Festival on the Square was successful thanks to all of our writers and poets who volunteered

 For several years NCWN-West has rented a booth at the festival on the square in the beautiful downtown area of Hayesville, NC. 

The festival is sponsored by the Clay County Historical and Arts Council. Their volunteers led by Joan Joppie do a fabulous job and work hard during the weekend hosting around 80 vendors. We are the only booth where books are sold and we are fortunate to be included.

Thousands of people come each year from faraway places to spend the weekend in the mountains. We talked with people from Texas, South Carolina, Florida and other states. Local authors, Lorraine Bennett, Carroll Taylor, Marcia Barnes, Raven Chiong, Glenda Beall, Joan Howard, David Plunkett, Lynda Farrell, and Sandy Benson staffed the booth for the two days. 

Kanute Rarey and David Plunkett set up the booth with a tent and tables on Friday afternoon and they took down the booth on Sunday afternoon.

When we work together we can do so much. Many books were sold, but we were there to explain who we are and what we do. Our banner caught the eyes of passersby who were curious and stopped to talk. Some of our best writers and volunteers found us at this festival, picked up a brochure, and joined NCWN.

 Joan Howard, poet in pink, Carroll Taylor, novelist and poet sitting behind her.

Lorraine Bennett and Marcia Barnes, Glenda Beall, waiting her turn at the table

Coffee with the Poets and Writers July 8 at Joe's Coffee House

The NC Writers’ Network-West will hold the monthly Coffee with the Poets and Writers at Joe’s Coffee House, 82 Main Street, Hayesville, NC. This group will meet Wednesday, July 8 at 10:30 a.m.. Coffee with the Poets and Writers is open to the public at no charge. Bring a poem or short prose, 1000 words or less, and read at Open Mic. Joe’s Coffee House serves fine coffees and teas, as well as bagels and snacks. Cindy and Norma make all feel very welcome at Joe’s. Two local members of NCWN-West, Estelle Darrow Rice and Glenda Council Beall are featured on the program this month. Estelle Rice Estelle Rice is a North Carolina native who has lived in other states but came back to spend retirement in the mountains in Cherokee County. She holds a BA degree in Psychology from Queens University, Charlotte, NC and a MA degree in counseling from the University of South Alabama, Mobile AL. Her short stories and personal essays have appeared in numerous anthologies and journals. Her book of spiritual poems, Quiet Times, was well received and highly praised. She has taught writing for NC Writers’ Network-West and for Writers Circle around the Table in Hayesville, NC. Glenda C. Beall Glenda Council Beall began Coffee with the Poets and Writers in 2007 and continues to facilitate the event. Her poetry and prose have been published in newspapers, anthologies, online and academic journals, and in her chapbook Now Might as Well be Then published in 2009. She published a family history book Profiles and Pedigrees, Thomas C. Council and his Descendants, in 1998. She is a Georgia native, a graduate of the University of Georgia and a former elementary school teacher. She now teaches writing for adults at Tri-County Community College in the community enrichment program and at her home studio, Writers Circle, in Hayesville. Beall maintains two personal blogs, www.profilesandpedigrees.blogspot.com and www.glendacouncilbeall.com Her poetry is inspired by memories of the past, her large family and her impressions of what she sees and hears in the world around her. She writes about everything from growing chickens to dealing with grief. The community is invited to Joe’s to listen to the readers, to read, to mingle with the writers and poets, and all are welcome to join us for lunch across the street at Angelo’s. Contact NCWN-West Representative, Glenda Beall, at 828-389-4441 or glendabeall@msn.com  for information This is a program of the state literary organization NC Writers’ Network.

Author of Southern Fried Lies, Susan Snowden, on Fiction

Meet Susan Snowden, author and editor who will be a presenter at the Netwest Writers Conference on May 10 in Sylva, NC.

An Atlanta native, Susan Snowden moved to the mountains of western NC in 1995 to have more time to write. Since then her work—fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry—has been published in more than forty literary journals and anthologies. She has received seventeen honors and awards for her writing, including a gold medal in 2013 for her first novel, Southern Fried Lies (IPPY Award; Best Fiction, Southeast Region). 

Susan has taught writing at Georgia State University in Atlanta, and at Blue Ridge Community in Flat Rock, NC. She’s also worked as a freelance book editor since 1985, editing fiction and nonfiction for publishers and authors. (www.SnowdenEditorial.com).  

The conference will be a one day event at the beautiful public library of Jackson County. This building is the former majestic courthouse sitting on a hill that can be seen for miles around the picturesque little town of Sylva. Recently renovated, it is now the Jackson County public library and event center.

Registration information for the conference will soon be available at www.netwestwriters-west.org

Updated Information on Mountain Writers in Waynesville, NC

Mountain Writers meets the second Tuesday of each month at 6:00 pm at Blue Ridge Books, WaynesvilleNC.

Call 828-235-2003 for more information. MountainWriters@charter.net

http://www.mountainwritersnc.com/Mountain_Writers_of_North_Carolina/Welcome.html



Our next meeting will be a special joint meeting of Mountain Writers of NC and Netwest Mountain Writers and Poets. Don’t miss “Lunch with the Authors” on July 13th. We’ll meet at noon for lunch at the New Happy Garden restaurant in the Waynesville Shopping Plaza close to Staples.
Mark your calendar for the Mountain Writers annual picnic. August 21 is the tentative date. That will take the place of the August meeting.

ANNUAL READING AT MOSS LIBRARY IN HAYESVILLE, NC

Glenda Barrett

Writers and Poets Reading Holiday Stories takes place Thursday evening, December 17, 7:00 p.m. at Moss Memorial Library in Hayesville, NC.
Featured writers for the evening are NCWN West members, Estelle Rice, Carole Thompson, and Glenda Barrett.

The mic is open to guests after a short break to partake of the delicious buffet of finger food served by the library staff.

Left:Estelle Rice

          Right:  Carole Thompson

The reading is an annual event begun by Nancy Simpson, and is sponsored by Friends of the Library.

         

                                                                         

Natalie Grant, Nancy Simpson, Janice Moore, Jayne Jaudon Ferrer, Glenda Beall at John C. Campbell Folk School, Thursday evening, November 20.

Poets and Writers reading Poems and Stories is a monthly event at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC. Two Netwest members are featured. Natalie Grant from Topton, NC and Jayne Jaudon Ferrer of Greenville, SC presented a most interesting program to an appreciative group comprised of folk school students from distant states as well as local writers in the community.

New Magazine on the Market

Recently Michael Beadle of Canton, NC read at the John C. Campbell Folk School. He brought with him a copy of the Smoky Mountain Living magazine. He, