Thanks to Lana Hendershott

From Pat Vestal, NCWN Representative for Henderson County, North Carolina

Lana Hendershott, Henderson County NCWN West Representative at the Bookfest 
at Blue Ridge Community College

A few weeks after I moved to Hendersonville in 2011, I attended BookFest at Blue Ridge Community College, a bit nervous since I knew no one in the writing community. By the end of the conference I felt like I really was a part of that community. I was warmly welcomed by several NetWest members and introduced to Lana Hendershott, the Henderson County representative.  

Everyone obviously liked and respected her, and I soon discovered why. She is a genuinely good person who had already worked tirelessly as representative for several years. She made a point of introducing me to others and inviting me to events. Lana’s helpfulness included caring for her elderly parents, which consumed a great deal of her time and energy.

I joined Lana as a co-rep. in 2013 and together we developed a monthly Literary Open Mic at the Hendersonville Library, which has become very popular. It was great to have a reliable and efficient partner with whom to facilitate the monthly event and take over when I couldn’t attend. The event attracted many local readers, a number of whom are not network members and didn’t know us.  We soon became like a big family, to which, fortunately, new members are frequently added.                     Lana’s warm, welcoming and fair attitude contributed a great deal to this. 
 
Late in 2014 after many years, she finally decided to relinquish her position in order to spend more time with family.  Obviously, she received warm accolades and appreciation at her last meeting as representative in December.  

As the January “meet and greet” prior to the reading was underway, big smiles and welcomes broke out as Lana quietly entered the auditorium to relax in the audience, still supporting local writers.   

Henderson County Open Mic

Martha O. Adams reads her work

Congratulations to our Henderson county NetWest Reps, Lana Hendershott and Pat Vestal, who have recently organized an Open Mic in Hendersonville, NC. This no-cost NetWest sponsored event is held at the Henderson County Library, 301 N Washington St, Hendersonville, NC, 28739 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. on the third Monday of the month.

The library, conveniently located in the center of town, has an auditorium, just to the right of the main entrance, with ample seating. Non-messy snacks and drinks, such as bottled water, are allowed into the auditorium. The time of the event was chosen to allow for those who are at work to come to the Open Mic at the end of their work day, before they go home.

It's working well. Lana and Pat report that the event is well attended, and that writers in their area are happy to have this venue for reading their work.

Full details can be found on the NetWest calendar page here. For more information, or to sign up to read your work, please e-mail Lana or Pat at Henderson County Events, opmiclit1@gmail.com.

Thanks to the writers in Henderson County for the 2014 Netwest Picnic

It was a good day and lots of fun when we gathered for the Netwest picnic in Hendersonville recently.

photo by Ellen Schofield

 In spite of a slight drizzle most of the afternoon, under the cover of a large pavilion at Jackson Park, the writers, including Jack Prather, Emilee Hines, Susan Snowden, Lana Hendershott, Pat Vestal, Betty Reed, Paul M. Schofield, Susan Lefler, Martha O. Adams, Karen Luke and others enjoyed the array of sandwich fixings purchased from Ingles, which included their cold cuts, artisan breads and condiments, along with chips, fruit and cookies.

When Lana gave a quiz on NCWN and NCWN West, long time members knew most of the answers, but Ellen Schofield, Program Coordinator for NCWN West, and I had the highest scores. Surprised?

A number of books had been donated as prizes and I was delighted to win a copy of Jack Prather's book, Twelve Notables of Western North Carolina. I learned that we can expect another book on notable women. I look forward to reading that one.

My thanks to Lana, Pat, Martha and all the writers who helped with the picnic, and who made me and my guest, Rebecca Gallo, feel so welcome. Once again I was reminded that the writers of NCWN West (Netwest) are some of the nicest and most supportive people I've ever met.