Showing posts with label Karen Holmes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Karen Holmes. Show all posts

Friday, February 2, 2018

Now Available: Second Book by Karen Paul Holmes

"Like a circus aerialist who makes us gasp one moment and laugh the next, the poet takes us from her immigrant father’s Macedonian roots to her own maturity, to the life of a woman who is smart and well-read yet knows her way around a Coney Island hot dog..."
- Poet David Kirby




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"Her title may signal quantum physics, but it’s also how close this poet whispers in her reader’s ear."

- Poet Denise Duhamel


Now available
click for link to purchase:





Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Writers' Night Out Oct 13, Blairsville, GA

Mary Michelle Keller and Natalie Grant Featured
+ Open Mic


Please join us this Friday night at the Union County Community Center.

The next day, Oct 14, all are invited to the Georgia Poetry Society meeting at the Choestoe Schoolhouse in Blairsville, 9:30-3:30. See the GPS website for more info.


Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Something a Little Different at Writers' Night, July 8

Royston and Holmes to do "Call & Response" Poetry Reading, Blairsville, GA


Back by popular demand, the duo of Rosemary Royston and Karen Paul Holmes plan to once again pair up their poems and alternate their reading, rather than one poet reading all her poems followed by the other.

This month's Writers’ Night Out is on Friday, July 8. The 7 p.m. reading will be followed by an open microphone for those who’d like to share their own work. The event is free and open to the public at the Union CountyCommunity Center in the heart of Blairsville, GA. If you'd like to purchase food or drink at The View Grill, please come by 6 p.m. (the food is good but service can be slow).




Friday, September 5, 2014

Ellen Schofield will be missed as Program Coordinator

We are all sorry that our Program Coordinator resigned, but happy that she accomplished so much in the year that she served.
From the beginning, Ellen Schofield reached out to our entire Netwest region, the nine counties of NC and the counties in bordering states. She had to get on a fast track to learn the ropes and meet the members. Being a person who is well organized herself, she organized and set up a website and streamlined our blog and other features. The membership page she created for us is the only online presence some of our members can claim.

In May, a short time after Ellen came on board, we held the first Netwest Conference since 2006 with a large attendance, good faculty and fellowship for writers from all over western NC and north Georgia. By using the funds accumulated in our Netwest treasury, Ellen set the registration fees well within reach of our members. By holding the conference in the beautiful Sylva Library, for free, the event drew members from the north end of the region, Henderson County, to the far south, Cherokee County in NC and Fannin, County in Georgia.

Karen Paul Holmes who facilitates Writers’ Night Out in Blairsville, GA said, “Ellen jumped right in with two feet and was dedicated to the job. She was always pleasant to work with on matters regarding Writers' Night Out and fully supported my choice of a new venue. She also knew the importance of good communication, both in general announcements to the full membership and also in quick responses to individual emails.”

Although Ellen was not well-known to many members when she accepted the PC position, she endeared herself to all she met and was open to helping writers in any way she could. Having served as Program Coordinator for two years, 2007, 2008, I know the job requires hours of time that the average member doesn't realize. Much of the job is done out of the public eye.

Bill Ramsey of Hendersonville said, “Writers can be contentious at times. Incidents of contention like the role of Netwest relative to the Network, the governor's naming of a new NC poet laureate and lesser skirmishes could have been real setbacks. Ellen is a peacemaker and some of that was needed during her term. We need more peacemakers.”

Along these same lines, Bob Grove said, “Ellen has had a positive influence on maintaining a complementary relationship between Netwest and the Ridgeline Literary Alliance. Her openness in dialog, warmth toward fellow writers, and follow-through with the challenges and responsibilities of her position set an example that will be hard to replace. Ellen will be missed.”

I asked Ellen what she enjoyed about being Program Coordinator for NCWN West and she said, “I appreciated the trust placed in me, and I particularly enjoyed traveling and meeting many of the members. Writers are always interesting people, and I made many good friends in my short tenure.”

When asked the reason for her resignation, Ellen responded, “My job description called for me to spend 10-12 hours per month for a compensation of $200, which seemed appropriate. However, I quickly realized that I could just barely cover the minimum responsibilities of the PC job in that amount of time. I came to believe that in order to be fully engaged, and effective, a Program Coordinator needs 10-12 hours per week - at a minimum. Unfortunately, my circumstances do not allow me to do the job as it is now without more compensation, and my work ethic does not allow me to do the minimum.”

