern Art master oil painter; work shown in
international galleries.
Joe
Epley of Tryon: global public relations leader; PRSA Lifetime Achievement Award
winner; novelist.
Dr.
Olson Huff of Black Mountain: founding Medical Director of Mission Children’s
Hospital; author.
Dr.
Matt Hayes of Hendersonville: emergency physician pioneer, co-founder Emergency
Dept. of Nurses.
Capt.
Ray West, USNR-ret. of Flat Rock: Moldova World Children’s Fund founder; UNCA
Alumnus of Year.
Richard
Q. Ritter of Bakersville: NC Living Treasure studio glass artist; Governor’s
Award as Fire Chief.
Friday, February 27, 2015
Best Wishes to Lana Hendershott first Henderson County Representative for NCWN West
Lana Hendershott has resigned as representative for Netwest and NCWN.
She served the writers in Henderson County since 2008 and proved to be a loyal volunteer for our western region. Her conscientious efforts to sell the Netwest anthology, Echoes across the Blue Ridge, to book stores and other retail shops in her area made her a role model for others. Lana participated in a panel discussion by Netwest at the Blue Ridge Bookfest and at other times, she sat at the table at the bookfest and signed and sold Echoes. She enabled her fellow writers to meet and stay connected.
I met Lana when I was Program Coordinator in 2007 – 2009. The leadership of Netwest had decided to make Henderson County a part of the NCWN West region because we had heard from numerous people in that area wanting to know if there was a writers’ group or were there any other writers in Hendersonville, Fletcher or Flat Rock. They had no way of connecting to each other and therefore did not know of other poets and writers in the area.
As Program Coordinator, I talked with Ed Southern about holding a meeting at the library and sending out invitations to all members of NCWN that lived in Henderson County. I asked Nancy Purcell and J.C. Walkup to come to the meeting and talk about their duties and responsibilities in Transylvania and Haywood Counties. We needed a representative for Henderson County, but we had no volunteers. Susan Snowden suggested that I ask Lana. Susan said Lana was one of the most serious writers she knew.
It took some persuading, but Lana agreed that evening to become a representative for her county. She has been one of the easiest people to work with and once her name was known to the members there, she was available to them when they had questions or needed her advice. Even though she felt on several occasions that she would have to resign because she was needed to care for elderly parents, she persevered and, once she reached out and asked others to help, she was able to continue.
Last year when she and Pat Vestal began the open mic event they hold each month, it immediately became a success. At the present time, I believe Henderson County has more writers and poets who are members of NCWN than any county in the far western region.
I am confident that those writers would not have become the community they are now had it not been for the efforts of Lana Hendershott and Netwest.
I met Lana when I was Program Coordinator in 2007 – 2009. The leadership of Netwest had decided to make Henderson County a part of the NCWN West region because we had heard from numerous people in that area wanting to know if there was a writers’ group or were there any other writers in Hendersonville, Fletcher or Flat Rock. They had no way of connecting to each other and therefore did not know of other poets and writers in the area.
As Program Coordinator, I talked with Ed Southern about holding a meeting at the library and sending out invitations to all members of NCWN that lived in Henderson County. I asked Nancy Purcell and J.C. Walkup to come to the meeting and talk about their duties and responsibilities in Transylvania and Haywood Counties. We needed a representative for Henderson County, but we had no volunteers. Susan Snowden suggested that I ask Lana. Susan said Lana was one of the most serious writers she knew.
It took some persuading, but Lana agreed that evening to become a representative for her county. She has been one of the easiest people to work with and once her name was known to the members there, she was available to them when they had questions or needed her advice. Even though she felt on several occasions that she would have to resign because she was needed to care for elderly parents, she persevered and, once she reached out and asked others to help, she was able to continue.
Last year when she and Pat Vestal began the open mic event they hold each month, it immediately became a success. At the present time, I believe Henderson County has more writers and poets who are members of NCWN than any county in the far western region.
