Popular NC poets to read on Wednesday, June 27, 2018, at the JCCFS, Brasstown, NC

At 7:00 PM on Wednesday, June 27, 2018, the John C. Campbell Folk School and the NC Writers' Network-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 usually 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 Linda Grayson Jones, Brenda Kay Ledford, and Maura Payne Way.

Linda Grayson Jones

Linda Grayson Jones has read and written poetry since childhood and recalls reading The Highwayman to her 3rd grade classmates. She has a B.S. in Biology from Stetson University, an M.A. in Biology and a Ph.D. in Pathology from Vanderbilt University. Her career path has been primarily in academic biomedical research, but in 2009 she returned to her first love—teaching. 

Jones is currently an Associate Professor of Biology and Dean of Math and Science at Young Harris College. She remains a reader and writer of poetry and is a member of North Carolina Writer’s Network.  She credits Nancy Simpson for encouraging her to use Grayson Jones as her published poet’s name.

Brenda Kay Ledford

Brenda Kay Ledford is a seventh-generational native of Clay County, NC.  She was an honor graduate of Hayesville High School, earned her Master of Arts in Education from Western Carolina University, and received a diploma of highest honors in Creative Writing from Stratford Career Institute. 

Her work has appeared in many journals.  Her latest poetry collection, "Crepe Roses," won the 2015 Paul Green Multimedia Award from NC Society of Historians.  She's won this award 10 times for her books, blogs, and collecting oral history of Southern Appalachia.

Her life-experience essay, "The Front Porch," won first place in the 2018 Cherokee/Clay County Senior Games Silver Arts Literary Contest.  She qualified for the State Finals that will be held this fall in Raleigh.

Maura Payne Way: Originally from Washington, D.C, Maura now makes her home in Greensboro, NC. Her debut collection, Another Bungalow, was released by Press 53 in 2017. Her work has appeared in Beloit Poetry Journal, O. Henry Magazine, Verse, DIAGRAM, and The Chattahoochee Review.

Payne studied poetry at Mary Washington College and Boise State University. In addition to her being a poet, Maura teaches 9th and 10th grade English at New Garden Friends School. She has been a teacher for twenty years.

Reminder: the Celebration for Nancy Simpson is this Saturday, May 5, 2018, at 2:00 PM, at the John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, NC

Writers, please come to the Nancy Simpson Celebration is a show of support for all that Nancy did for the writing community in Western North Carolina, and beyond. It is at the John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, NC, in the Keith house in the Community Room, at 2:00 PM, Saturday, May 5, 2018. Here is the link for the event:

https://netwestwriters.blogspot.com/p/celebrating-nancy-simpson.html

https://www.folkschool.org/

The Literary Hour at John C. Campbell Folk School changed from Thusday 11/16/2017 to Wednesday, 11/15/2017, at 7:00 PM

Please be advised that The Literary Hour at John C. Campbell Folk School has been changed from Thursday, 11/16/2017, to Wednesday, 11/15/2017, at 7:00 PM.

The Literary Hour will host local poets Linda G. Jones and Staci Lynn Bell on Thursday, November 16, 2017, at the John C. Campbell Folk School at Brasstown, NC

On Thursday, November 16, 2017, at 7:00 PM, John C. Campbell Folk School and NC Writers' Network-West will sponsor The Literary Hour, an hour of poetry reading held at Keith House on the JCCFS campus, in Brasstown, NC. This event is held on the third Thursday of the month unless otherwise indicated. The reading is free of charge and open to the public. This month's featured readers will be Staci Lyn Bell and Linda G. Jones.

Dr. Linda G. Jones joined the faculty of Young Harris College in 2009 and is currently an Associate Professor of Biology and Dean of the Division of Mathematics and Science. Most of her career was spent in biomedical research. She is now happy to be teaching students in the classroom and serving as a mentor for student research. One current research model is the Zebrafish embryo used for developmental and toxicological studies. She has a number of interests outside of the science classroom which include reading and writing poetry. Jones is a member of the North Carolina Writers' Network–West and a participant in the NetWest poetry critique group.

Staci Lynn Bell, a Chicago native, has lived in Western North Carolina for the past 5 years. She relocated to South Florida, gaining popularity as a 25 year radio and television personality and passionate animal advocate. In 1988 her environmental essay won statewide acclaim in Florida.  After retiring from broadcasting, Bell worked for many years training working dogs and rehabilitating rescues. Her poetry and prose have been published in several journals. Her short story “Cheyenne” took 2^nd place and her poem, “Time” took 3^rd place in the 2016 NC Cherokee/Clay Senior Games Sliver Arts. Bell is a member of the North Carolina Writer’s Network and Ridgeline Literary Alliance.