Writing Class at the Folk School: May 30-June 1

Give Yourself the Gift of Time to Write

This is Karen Paul Holmes here to recommend a class I usually teach. This year, my schedule changed so I asked a fabulous person to take my place. She’s Andrea Jurjevic, who teaches at Georgia State and is an award-winning poet and writer… and a smart, fun, and kind person. Even if you’ve taken my class before, you’ll learn new things from Andrea. 

Be sure to ask the Folk School about discounts for local writers.

Here’s the class description: 

Do you already write or need a nudge to begin? Give yourself the time to practice in a setting conducive to creativity. Expect inspiration, encouragement, laughter, and a little magic. Gain editing and publishing tips from the instructor and learn from and support your classmates’ work – polished or unpolished. Return home motivated to write more and to pursue publication if that’s your goal. Poetry, fiction, non-fiction, memoir, blogging, journaling – all levels welcome. 

For Andrea’s full bio, more information about the class, and to register: 

https://folkschool.configio.com/pd/2927/your-write-time?st_t=2077&st_ti=2516&cid=2527&returncom=productlist&source=search

Poetry in Plain Sight Winners

This is a wonderful contest run by The North Carolina Poetry Society in partnership with the NC Writers’ Network, Winston-Salem Writers, and Press 53. It was an honor to be one of the judges, even though I had to read almost 400 poems! Since judging was blind, it was fun discovering whose poems we’d chosen. 

Here is the list of winning poets and the schedule for when their poems will be on display throughout the state of North Carolina. 

For more information about the contest, scroll down on this page: https://mailchi.mp/36c71a42cba4/february-2023-emuse-6766415?e=4d3ec1be01

Contest Deadline Extended: Poetry in Plain Sight

NC Poetry Society 

New deadline: October 25

Due to the hurricane, the North Carolina Poetry Society extended the Poetry in Plain Sight deadline by 10 days. If you live in North Carolina, have poems under 20 lines and have access to the internet, plus the time and energy, consider submitting to this wonderful contest. You will have a chance to have your poem displayed in public places around the state. 

For more information and submission guidelines, visit the NC Poetry Society’s Poetry in Plain Sight page here: https://www.ncpoetrysociety.org/pips/ The judges this year are Karen Paul Holmes and Stephanie Pilar. 

 

The program is a collaborative effort of the North Carolina Poetry Society, North Carolina Writers' Network, Winston-Salem Writers, and Press 53 of Winston-Salem. 

 

Zoom Poetry Workshop Oct 3: Inspiration & Prompts

 One Art Journal of Poetry Presents 

From Personal to Universal: Using Emotion to Craft Deeper Writing

with Karen Paul Holmes, NCWN-West member 

Thursday, October 3, 7:00-9:00pm (Eastern) 

Duration: 2 hours 

Price: $25 

Workshop Description: 

Writing the personal can make your poems more expansive, more capable of striking a true chord in others. In this workshop, we’ll explore ways to “go inward to go outward”— to draw from emotionally resonant personal experiences and observations to find deeper connection with readers. We’ll discuss a range of poems that effectively navigate concepts of joy, anger, grief and other emotional states. Join us for a two-hour session focused on giving you the freedom to express emotions and the tools to craft the poems you want and need to write. You’ll leave with prompts and a healthy dose of inspiration. 

About The Instructor:

Karen Paul Holmes won the 2023 Lascaux Poetry Prize and received a Special Mention in The Pushcart Prize Anthology. Her books are No Such Thing as Distance (Terrapin) and Untying the Knot (Aldrich). Her poems have been widely published in journals such as Plume, Diode, Glass, and Prairie Schooner and have also been featured on The Slowdown and The Writer's Almanac. After a long career in Corporate America, which included leading workshops at international conferences, Holmes became a freelance writer and has taught creative writing to adults at various conferences and venues, including John C. Campbell Folk School. She’s a member of the North Carolina Writers’ Network. 

To register: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/oneartajournalofpoetry/1393439

Give Yourself the Write Start in January... with a Folk School class

January 26 Weekend: "Your Write Time" 

all genres & levels of writing experience welcome

taught by Karen Paul Holmes

Come be inspired and productive while having fun in a place of beauty. Whether you’re already writing or looking for a place to begin, give yourself the gift of time in a setting conducive to creativity. Magic—inspiration, encouragement, and laughter—abounds inside the studio. 