I am confident that those writers would not have become the community they are now had it not been for the efforts of Lana Hendershott and Netwest.
Personally, I want to tell Lana how much she is appreciated by me and by all the members of NCWN West. Caring writers like Lana make a big difference in the lives of others. We need more members like Lana throughout NCWN West to become leaders and supporters of writers in their counties.
Monday, February 9, 2015
Interview from 2008 with Nancy Simpson, co-founder of NCWN West and former Resident Writer for JCCFS
Recently, I had the opportunity to interview poet, Nancy Simpson, former Program Coordinator for the North Carolina Writers' Network
West. Although I’ve known Nancy for thirteen years and always admired her, I
had some questions about her writing and NCWN West. As you will see, her
answers are most informative as well as candid.
GB: Nancy, you have been a practicing poet for thirty years. What inspired you to be a poet?
NS: As it happened, the N.C. Arts Council in Raleigh sent some poets to read at the Moss Memorial Library in Hayesville. I remember there was also a local poet on the program, Janice Townley Moore. Before that night I had only written rhyming poems. When I heard those poets read free verse poems, it changed my life forever. Something clicked. I remember thinking, Oh. That is what I have heard in my head all these years. I came to believe that poetry is a slanted way of seeing the world. When those quirky thoughts came, I started writing them down. That is how it began. I started studying free verse poetry immediately. I took classes with Dr. Steve Harvey, and I consider him my beloved teacher and mentor. I traveled far and wide to every writing workshop I could find. I went to hear every poet I could. I bought and listened to the great poets on tape. I could not get enough. Now, after all these years, I still can't get enough. Practicing, studying, and teaching poetry is my life.
GB: You earned your MFA at Warren Wilson College. Was that before you became Program Coordinator for NCWN West?
NS: I earned my M.F.A. in Writing in 1983. I began working with Marsha Warren, then Executive Director of the North Carolina Writers’ Network, to establish N.C.W.N. West in 1991.
GB: Early in your writing career you published with the best journals such as the Georgia Review and Prairie Schooner. How often has the Georgia Review chosen your poems, and what other fine journals published your work?
NS: I had three poems in The Georgia Review when Stan Lindberg was editor. I had five Poems in Prairie Schooner. Other poems were published in four editions of Southern Poetry Review, and recently SPR chose to reprint "Grass" in their upcoming 50th Anniversary Issue. Some of my poems have been in Indiana Review, Florida Review, Seneca Review and New Virginia Review. I've also been pleased to have poems in Appalachian Journal, Appalachian Heritage and Journal of Kentucky Studies.
GB: I know several of your poems have been chosen for anthologies and reprinted in books.
NS: I had poems reprinted in four editions of Anthology of Magazine Verse, Writers Choice, and Word and Wisdom - 100 Years of N.C. Poetry. My poem "Night Student" has been published and reprinted, upon request, nine times. It was recently included in Literary Trails of N.C. Seven poems were reprinted in the new anthology of Appalachian Poetry from McFarland Press.A new poem, "Carolina Blue Birds" is included in the anthology, The Poet's Guide to the Birds, forthcoming in 2008 from Anhinga Press.
GB: You published Across Water, a poetry chapbook and a full length collection, Night Student. Tell how that came about.
NS: The editor and publisher of State Street Press, Judith Kitchen, asked me if she could choose some of my poems for a chapbook manuscript. I had just met her in the M.F.A. Program at Warren Wilson College. I didn't know she owned a press. She chose and arranged the poems and published Across Water.
Two years later Judith Kitchen asked to see my manuscript again. After reading it, she called and said she had the title -- Night Student--and that although State Street Press published only chapbooks, she intended to publish my full-length collection. I was fortunate. I was very happy. To me, it is amazing. As years passed, Judith Kitchen became a dear friend. The biggest honor is that she asked me to be her best woman at her marriage ceremony.
