Henderson County- Who was the first Netwest Rep there?

Today I am re-blogging a post from 2015 because we have new members who don't know about our history. We want them to know about one of our most active reps who was, actually, the first (Netwest) NCWN-West rep for Henderson County. 

She was dedicated and loyal to NCWN and NCWN-West, giving her time and energy for other writers and for her writing organization. If you are new, let Lana know we still appreciate her. 

Read about Lana Hendershott here.

Lana Hendershott at Bookfest promoting Netwest anthology,
Echoes Across the Blue Ridge

Best Wishes to Lana Hendershott first Henderson County Representative for NCWN West

Lana Hendershott has resigned as representative for Netwest and NCWN. 

She served the writers in Henderson County since 2008 and proved to be a loyal volunteer for our western region. Her conscientious efforts to sell the Netwest anthology, Echoes across the Blue Ridge, to book stores and other retail shops in her area made her a role model for others. Lana participated in a panel discussion by Netwest at the Blue Ridge Bookfest and at other times, she sat at the table at the bookfest and signed and sold Echoes. She enabled her fellow writers to meet and stay connected.

I met Lana when I was Program Coordinator in 2007 – 2009. The leadership of Netwest had decided to make Henderson County a part of the NCWN West region because we had heard from numerous people in that area wanting to know if there was a writers’ group or were there any other writers in Hendersonville, Fletcher or Flat Rock. They had no way of connecting to each other and therefore did not know of other poets and writers in the area.

As Program Coordinator, I talked with Ed Southern about holding a meeting at the library and sending out invitations to all members of NCWN that lived in Henderson County. I asked Nancy Purcell and J.C. Walkup to come to the meeting and talk about their duties and responsibilities in Transylvania and Haywood Counties. We needed a representative for Henderson County, but we had no volunteers. Susan Snowden suggested that I ask Lana. Susan said Lana was one of the most serious writers she knew.

It took some persuading, but Lana agreed that evening to become a representative for her county. She has been one of the easiest people to work with and once her name was known to the members there, she was available to them when they had questions or needed her advice. Even though she felt on several occasions that she would have to resign because she was needed to care for elderly parents, she persevered and, once she reached out and asked others to help, she was able to continue.

Last year when she and Pat Vestal began the open mic event they hold each month, it immediately became a success. At the present time, I believe Henderson County has more writers and poets who are members of NCWN than any county in the far western region.

I am confident that those writers would not have become the community they are now had it not been for the efforts of Lana Hendershott and Netwest.

Personally, I want to tell Lana how much she is appreciated by me and by all the members of NCWN West. Caring writers like Lana make a big difference in the lives of others. We need more members like Lana throughout NCWN West to become leaders and supporters of writers in their counties. 

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.   

One Year Anniversary

Congratulations to Lana Hendershott and Patricia Vestal. They combined their creative talents and have grown the Open Mic night poetry and prose reading held at the Hendersonville Public Library held on the third Monday evening of each month at 5:30 PM. This month, almost forty people were inspired and entertained by about 15 writers who gave brief readings of their work. The public is invited to join the fun. We thank Lana and Pat for the effort they made to make this work. 

To tell a friend about the Open Mic, click here.

Sent to us by Bill Ramsey, co-author of Me Now, Who Next, who was featured at the recent Blue Ridge Bookfest.

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.

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.

A Big Thank You to Our Echoes Distributors



Lana Hendershott

I want to thank some members of Netwest who have been exemplary volunteers the past year. Our representatives in each county acted as distributors and marketers for Echoes Across the Blue Ridge, the anthology we published in 2010. They called on bookshops and gift shops throughout western North Carolina, South Carolina and North Georgia. They manned tables and signed books at festivals. We could not have already sold nearly 1000 books without the hard work and diligent record-keeping of these people. Each Representative originally received 100 books delivered to their homes.

Nancy Purcell from Brevard, NC sold out of her first shipment quickly and requested more books. She and the others also found each contributor in their county and gave them a promised free book. We sent out a list of people who donated money to Netwest for the printing of the book. Each of them received a free book.

Lana Hendershott is our Netwest Rep in Henderson County. She has done a remarkable job keeping book stores stocked and selling to members and others who wanted a copy of Echoes. If you live in Henderson County contact Lana if you know of any place that would like to carry Echoes Across the Blue Ridge.

Nancy Purcell

JC Walkup of Haywood County did a terrific job of selling Echoes. She brought copies to meetings of Mountain Writers, she sold books at the Farmers Market, and she keeps Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville supplied. She has also sold books in Asheville and filled orders for Malaprop’s.

These three Netwest members held readings in libraries, put articles in newspapers and did all they could possibly do to get our book out there. And they were successful. We can't thank them enough for giving of their time and making the extra effort required to make Echoes Across the Blue Ridge a big seller this past year.