Ellen said she hoped that until a new Program Coordinator, who has the same dedication as those who came before her who asked for little or no compensation, can be found, her hope is that the NetWest members will see themselves as members of an influential state-wide organization and follow the lead of its capable Executive Director, Ed Southern. 

Friday, August 8, 2014

"Writers on the Writing Process," an Interview with Karen Paul Holmes

A chance meeting on Facebook results in a San Fransisco writer interviewing a Netwest member. 


Writer, Laura E. Davis, who lives in San Fransisco, and Netwest Rep for Georgia, Karen Paul Holmes, met through an international women's writers' group on Facebook. Learning of Karen's new book, Untying the Knot, Laura offered to interview her for the series called "Writers on the Writing Process."  Read the interview here

The Lake Chatuge view that inspires Karen Paul Holmes to write
Untying the Knot is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle, and also at City Light Bookstore in Sylva, NC.

On August 9, Karen Paul Holmes and Co-Netwest Rep, Rosemary Royston, will be the featured readers at Writers' Night Out in Blairsville. Rosemary also has a new book, Splitting the Soil (available on Amazon and from Finishing Line Press). The two poets plan to try a new approach to their reading: They will pair their poems in some logical/artistic way and read them alternately, rather than each poet reading alone. The event takes place at the lovely Union County Community Center at Butternut Creek Golf Course (map here). Food and beverages (including alcohol) are available for purchase at 6 pm during the social hour. An open mic follows after the reading. Sign up at the door to read 3 minutes of prose or poetry. Writers' Night Out takes place on the second Saturday of every month.

Monday, March 3, 2014

Writers’ Night Out In New Location, March 15

Writers’ Night Out starts its fourth year by featuring two local writers: poet Mary Ricketson and novelist Paul M. Schofield. The event takes place on Saturday, March 15 in its new location, the Union County Community Center at Butternut Creek Golf Course in Blairsville, GA. A social hour starts at 6 p.m. with the reading at 7 p.m. and open microphone following. Writers’ Night is free (food available for purchase) and open to the public. Writers can sign up at the door to read poetry or prose for three minutes in the open microphone.

Ricketson, of Murphy, NC, has been writing for 20 years. She is inspired by nature and her work as a mental health counselor. Her poetry has been published in her chapbook, I Hear the River Call My Name, as well as in Lights in the Mountains, Echoes Across the Blue Ridge, Freeing Jonah, Red Fox Run, Wild Goose Poetry Review, Future Cycle Press, Your Daily Poem, andJournal of Kentucky Studies.  She won medals for poetry in the Cherokee County Senior Games/Silver Arts, and won first place in the 2011 Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest 75th anniversary national poetry contest. Ricketson writes a monthly column, “Woman to Woman,” for The Cherokee Scout, is a member of the North Carolina Writers Network, and is president of Ridgeline Literary Alliance.

Schofield’s three action-packed books make up The Trophy Saga, based on ideas that are theoretically feasible. They feature time-travel, chase and battle scenes, fusion powered star-ships, a computer-controlled society, tender moments and scary episodes. Refreshing to read, they are free of explicit sex, profanity, graphic violence and paranormal themes. Schofield was born and raised in Montana and now lives in Murphy, NC with his wife Ellen.

Writers’ Night Out is sponsored by NC Writers Network-West and is now at its new location: The Union County Community Center, located 129 Union County Recreation Rd., Blairsville, Georgia 30512, off Highway 129 near the intersection of US 76, phone (706) 439-6092.  Come to the upstairs banquet room, which is accessible via stairs or the elevator. Starting April 2014, Writers’ Night Out will move to the second Saturday of each month. For more information, please contact Karen Holmes at (404) 316-8466 or kpaulholmes@gmail.com.

Sunday, March 10, 2013

One Man's Profit

Tonight I ventured out after being shut in for a few days of bad weather. Robert S. King, poet and member of NCWN West, was featured at Writers Night Out, a monthly event facilitated by poet, Karen Holmes.

Robert has recently published a poetry collection, One Man’s Profit, and in this book is one of my favorite poems, In Flight, originally published in The Bookends Review. It deals with the way we want to die.

Robert admits that his poetry lends itself to the darker side. Perhaps that is why I find this book appealing. The darker side has shadowed my own life in recent years.