GB: You dedicated many years to the NCWN West and, as Program Coordinator, mentored writers here in the mountains. Many have gone on to publish their work. However you continued publishing your own poems in literary journals, and you edited Lights in the Mountains, the NCWN West anthology published in 2005. How did you find the time when you also held a full-time job as a public school teacher?
NS: True. I taught in Clay County public schools for 26 years. After I earned my MFA, I taught 11th grade English and I taught English Composition part time at Tri County College. Later I switched to Continuing Ed so I could teach creative writing. At the same time, I co- founded N.C. Writers Network West and took on the job of Program Coordinator. I then was asked to serve as Resident Writer at John C. Campbell Folk School. At one time I was teaching full time and had three paying part-time writing related jobs. At the same time, I kept writing poems. I kept submitting them and getting them published. I do not know how I did it. It was not hard. Writing consumed my life.
GB: In recent years you lost a sister and a son. How has your writing helped you deal with your grief?
NS: I believe practicing poetry is a way to learn how to live. Yes, writing helped me deal with death and grief. Losing my sister was hard because we were close and most of my life she lived near enough that we could talk every day. She prodded me to write a specific historical novel and, before her death, she handed over all of her research. Every day I look across the driveway at her empty house. At night, it seems darker on the mountain without lights in her house. I honor her best by writing the novel. Sometimes when I get stuck, I imagine her telling me where to find the answer on which page of her research. Sometimes I imagine her saying, “Only 127 pages! Get to work!”
The death of my son from Cancer last summer was the hardest thing I've ever had to face. I was with him through surgery which took place during Christmas week at Emory Hospital in Atlanta. I thought he soon would be coming home, but his progress stalled and he stayed in the hospital. His brothers, who live in Atlanta, promised to take good care of him. One was employed as a nurse at Emory and checked on him often. I talked with my son two or three times a day, but grief set in. I became depressed. I had two completed poetry manuscripts that were circulating among the poetry presses, but I did not think about that very much. One day I found myself shuffling the manuscript pages, shifting poems from one manuscript to another, changing page numbers, even changing the title of one of the manuscripts. When I told a good friend what I was doing she said, “Oh No. Don't do that.”
I know she was concerned that in my depressed state, I might ruin the manuscripts. I stopped and thought about it. I knew I was doing the right thing. Other than the life of my son, there was nothing that could keep my mind focused. There was nothing else that made me want to get out of bed in the morning. Your question is how has my writing helped me deal with grief? Practicing poetry at the most dreadful time sustained me. When my son came home to Hospice, I put my poems away. I did not need them because I had my son, and I had an important new job to learn - how to be his nurse.
GB: As Writer in Residence at the John C. Campbell Folk School, you are in contact with writers and teachers all over the United States. What do you look for in choosing faculty for the Writing Program at JCCFS?
NS: In the John C. Campbell Folk School Writing Program, I look for a writer who has book publications or is widely published in good magazines. Second, I want someone who has teaching credentials, who has taught writing before or has teacher training somewhere in their background. Third, and most important, the instructors who come to teach at JCCFS must fit into the non competitive environment. We have "no hierarchy and no lowerarchy." The best teachers can sit in a circle with their students and teach them well. Lectures go over like a lead balloon at the folk school. We now have a lovely set up with classes held in the living room of Orchard House and in the new writing studio which is attached to Orchard House. I will not say the teaching style we want is casual. No. A week at the folk school is the most intense kind of learning. But, it is not similar in any way to college classroom and never shall be. We only have 18 writing classes a year now and the schedule is filled through 2009. Still, I am always on the look out for good writing instructors.
GB: You have two new poetry manuscripts finished. Give us the names of each and tell us the themes of these works. Have any of the poems in these manuscripts already been published?