Anthology Reading in Hendersonville, NC

On Wednesday evening, November 3, six poets and authors from Henderson County read their work from the new anthology Echoes Across the Blue Ridge at the Henderson County Public Library in Hendersonville. A book sale and signing by the writers, who are all Netwest members, followed.

The evening was sponsored by the Friends of the Library, and Lana Hendershott, Netwest’s representative in Hendersonville, handled the publicity for the event. Tom Hooker, Susan Snowden, and Lana Hendershott read their short stories (fiction); Charlotte Wolff and Cecily Wells read their poems; and StarShield Lortie read her creative nonfiction piece.

It was a misty, chilly night and we wondered if anyone would attend. We were pleasantly surprised when more than fifty people turned out and received our work warmly.

Ten books were sold and the Friends of the Library presented the group with a check for $100 for the reading. The check was signed over to Netwest at the request of the six members who participated.



Lana dressed as character in her story



“We especially want to thank Lana Hendershott for her efforts to make the reading a success,” said Susan Snowden. “It’s not easy to get things published in the Hendersonville newspaper, but Lana stuck with it and we got great coverage.”

A Reflection on the Summer of 1968 - Remember?

Recently Lana Hendershott submitted the following to her hometown newspaper when the editor asked for glimpses of life in the summer of 1968. Many of us remember that summer. Where were you and what were you doing then?


A Girl's Take on Summer of '68
by Lana Hendershott

I was in love with a boy I dated during my freshman year at Northwestern, and I was not excited about returning to Enid, Oklahoma. Going home meant trading an active social life for monastic mores and gainful employment.

The employment angle didn’t pan out. Boys harvested wheat, mowed grass or had paper routes. Their jobs paid well and left time for swimming at Champlin’s pool. My choices were babysitting, waitressing, or car hopping in miniskirts and roller skates at the A&W.

Babysitting paid fifty cents an hour and entailed caring for a neighbor’s three children all under the age of seven. I’m talking ten hours a day, Monday through Friday, with laundry service and ironing thrown in as freebies for Mrs. T. I actually slaved away at that job the previous summer and decided surrogate motherhood was not my gig.

I was eager to carhop or wait tables. Those jobs offered shorter hours and paid three times better than babysitting even if customers didn’t tip. I began fantasizing about my soon-to-be-earned wealth. Managers, however, expected experience, and I had zero. They questioned whether a ninety-eight pound novice, regardless of enthusiasm and robust health, was a good fit for transporting weighty platters of food and drinks. My mother ended my job search by declaring, “She’s worth more than $1.50 an hour to me.” I suspect she didn’t like the miniskirt idea.

Plan B was attending summer school at Phillips University and helping Mom with errands, meals, and housework. I enrolled in General Psychology taught by Dr. Jordan, Biblical Religion with Dr. Simpson, and U.S. Government, a requirement. I don’t remember anything about government—not the teacher, not classmates, not one discussion. I had no interest in politics. Dr. King was murdered in Memphis, Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in California, and the evening news was all about Viet Nam. The violence appalled me, but the broadcasts were like watching movies or events happening in a parallel universe leaving me uninvolved.

Psychology class started at seven o’clock A.M. Sipping coffee, I watched the sky lighten as I drove east on Broadway with the windows rolled down. I listened to Steppenwolf’s “Born to be Wild” on WKY and looked forward to watching Dark Shadows in the afternoon.

An earlier version was printed in the Enid News and Eagle on Sunday, July 13th, 2008.

Lana Hendershott represents NCWN West in Henderson County. Anyone who lives there can contact her for information about Netwest and writing events in that area.

NETWEST CONTEST WINNERS ANNOUNCED

NETWEST recently held a contest asking members to write a poem, story or essay that is environmentally focused. The work should evoke a love of the land.

Lana Hendershott, our representative in Henderson County, volunteered to manage the contest. She accepted the emailed entries and forwarded blind copies of them to our judge, Robert Kimsey, a former Netwest member who was our representative in Georgia.

Lana Hendershott, Henderson County, NC








We are happy to congratulate the winners of the contest.
The winning entry “Childhood of an Environmentalist”, was submitted by Janet Benway of Brevard, NC.
The second place poem, “Think of a Forest”, was submitted by Peg Russell of Murphy, NC.
The third place poem “Swarm”, was submitted by Catherine Carter of Cullowhee, NC.

All of the submissions were excellent and I'm sure choosing the winners was difficult. We will post all the winning entries here and in the Netwest News in the coming months.
Thanks to those writers who submitted work. We hope you all will continue to enter the contests held by Netwest in the coming months.