Another of his poems in this book touches me as he writes about land. The poem is Grandmother. She works the land, sees it for how it fills her needs and doesn’t appreciate what the poet sees – the ancient trees, “the tall green grass stalks dancing like soulmates of the wind.” While her roots run deep, his seed is in the wind. Yet she teaches him the important things that make him “one not afraid to get his hands dirty.”

On Mother’s Day lets us see the devastation of his mother’s memory loss, the pain he felt, “I hurt that in the end you did not know me or yourself.” The poet continues with the pain she endured at her death. Anyone who has loved his mother will feel the depth of emotion in this poem.

Senior Moments is one of the poems Robert read tonight. Those of us near his age can relate.
…“I’ve got some sit- around friends,
all with that faraway look in their eyes.
Always nodding, one calls herself Dementia.

Is oblivion better than needles of worry?
Dementia knows, but she’s not saying.
Pain is not my friend, but so far
I can talk him down from the ledge.”

While I am certainly not a poetry critic, I know what I like. I like this book, One Man’s Profit, published by Sweatshoppe Publications. I enjoy the poems more with each reading.


Sunday, October 28, 2012

A Walk Down Memory Lane

In my files, I have pictures taken at NCWN West events and photos used in articles I've written about our members. I thought I'd share some of them today.

Remember?

Glenda Barrett on right with her guest


Glenda, Wayne, Jayne, Lana, Nancy S, Nancy P, JC Walkup



Jo Carolyn Beebe 
Janice Moore, Karen Holmes, Brenda Ledford, Jo Carolyn Beebe, Carole Thompson


Lana Hendershott 

Paul Donovan, Karen Holmes, Glenda Beall

Gary Carden

Ed Southern, Executive Director of NCWN, at City Lights Books in Sylva
Leave a comment if you remember when or where the picture was taken.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

karen Holmes, poet, writer and successful business woman

Karen Paul Holmes  - instructor - Week of January 30, 2011
"Sing and Paint with Words"

Our members of Netwest know Karen Holmes as the editor and publisher of our Netwest News, newsletter for our chapter of NCWN. Karen has published her poetry in some of the best literary journals. She was most influential in editing Echoes across the Blue Ridge, Antholoy published by Netwest this past year. She has experience in teaching and is a lovely person. I urge anyone who is interested in writing and can come to the John C. Campbell Folk School in January, to contact them and register for this class. Local writers in certain counties in Georgia and N. Carolina have the possibility of one half tuition.

Come get inspired. Through music and other arts, we'll stir the creative juices. We might listen to Beethoven or Elvis, look at paintings by Monet or Finster, read literary masters or contemporary writers - all to generate i...deas for our poems, fiction, or essays. You'll receive editing tips and one-on-one critiques to make your work stronger and more readable. Open to anyone who needs inspiration and help perfecting the art of writing.


John C. Campbell Folk School

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Writers Night Out, held at Young Harris College, Wilson Audititorium Friday night couldn't have been better. Nancy Simpson, author of the new poetry collection, Living Above the Frost Line, Carolina Wren, publisher, gave us a decided glimpse into her poetry for the past thirty years. Even though I have read all the poems in this book and many I had read before in her earlier books, Night Student and Across Water, I never tire of hearing her read them.

One of the reasons Nancy's poems have been published for so many years in most all of the best literary journals is because she knows what she is doing. She lives and breathes poetry and has for as long as I've known her and many years before. She has another book when she gets around to publishing it. And most of those poems have been published already.

The open mic portion of Writers Night Out had us laughing with Karen Holmes poetry and Ron Salzer's nutty essay. But the nicest thing was having two readers stand and share their work who had never done that before. I know that feeing of exhileration when you make that jump into standing before an audience for the first time.

Next month Writers Night Out will be held in Hiawassee at a new venue, a coffee shop, which I think will be cozy and bring out more of the community. Don't you think that will be nice?
Can't wait to go.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Coffee with the Poets in Hayesville

Visitors listen to Poets at Coffee with the Poets
Poet, Maren Mitchell and Lorraine Mitchell who read for the first time.

Karen Holmes brings a smile to Clarence Newton's face.


