Writing Classes in Clay and Cherokee County NC - Register now

Tri-County Community College
Register with Lisa Long, Director of Community Outreach, by calling 828-835-4241 or email her: LLong@tricountycc.edu

Creative Writing with Glenda Beall

Students in a TCCC class

A class at John C. Campbell Folk School before writing classes were held
at Orchard House

John C. Campbell Folk School Classes at Orchard House in Brasstown, NC

www.folkschool.org 

Mining the Mother Lode - Making the Most of Your Material

Date: Sunday, Mar 1 - Friday, Mar 6, 2020 Subject: Writing Instructor: Darnell Arnoult Share: One of the great lessons we learn as writers is that we almost always write about the same things over and over. Characters, places, and plots may appear different, but we are driven by the same passions, questions, and obsessions - the same vein of ore. Use exercises and assignments to dig deep into personal experiences, curiosities, and knowledge to strengthen your writing. This class is beneficial to beginning and experienced writers of poetry, nonfiction, and fiction.  To register for this class, please call 1-800-365-5724.

Vicki Lane 

A Practical Guide to Writing Popular Fiction

Sunday, June 7 - Saturday, Jun 13, 2020

Moss Memorial Library - Hayesville, NC  

March - August, 2020 - once each month on
4th Thursday afternoons - 1:30 - 4:30
Contact: Glenda Beall - glendabeall@msn.com

March 26 - Carol Crawford - instructor

He Said, She Said:  Tackling Dialogue in Prose

This interactive workshop will help you bring your characters to life with dialogue that is authentic, clear, and compelling.  Capture the flavor of personality, place, and culture through speech that sounds real.  In-class exercises will cover word choice, tone, action beats, what to leave out, and format.

April 23 - Catherine Carter

Description:

Bracket and Hinge: Strengthening Poems’ Sonic Level. In this 2-hour lecture/workshop, Catherine Carter will use contemporary poems to discuss a few of the ways in which a poem can be built around the sounds of single words, model one possible process for revising a poem in this way, and encourage participants to do this with their own works. Participants should bring hard copy of one or two of their own short poems to work on.

June 25 - Patricia Zick

Patricia Zick's workshop, "The Road to Publishing" will explore the different choices for publishing a book. Then she will delve into the step-by-step process for self-publishing a work of nonfiction or fiction using Amazon’s publishing platform. Ms. Zick, the author of twenty-five published books in a variety of genres, will demonstrate how to prepare a manuscript, provide definitions for publishing jargon, and walk through the process for uploading a book for both Kindle and paperback publication to the online retail site. 

Poets and possible classes for 2020

Congratulations to Carroll S. Taylor for having her poem chosen to appear in Reach of Song for 2019.
Read more including the poem and words of the judge here.

Mary Ricketson recently had another poem published in The Lake, a fine journal.
Read her poem here.

Our Netwest poets continue to submit and publish their poetry all over the world, not just in the USA.

If only Nancy Simpson, poet and instructor, were here to see what she created in Clay, Cherokee, and the counties in north Georgia with her classes at John Campbell Folk School and Tri-County-Community College. 

Nancy Simpson

Carroll Taylor never met Nancy, but has benefited from all of us who learned from Nancy, as has so many others.

Every week I receive calls from people who want to learn, to take classes and become poets and writers of prose and who want to become part of our fabulous writers' group.

Aren't we fortunate to live here and be part of the writing community?

If you live in Murphy, Hayesville, Hiawassee, Young Harris, Blairsville or within driving distance of Tri-County College, you can check with Lisa Long about upcoming writing classes for 2020. Contact me, Glenda Beall, at gcbmountaingirl@gmail.com and I will try to help you with information.

Karen Paul Holmes Teaches a Writing Class at John C. Campbell Folk School May 3 to May 9th

 

Just Write Date: Sunday, May 3 - Saturday, May 9, 2015 Subject: Writing Instructor: Karen Paul Holmes

A prompt a day will keep you writing away…or bring your own ideas and finally have time to write what you've been itching to write. We'll dig into a magic bag of inspiration including nature walks, music, and favorite poems or passages by favorite writers. Self-editing tips and one-on-one coaching will help make your pieces stronger. Ideal for poetry, memoir, or short-fiction writers of all levels.

Tuition: $594.00
Deposit: A deposit of $150.00 will be due upon checkout to hold your seat in this class.

https://classes.folkschool.org/class_details.aspx?pk=17708

Karen Paul Holmes

simplycommunicated.com

facebook.com/karenholmespoetry

Her book, Untying the Knot is available here: http://www.amazon.com/Untying-Knot-Karen-Paul-Holmes/dp/0615998984

Poetry Workshop by Dr. Gene Hirsch

Poets and writers in western North Carolina recognize Dr. Gene Hirsch as the founder of the writing program at the John C. Campbell Folk School. 