Gain editing and publishing tips from the instructor and learn from and support your classmates’ polished and unpolished work. Return home with the motivation to continue your writing and maybe even pursue publication. 

Local residents usually qualify for a discount. 

For more information and to register visit John C. Campbell Folk School: www.folkschool.org

About the instructor:  Karen Paul Holmes won the 2023 Lascaux Poetry Prize and received a Special Mention in the Pushcart Prize anthology. Her two poetry books are No Such Thing as Distance (Terrapin Books) and Untying the Knot (Aldrich Press). She's is widely published in literary journals, including Plume, Gargoyle, and Prairie Schooner, and her poems have been read by Garrison Keillor on The Writer's Almanac and by the US Poet Laureate on The Slowdown podcast. Karen founded the Side Door Poets in Atlanta in 2010 and still hosts the group monthly. At about the same time, she started a monthly Writers' Night Out in the N. Georgia Mountains and hosted it until recently. She is also a freelance writer and has taught writing workshops at local and international conferences and various venues. Karen is a member of the North Carolina Writers' Network. www.karenpaulholmes.com

Local Writers Karen Paul Holmes and Bob Grove Featured at Literary Hour

The Literary Hour will feature two well-known local writers Thursday, Sept. 21, at 7 p.m. at the John C. Campbell Folk School.  Poet Karen Paul Holmes and author Bob Grove will read from their works at the Open House on the school’s campus.  The Literary Hour is sponsored by the North Carolina Writers’ Network-West and is free and open to everyone.

Karen Paul Holmes

Holmes won the 2023 Lascaux Poetry Prize and has published two books of poetry: “No Such Thing as Distance” and “Untying the Knot.”  Her poetry has also appeared in “The Writer's Almanac,” “The Slowdown,” “Verse Daily,” “Prairie Schooner,” and “Plume” among many other literary journals and anthologies.

Holmes also teaches writing at the John C. Campbell Folk School.  Since 2010, she has hosted the Side Door Poets in Atlanta, and she is known locally as the founder and host for many years of Writers' Night Out in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  More information about her work can be found on her website, www.karenpaulholmes.com.

Grove lives in Brasstown within five minutes of the folk school.  He has published twenty books and hundreds of magazine articles and is also known for his dramatic reading at the Campbell School of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”, which he performs in costume and in a British dialect.

Bob Groves

Grove’s writing varies between genres from humor to drama.  Prior to retiring he was a high school science and English teacher and for several years was an ABC-TV public affairs host.  Additionally, he has appeared as a featured speaker at 14 national conventions and before one U.S. Congressional committee.

The Literary Hour at the folk school is offered every third Thursday of the month through November and brings local writers to the campus to share their work with the community.  Students and faculty of the school are welcome to attend the readings.

The John C. Campbell Folk School offers classes in folk arts and crafts and storytelling.  For information about the school, you can find its webpage and contact information at https://www.folkschool.org/.

Harvard Alum Kerry Garvin of Bryson City Featured Sept 9 on Zoom

Writers' Night Out - Sept 9, 7 p.m. EST

Reading + Discussion... + Open Mic 

Kerry Garvin, MA in Creative Writing & Literature, Harvard University
Publisher, writer, editor, professor

Hosted by Karen Paul Holmes

Gloria Steinem, on Garvin's book:

"When someone is ill, many old cultures say that they have lost their story. I believe that reading the stories in What Doesn't Kill Her will help each of us to trust and tell our own."

Kerry Garvin left New York City in 2020 and now lives in Bryson City, North Carolina, after spending much of her childhood in the mountains. She's a published writer, editor, and professor. Her book, What Doesn’t Kill Her: Women’s Stories of Resilience, a collection of triumphant survival stories written by women, was published in 2021 and hailed by Gloria Steinem.  Garvin and the book's co-editor, Elisabeth Sharp McKetta, sent out a call for true stories. Sixty brave women rose to the call, and What Doesn't Kill Her was born. 

In 2020, Garvin graduated summa cum laude with a Dean’s Award of Achievement from Harvard University with a Master’s of Liberal Arts in Creative Writing and Literature. That year, she was Harvard University’s Thomas Small Prize Recipient, awarded annually at the university's commencement for both character and academic achievement. She had also earned her Bachelor’s of Liberal Arts with a concentration in Psychology and minor concentration in Creative Writing from Harvard in 2017. 