Wednesday was Coffee with the Poets day in Hayesville at Phillips and Lloyd bookstore on the square. We had a wonderful turnout for Karen Holmes' reading. As usual she gave a stellar performance with a combination of touching and humorous poetry. Karen plans to hold a class at Writers Circle in the late fall or next spring on How to Present Your Writing Before an Audience. She has been getting lots of practice reading her poetry in Atlanta and in Asheville and Hickory, NC recently. Karen facilitates the Writers Night Out program held on the second Friday of each month in Towns County, Georgia.
Among the open mic readers this time at CWP were Carole Thompson, Netwest Rep for Georgia, Brenda Kay Ledford, Glenda Barrett, Paul Donovan, Barbara Groce, Clarence Newton, Maren Mitchell, Linda Smith, Glenda Beall and Lorraine Newton. We were pleased to have a visitor, Bob Grove from Murphy read a short piece on Charles Dickens.
Several visitors came just to listen. Glenda Beall was back as the moderator for the event.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

WRITERS' NIGHT OUT TO FEATURE KAREN HOLMES


HAVE A FUN EVENING AT WRITERS’ NIGHT OUT, JUNE 11

HIAWASSEE – June 1, 2010 – Come hear authors reading their work at the new monthly event, Writers’ Night Out at Mountain Perk Coffee House in Hiawassee, GA. This month, Karen Paul Holmes of Hiawassee/Atlanta will read her poetry on June 11 at 7:00 p.m. Her reading will be followed by an Open Microphone for those who’d like to share their own poetry or fiction. These light literary and musical evenings take place on the second Friday of every month from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Please arrive early as the event has drawn a full house in its first two months.
Karen Paul Holmes is an award-winning business writer who began focusing on poetry after moving to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Her publishing credits include journals such as Poetry East, Atlanta Review and Sow’s Ear Poetry Review and anthologies, including the upcoming Echoes Across the Blue Ridge: Stories, Essays & Poems Written by Writers Living in & Inspired by the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Karen enjoys reading her poetry in public, classical music, Ikebana and contra-dancing. She’ll be teaching a writing class at John C Campbell Folk School next January.

Those interested in participating in the Open Mic will have a chance to sign up at the event. Each writer will have three minutes to read fiction or poetry. The evening, which also includes musical interludes, is free and open to the public.

Mountain Perk Coffee House is located at 195 Main Street, next to Mull’s Motel. The café features espresso and other coffee drinks, sandwiches and sweets.

For more information, please contact Mountain Perk Owner, Mary Lawrence at (706) 896-9385, or Writers’ Night Out coordinator, Karen Holmes at (404) 316-8466 or kpaulholmes@gmail.com.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

New Anthology is making progress

The new Netwest anthology will have a lovely cover, I'm sure, although it hasn't yet been chosen. Photos are coming each day and I get excited to see what the next envelope will hold.
Work on the book is moving along as CDs have been mailed to Nancy Simpson, Editor. Each story, essay or poem will be proof-read several times before all are combined into one file to go to Katje, Karen Holmes daughter, who will format the book for the printer. It will take many weeks, many hours of reading, and more reading before the manuscript is complete.
If your work was selected for the anthology, and if you cannot make a CD with your work and a fifty word bio, please contact Nancy
and we will work out something so that your poem or prose piece will not be left out.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Jo Carolyn Beebe and Karen Holmes read to a full house at JCCFS


Karen Holmes impressed students from around the U.S. as well as locals with her powerful poetry Thursday evening at John C. Campbell Folk School. Karen is a recent member of Netwest. Enthusiastic and energetic, Karen is helping with the new Netwest anthology, and she publishes and edits the online newsletter, Netwest News. With her background as V.P. with ING corporation, she brings new ideas and talent to Netwest.

Jo Carolyn Beebe writes historical fiction. Her long time interest in genealogy provides fodder for her writing. At JCCFS Thursday evening the large audience enjoyed excerpts from her most recent young adult manuscript about Willie, a young boy in Mississippi during the War Between the States. With humor and mystery, she enthralled her listeners, and left everyone wanting more.


Monday, April 27, 2009

Netwest News, the online newsletter published and edited by Karen Holmes has been e-mailed. If you did not receive your May edition, please let us know. All members on our most current membership list receive this excellent update on NCWN West (Netwest).

If you do not reside in the Netwest are, but you are a reader of this blog and wish to receive a copy of Netwest News, please send your name and e-mail address to writerlady21@yahoo.com

Kudos is a column in the newsletter that lists names of members who recently published poems, essays, fiction or books. Karen spotlights events held in the Netwest area or close enough for our Netwest members to drive.



If you have news or articles on writing and you are a member of Netwest, please send them to Karen karen.holmes@comcast.net, or to writerlady21@yahoo.com. Deadline for the next issue is July.