Award-winning writers, Blanche L. Ledford and Brenda Kay Ledford, have collaborated a collection of prose and poetry about the culture of Clay County, North Carolina.
This book coincides with the sesquicentennial celebration of Clay County in 2011. The county was established in 186l.
At 89, Blanche writes with knowledge about growing up in Clay County during the Great Depression. She recalls planting her vegetable garden by the signs, and wearing sinful red shoes to a mountain church. Her stories about the Blue Ridge Mountains will bring back memories of by-gone days.
Her daughter, Brenda Kay, is a member of North Carolina Storytelling Guild. She’s won awards telling stories at the annual Lies & Pies Jamboree held on the square in Hayesville, NC. She’s told stories at the John C. Campbell Folk School, at festivals and when she gives poetry readings throughout the Southeast.
Brenda writes about her experiences as a native of Clay County. She’s received the Paul Green Award from NC Society of Historians for her poetry chapbooks: Patchwork Memories, Shew Bird Mountain, and Sacred Fire. She also won the award for collecting oral history on Velma Beam Moore, a prominent citizen of Clay County.
This book, Simplicity, describes the culture of Clay County, NC honestly and with humor. It brings the reader back to a slower-paced period, when folks sat on the front porch swapping tales with neighbors, and savored the good sense of a simple lifestyle.
Simplicity is available at Phillips & Lloyd Book Shop on Main Street in Hayesville, NC; The Book Nook, Blairsville, GA; or you may order online at: http://www.catawbapublishing.com/ for only $16.00 per copy.
This heart-warming book would make a wonderful gift for Christmas. It’s a treasure that people may keep and read many times to experience the beauty and culture of Appalachia. There has been an overwhelming response to our book. Everyone who purchases it just loves the book and colorful cover. There’s a limited number of books. We do not plan to reprint, so get your copy while the supply lasts!