Garvin co-founded Harridan and Strumpet Books, a women-author run publishing collective with a passion for progressive art that pushes established bounds and publishes voice-driven, high-quality books by a diverse array of writers.  Learn more about her on her website.

 
Open mic readers are welcome to read poetry or prose for up to 4 minutes (2-poem maximum, please).

Zoom link and Open Mic sign up: Contact Glenda Beall glendabeall@msn.com

Appalachian Naturalist Brent Martin Virtual Reading July 8

Writers' Night Out - July 8, 7 p.m. Reading + Discussion... + Open Mic  Brent Martin, conservationist & multi-genre writer   Charles Frazier, author of Cold Mountain, on Martin's new book: "If I were making a personal top ten list of important Appalachian artists, writers, and musicians, I'd include--along with more well-known names like Doc Watson and Nikki Giovanni--photographer George Masa. Brent Martin's introduction splendidly places Masa and his work in the context of the mountains they both love so much--a perfect match since Martin, like Masa, has spent most of his adult life studying the southern mountains, protecting them, exploring them." NCWN-West invites you to join us via ZOOM (see link below).

Brent Martin's book, George Masa's Wild Vision: A Japanese Immigrant Imagines Western North Carolina (Hub City Publishing), has just been released. Martin is also the author of three chapbook collections of poetry and of Hunting for Camellias at Horseshoe Bend, a nonfiction chapbook (Red Bird Press, 2015). His poetry and essays have been published in the North Carolina Literary Review, Pisgah Review, Tar River Poetry, Chattahoochee Review, Eno Journal, New Southerner, Kudzu Literary Journal, Smoky Mountain News, and elsewhere. He has recently completed a two-year term as Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet for the West. He is also the author of The Changing Blue Ridge Mountains: Essays on Journeys Past and Present.   Martin a lifelong conservationist and educator, having worked over a decade as Southern Appalachian Regional Director for The Wilderness Society, and prior to that serving as Executive Director for Georgia Forestwatch and Associate Director for the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee. He has led outings for over 20 years for the above organizations, as well as Carolina Mountain Club, NC Bartram Trail Society, the Cullowhee Native Plant Conference, Highland Biological Station, and many, many more. He lives in the Cowee community in Western North Carolina, where he and his wife, Angela Faye Martin, run Alarka Institute.  For the Zoom link and to sign up for Open Mic: click here: glendabeall@msn.com Open mic: 3-4 minute max, poetry or prose (2 poems only, please)

Multi-Talented Carrol Taylor: Zoom Reading June 10, 7 pm

Writers' Night Out - June 10, 7 p.m. Reading + Discussion... + Open Mic  Carroll Taylor, multi-genre writer "When Sissie Stevenson reluctantly begins her fifth grade year at Slippery Branch Elementary School, she has lots of questions that need answers. How can she stop the class bully from picking on her cousin and best friend Spud McKenna?" —Chinaberry Summer, Young Adult Novel by Carroll Taylor NCWN-West invites you to join us via ZOOM (see link below).

Carroll S. Taylor is the author of two young adult novels, Chinaberry Summer and Chinaberry Summer: On the Other Side. Both books emphasize themes of generational storytelling and anti-bullying, interwoven with learning about reptiles and amphibians. Her children’s book, Feannag the Crow, teaches children about making friends and appreciating both their diversity and their unique talents. Her poetry has appeared in the Georgia Poetry Society’s Reach of Song, yourdailypoem.com, the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International online art gallery, Old Mountain Press, and the anthology Poems to Lift You Up and Make You Smile. In November 2021, Taylor and three other local Appalachian authors were honored by their illustrator with a mural featuring animals and characters from their children’s books. The mural was installed on the outside wall of Mountain Regional Library in Young Harris, GA, to encourage children to read. Taylor is also a member of Scribes On Stage, and she co-wrote and directed a one-act play about the history of Clay County, NC; Hayesville; and the Cherokee Trail of Tears. “Beneath the Sky and Waters” was performed onstage at the Peacock Performing Arts Theatre in April 2022. After teaching in high school and university settings for more than forty years, Taylor retired with her husband in Hiawassee, GA. To learn more about her, visit chinaberrysummer.com. Sign up for Open Mic: 3-4 minute max, poetry or prose (2 poems only, please) by emailing glendabeall@msn.com

Glass: A Journal of Poetry published Lines Written Under Hartsfield-Jackson Airport

 Karen Paul Holmes | Lines Written Under Hartsfield-Jackson Airport | Glass: A Journal of Poetry (glass-poetry.com)

Written in 2019, Karen's poem is even more relatable today. Read it and let us know what you think.