NS: One is LIVING ABOVE THE FROST LINE. The other is INTO THE HEART OF THE GLACIER.The poems were written over many years. I took a NCWN Advanced Poetry Class with Kathryn Stripling Byer. What she read was one manuscript with 150 poems. Kay said it should be two different manuscripts, and she advised where to break them apart. I will always appreciate her direction. LIVING ABOVE THE FROST LINE, which was first titled Accounting, is written in the voice of a woman who lives alone on a remote mountain in Appalachia. Her concerns focus on specific values: Worth of Persons, Family and Concern for our planet. Nineteen of the poems have been published.INTO THE HEART OF THE GLACIER is also written with the same southern voice of a woman living alone on a mountain. Glacier is a love story, the ancient Eurydice story turned backward and set in our time. Twenty-two of the poems have been published.
GB: On June 7, you will teach your first poetry workshop for NCWN West. You have taught at Tri-County Community College, John C. Campbell Folk School, and the Institute of Continuing Learning at Young Harris College. How did it happen that you never taught a class for NCWN West?
NS: Thanks for inviting me. I can hardly wait to teach this Netwest Saturday Poetry workshop on June 7. To answer the question, I was the Program Coordinator and my main job was to help the representatives in each county get the kind of writing programs they wanted. At that time NCWN sponsored four Saturday workshops a year in the Netwest region. I was eager to teach, but it would not have been ethical to do so at the time I was on the NCWN payroll. I was busy editing and producing an anthology. Each county had character and ideas of its own. I worked hard at setting up critique groups, if that was what they wanted, or Saturday writing workshops. I was busy keeping two Netwest representatives in each county. It would not have been appropriate for me to teach a Netwest workshop.
I am happy to say that over the years, NCWN invited me to be on their Fall Conference program three different times. NC Women Writers invited me twice to be on their program; once when held in Asheville, and later when held in Greensboro. You can see I stayed busy, but now, yes now, I can say I am a happy woman to be invited to teach a Saturday Poetry Workshop for NCWN West.
GB: .What do you expect students to take away from this coming class, Advance Your Poetry?
NS: ADVANCE YOUR POETRY is an all day workshop for practicing free verse poets. My goal is to focus on their poetry and their poetry writing process. We will talk about how they started writing poetry, where they are now in their writing career and what is their next step, and the next, and the next. I expect the students to take away direction and a folder marked in bold letters: MY POETRY CHAPBOOK COLLECTION.
GB: Nancy, I’m delighted you took the time to answer my questions so our visitors on http://www.netwestwriters.blogspot.com/ can know more about you and about NCWN West.
NS: Glenda, thank you for asking.
Interview by Glenda Council Beall
GB: Nancy, you have been a practicing poet for thirty years. What inspired you to be a poet?
NS: As it happened, the N.C. Arts Council in Raleigh sent some poets to read at the Moss Memorial Library in Hayesville. I remember there was also a local poet on the program, Janice Townley Moore. Before that night I had only written rhyming poems. When I heard those poets read free verse poems, it changed my life forever. Something clicked. I remember thinking, Oh. That is what I have heard in my head all these years. I came to believe that poetry is a slanted way of seeing the world. When those quirky thoughts came, I started writing them down. That is how it began. I started studying free verse poetry immediately. I took classes with Dr. Steve Harvey, and I consider him my beloved teacher and mentor. I traveled far and wide to every writing workshop I could find. I went to hear every poet I could. I bought and listened to the great poets on tape. I could not get enough. Now, after all these years, I still can't get enough. Practicing, studying, and teaching poetry is my life.
GB: You earned your MFA at Warren Wilson College. Was that before you became Program Coordinator for NCWN West?
NS: I earned my M.F.A. in Writing in 1983. I began working with Marsha Warren, then Executive Director of the North Carolina Writers’ Network, to establish N.C.W.N. West in 1991.
GB: Early in your writing career you published with the best journals such as the Georgia Review and Prairie Schooner. How often has the Georgia Review chosen your poems, and what other fine journals published your work?
NS: I had three poems in The Georgia Review when Stan Lindberg was editor. I had five Poems in Prairie Schooner. Other poems were published in four editions of Southern Poetry Review, and recently SPR chose to reprint "Grass" in their upcoming 50th Anniversary Issue. Some of my poems have been in Indiana Review, Florida Review, Seneca Review and New Virginia Review. I've also been pleased to have poems in Appalachian Journal, Appalachian Heritage and Journal of Kentucky Studies.