He has taught poetry there for twenty-two years. Writers Circle in Hayesville, NC will host a workshop, Inspiration and Poets’ Block, by Hirsch on Sunday afternoon, May 25, 1-4 p.m.

Gene Hirsch is a former professor of Medicine with over 50 years background in teaching human experience, meaning and values and the emotional care of sick and dying people to doctors and medical students. He has conducted poetry workshops widely for health professionals as an expressive adjunct to their caring experiences, as well as for poets in Western NC.

His poetry has appeared in medical and non-medical journals such as Pharos (Medical Honor Society), Hiram Poetry Review, Pittsburgh Gazette, Journal of Medical Humanities, Fetishes (Univ. of Colorado), Journal of the American Medical Society, Human Quest.  He has written two books, Along the Rutty Pot Hole Road and You Shall Die Again No More.  Anthologies include Echoes Across the Blue Ridge, Tyranny of the Normal, Crossing Limits (African Americans and American Jews).  He has produced five volumes of Freeing Jonah, poetry, from Western North Carolina.

Writers sometimes feel they must wait to be inspired before they can create a poem. Often they feel blocked and become frustrated with themselves.

Hirsch says, “Inspiration and writer’s block are two widely used, poorly understood antithetical terms.  In this class we will study and share your views and experiences with these concepts.” He asks participants of this class, limited to 8 students, to bring a poem to discuss in terms of inspiration and meaning to the poet, and bring 10 copies. 

Western North Carolina and North Georgia is an area where poets have flourished in the past twenty years due to knowledgeable teachers such as Dr. Hirsch and Nancy Simpson of Hayesville. Poetry books by local writers are published each year.

While writing is a solitary art, writers need community and coming together with others.  To register for this poetry workshop, contact Glenda Beall, 828-389-4441 or email glendabeall@aol.com . Find more online at www.glendacouncilbeall.blogspot.com.

Can You Really Teach Someone to Write?

Your Life - Your Stories - Folk School class in 2003


I remember the first day of the first class I taught at John C. Campbell Folk School. Nancy Simpson, Resident Writer at JCCFS, had called and asked me to substitute for an instructor who was unable to come to teach a weekend class.

I was delighted to have the opportunity. I had been teaching at an adult education program at a church in North Georgia and found I enjoyed working with senior adults who were not necessarily writers, but wanted to write about their lives to leave a legacy for their families.

This became one of the most fullfilling experiences of my life. All were beginners to the world of writing classes and writing workshops. With a little encouragement each student poured out stories about their lives, stories I knew their families would cherish for generations. I still hear from students in that class.
My first class at the Folk School met in the wet room, a room set up with long tables, a room far too big for our small class, but it didn't matter. It served our purpose.
I arrived early, around 3:30 Friday afternoon. I approached the door and turned the key in the lock. For a minute I stood there, remembering when I was fresh out of college, entering my first classroom for children, scared but eager to make a positive difference in the lives of fourth graders. That was years ago and only a few of those children have I heard from or seen since they left Sylvester Road Elementary. I hope the year they spent with me helped them on their life's journey.

Now, more than thirty years later, I had come full circle. Once again I came as a teacher, not of children, but to do what I could to make a positive difference in the lives of adults.

Our time together was short; Friday evening and Saturday, but it was fruitful. A gentleman in the class said to me as he left on Sunday. "I'm so glad I came. I have carried around this envelope filled with stuff about my father for years, and now I know what I will do with it. Thank you."

Through the years it has been rewarding to hear from my students who have published memoirs, either for their family or for the public. I have read their work on blogs, in magazines and in their books.
I am always delighted to see their accomplishments.
I don't take credit for their success, but I am happy to have been a small part of it.
I look forward to teaching a week-long class at John Campbell Folk School in August. Once again I'll meet interesting people with unique lives, and I will do all I can to help these writers get those life stories on paper for those whom they love. Maybe you will be one of those writers.

Glenda C. Beall - http://www.profilesandpedigrees.blogspot.com/

Local residents, ask for half price on tuition.
Your Life—Your Stories (contact http://www.folkschool.org/ to register online)
Writing
August 21-26, 2011 (Sunday-Friday Session)
Instructor: Glenda Beall
Tuition: $488.00
Use your life experiences, favorite photos, or keepsakes to help you develop stories and personal essays. Your stories are unique. Write to publish or to save for your children and grandchildren. Share your work and get feedback that will help polish each piece you write. This class is for beginning and intermediate writers.