April is poetry month. 

Want to share one of your poems here? Send only poems that have been published because most journals will not publish them after they have been published online.

 

Tweetspeak Features Ukranian-American Poet Ilya Kaminsky

 National Poetry Month: Poetry Matters

As Tweetspeak's "Poet Laura," my latest post honors poetry's place in the world. A poem has a unique way of becoming more than just its words. That's why social media has exploded lately with people sharing poetry expressing thoughts and feelings about Ukraine, and Ukrainian poets are wielding their creative power, even as they lose their homes. 

Please visit the Tweetspeak Poetry site to read a sample of Ilya Kaminsky's work and find links to more information about him. You're invited to post (in the comments on the site) your unpublished poem or links to poems that speak to the human spirit in times of war.

And because April is poetry month, you'll also find an ars poetica by Geraldine Connolly, which emphasizes the importance of finding the right words. 

Poet Laura, Tweetspeak Poetry, March 31, 2022 

   Karen Paul Holmes, 2022 Poet Laura, Tweetspeak Poetry   

Writers' Conference, Blue Ridge, GA, April 8-9

Keynote Speaker: Julie Guinn 

"How to Write a NY Times Bestseller"

There's something for writers of every genre with authors Renea Winchester, Rona Simmons, Kim Zackman, and NCWN representative Karen Paul Holmes, who will lead the following poetry workshops:

Poetry That Pops: Unexpected Word Pairings

Each word in a poem counts, as do the words next to it. Adjective-noun and subject-verb pairs that the reader hasn’t seen before can add vitality. Did the rain fall or did it slither down the glass? Each creates a particular image in the mind, but the latter also sets a certain mood. We’ll look at examples from skilled poets and try a fun prompt that helps you dig deeper for the just-right word combination.
  

Publishing in Journals & Anthologies: 

Submitting your poetry can be daunting and discouraging, but then an acceptance arrives and makes your day. We’ll discuss strategy, pitfalls to avoid, choosing which poems to send and where, and what makes a good cover letter. You’ll go home with an arsenal of  submission tips and tools. 

For registration, schedule, class descriptions, and more: https://www.blueridgewritersconference.com/

Writers' Night Returns March 11 with Rosemary Royston on Zoom

Writers' Night Out - March 11, 7 p.m. Reading + Discussion... + Open Mic  Rosemary Royston, poet NCWN-West invites you to join us via ZOOM.  Request Zoom link and sign up for Open Mic by emailing glendabeall@msn.com

Praise for Rosemary's new book, Second Sight: "This collection of Royston’s is honest, timely, and beautiful. It is a love letter to Appalachia and rural people everywhere who often don’t get their stories told in such a powerful and compassionate manner."      - Angela Jackson-Brown, author  Rosemary Royston, author of Second Sight (2021, Kelsay Press) and Splitting the Soil (Finishing Line Press, 2014), resides in the northeast Georgia mountains with her family. Her writing has been published in journals such as POEM, Split Rock Review, Southern Poetry Review, Poetry South, Appalachian Review, and *82 Review. Her photography has been published in A Rose in the World, Bloodroot, and New Southerner. She is an Assistant Professor of English at Young Harris College.  Visit her website  https://theluxuryoftrees.wordpress.com/ Writers' Night Out is a North Carolina Writers' Network-West event on the second Friday of the month. We will continue via Zoom for now.

Get inspired to write and/or read more poetry in 2022!

Karen Paul Holmes is the new "Poet Laura" at Tweetspeak Poetry. Her new inspiring monthly post is online, featuring poet James Crews and also one of her own poems. You're invited to share a favorite praise poem, too. Or write one of our own! Read the whole post here. 

Reading from New Craft Book, The Strategic Poet

Editor Diane Lockward and Terrapin Books has just published another in a series of wonderful craft books. The Strategic Poet: Honing The Craft is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle. 