GB: I know several of your poems have been chosen for anthologies and reprinted in books.
NS: I had poems reprinted in four editions of Anthology of Magazine Verse, Writers Choice, and Word and Wisdom - 100 Years of N.C. Poetry. My poem "Night Student" has been published and reprinted, upon request, nine times. It was recently included in Literary Trails of N.C. Seven poems were reprinted in the new anthology of Appalachian Poetry from McFarland Press.A new poem, "Carolina Blue Birds" is included in the anthology, The Poet's Guide to the Birds, forthcoming in 2008 from Anhinga Press.
GB: You published Across Water, a poetry chapbook and a full length collection, Night Student. Tell how that came about.
NS: The editor and publisher of State Street Press, Judith Kitchen, asked me if she could choose some of my poems for a chapbook manuscript. I had just met her in the M.F.A. Program at Warren Wilson College. I didn't know she owned a press. She chose and arranged the poems and published Across Water.
Two years later Judith Kitchen asked to see my manuscript again. After reading it, she called and said she had the title -- Night Student--and that although State Street Press published only chapbooks, she intended to publish my full-length collection. I was fortunate. I was very happy. To me, it is amazing. As years passed, Judith Kitchen became a dear friend. The biggest honor is that she asked me to be her best woman at her marriage ceremony.
GB: You dedicated many years to the NCWN West and, as Program Coordinator, mentored writers here in the mountains. Many have gone on to publish their work. However you continued publishing your own poems in literary journals, and you edited Lights in the Mountains, the NCWN West anthology published in 2005. How did you find the time when you also held a full-time job as a public school teacher?
NS: True. I taught in Clay County public schools for 26 years. After I earned my MFA, I taught 11th grade English and I taught English Composition part time at Tri County College. Later I switched to Continuing Ed so I could teach creative writing. At the same time, I co- founded N.C. Writers Network West and took on the job of Program Coordinator. I then was asked to serve as Resident Writer at John C. Campbell Folk School. At one time I was teaching full time and had three paying part-time writing related jobs. At the same time, I kept writing poems. I kept submitting them and getting them published. I do not know how I did it. It was not hard. Writing consumed my life.
GB: In recent years you lost a sister and a son. How has your writing helped you deal with your grief?
NS: I believe practicing poetry is a way to learn how to live. Yes, writing helped me deal with death and grief. Losing my sister was hard because we were close and most of my life she lived near enough that we could talk every day. She prodded me to write a specific historical novel and, before her death, she handed over all of her research. Every day I look across the driveway at her empty house. At night, it seems darker on the mountain without lights in her house. I honor her best by writing the novel. Sometimes when I get stuck, I imagine her telling me where to find the answer on which page of her research. Sometimes I imagine her saying, “Only 127 pages! Get to work!”
The death of my son from Cancer last summer was the hardest thing I've ever had to face. I was with him through surgery which took place during Christmas week at Emory Hospital in Atlanta. I thought he soon would be coming home, but his progress stalled and he stayed in the hospital. His brothers, who live in Atlanta, promised to take good care of him. One was employed as a nurse at Emory and checked on him often. I talked with my son two or three times a day, but grief set in. I became depressed. I had two completed poetry manuscripts that were circulating among the poetry presses, but I did not think about that very much. One day I found myself shuffling the manuscript pages, shifting poems from one manuscript to another, changing page numbers, even changing the title of one of the manuscripts. When I told a good friend what I was doing she said, “Oh No. Don't do that.”
I know she was concerned that in my depressed state, I might ruin the manuscripts. I stopped and thought about it. I knew I was doing the right thing. Other than the life of my son, there was nothing that could keep my mind focused. There was nothing else that made me want to get out of bed in the morning. Your question is how has my writing helped me deal with grief? Practicing poetry at the most dreadful time sustained me. When my son came home to Hospice, I put my poems away. I did not need them because I had my son, and I had an important new job to learn - how to be his nurse.