Hi, Karen Paul Holmes here! In this 4 1/2 minute video, I read "Rewinding an Overdose on a Projector," a beautiful, heartbreaking poem by Sean Shearer who won a Pushcart Prize for it. I also read my poem, "Slow-Motion, Reverse-Replay, Myocardial Infarction," inspired by his and the prompt included in the book.  

Click here to watch. And you can find out a bit more about my poetry on my website. Thank you! 

Oct 8 Seattle Poet: Online Reading, Discussion, and Open Mic

Writers' Night Out - Oct 8, 7 p.m. Online Reading + Discussion... + Open Mic via ZOOM "What teaching poetry to children has taught me about writing." with Debby Bacharach, poet, editor, & teacher

Debby Bacharach is the author of Shake & Tremor (Grayson Books, 2021) and After I Stop Lying (Cherry Grove Collections, 2015).   Her poems and essays have been published in journals nationally and internationally, including Midwest Quarterly, Poetry Ireland Review, Vallum, Cimarron Review, New Letters, and Poet Lore, and she has received a Pushcart prize honorable mention.  Debby has been the featured reader at poetry readings in Boston, Oberlin, Seattle, South Bend, and Minneapolis. Educated at Swarthmore College and the University of Minnesota, Debby lives in Seattle with her family. She is a college writing instructor, editor, and tutor and teaches poetry workshops for children.  Find out more about her at DeborahBacharach.com. For Zoom link and Open Mic sign-up, email  Glenda: glendabeall@msn.com Writers' Night Out is a North Carolina Writers' Network-West event on the second Friday of every month. We will continue via Zoom for now.    Sometime we hope to continue in person at our new location: The Ridges Resort on Lake Chatuge  so please check your email.   But don't wait, join the fun and camaraderie on Zoom!  Upcoming guests: Nov 12: Ed Southern, NCWN Executive Director & Author Ed's new book is Fight Songs: A Story of Love & Sports in a Complicated South December, January, February: winter break

The Backstory of a Poem

From inspiration to revision to publishing...

First conceived in a workshop with poets Dorianne Laux and Joseph Millar, the poem, "A White Room, A Piano," then went on a journey. 

The website, Art and Humanity Framed in the Photofeature Story, features the backstory of poems, where writer/artist Christal Rice Cooper interviews poets about their step-by-step process. To see how my poem came about... and where it went, you can read the article here. You'll find lots of photos and links too. 

Writers' Night Out - Come ZOOM with us, June 11 at 7 pm

Please join us for 

P.C. Zick
a writer with a passion for sharing
& helping other writers

Writers' Night Out via Zoom

June 11, 7 pm
Reading & Discussion + Open Mic

P.C. Zick’s passion for sharing her stories and helping aspiring writers realize their dreams motivates all her projects. And that’s whether she’s serving as an editor to others or creating her own books that entertain and inform her readers.

 
Zick writes in a variety of genres, including romance, contemporary fiction, and creative nonfiction. She’s had works in each of these genres published and has won various awards for her essays, columns, editorials, articles, and novels.
 
Setting plays a significant role in her fiction, beginning with the three contemporary novels in her Florida fiction series, which explore the people and landscape of the Sunshine State. Her romances transport readers to some of her favorite places from Long Island to Chicago to Florida to the Smoky Mountains. Her four separate romance series explore various social issues as people of all ages navigate the complicated road to romance.
 
Zick has also written a variety of nonfiction books, which include a primer for beginning writers for drafting, writing, and publishing a book. Her book on vegetable gardening combines her husband’s passion for growing food and her love of cooking it. She has also published and annotated the journal of her great-grandfather based on his experiences as a Union soldier during the Civil War.
 
She and her husband split their time between Tallahassee and the Smoky Mountains near Murphy, where they enjoy gardening, kayaking, golfing, and hiking. To learn more, please visit www.pczick.com.
 

Open Mic Sign-up & Zoom Link 

to sign-up and/or get the link to the free event, 
please send an email to glendabeall@msn.com 

For open mic, include a sentence she can use to introduce you. 
3-4 minute maximum of poetry or prose (2 poems only, please)

Writers' Night Out is sponsored by NCWN-West
on the second Friday of every month