GB: As Writer in Residence at the John C. Campbell Folk School, you are in contact with writers and teachers all over the United States. What do you look for in choosing faculty for the Writing Program at JCCFS?
NS: In the John C. Campbell Folk School Writing Program, I look for a writer who has book publications or is widely published in good magazines. Second, I want someone who has teaching credentials, who has taught writing before or has teacher training somewhere in their background. Third, and most important, the instructors who come to teach at JCCFS must fit into the non competitive environment. We have "no hierarchy and no lowerarchy." The best teachers can sit in a circle with their students and teach them well. Lectures go over like a lead balloon at the folk school. We now have a lovely set up with classes held in the living room of Orchard House and in the new writing studio which is attached to Orchard House. I will not say the teaching style we want is casual. No. A week at the folk school is the most intense kind of learning. But, it is not similar in any way to college classroom and never shall be. We only have 18 writing classes a year now and the schedule is filled through 2009. Still, I am always on the look out for good writing instructors.
GB: You have two new poetry manuscripts finished. Give us the names of each and tell us the themes of these works. Have any of the poems in these manuscripts already been published?
NS: One is LIVING ABOVE THE FROST LINE. The other is INTO THE HEART OF THE GLACIER.The poems were written over many years. I took a NCWN Advanced Poetry Class with Kathryn Stripling Byer. What she read was one manuscript with 150 poems. Kay said it should be two different manuscripts, and she advised where to break them apart. I will always appreciate her direction. LIVING ABOVE THE FROST LINE, which was first titled Accounting, is written in the voice of a woman who lives alone on a remote mountain in Appalachia. Her concerns focus on specific values: Worth of Persons, Family and Concern for our planet. Nineteen of the poems have been published.INTO THE HEART OF THE GLACIER is also written with the same southern voice of a woman living alone on a mountain. Glacier is a love story, the ancient Eurydice story turned backward and set in our time. Twenty-two of the poems have been published.
GB: On June 7, you will teach your first poetry workshop for NCWN West. You have taught at Tri-County Community College, John C. Campbell Folk School, and the Institute of Continuing Learning at Young Harris College. How did it happen that you never taught a class for NCWN West?
NS: Thanks for inviting me. I can hardly wait to teach this Netwest Saturday Poetry workshop on June 7. To answer the question, I was the Program Coordinator and my main job was to help the representatives in each county get the kind of writing programs they wanted. At that time NCWN sponsored four Saturday workshops a year in the Netwest region. I was eager to teach, but it would not have been ethical to do so at the time I was on the NCWN payroll. I was busy editing and producing an anthology. Each county had character and ideas of its own. I worked hard at setting up critique groups, if that was what they wanted, or Saturday writing workshops. I was busy keeping two Netwest representatives in each county. It would not have been appropriate for me to teach a Netwest workshop.
I am happy to say that over the years, NCWN invited me to be on their Fall Conference program three different times. NC Women Writers invited me twice to be on their program; once when held in Asheville, and later when held in Greensboro. You can see I stayed busy, but now, yes now, I can say I am a happy woman to be invited to teach a Saturday Poetry Workshop for NCWN West.
GB: .What do you expect students to take away from this coming class, Advance Your Poetry?
NS: ADVANCE YOUR POETRY is an all day workshop for practicing free verse poets. My goal is to focus on their poetry and their poetry writing process. We will talk about how they started writing poetry, where they are now in their writing career and what is their next step, and the next, and the next. I expect the students to take away direction and a folder marked in bold letters: MY POETRY CHAPBOOK COLLECTION.
GB: Nancy, I’m delighted you took the time to answer my questions so our visitors on http://www.netwestwriters.blogspot.com/ can know more about you and about NCWN West.
NS: Glenda, thank you for asking.
Interview by Glenda Council Beall
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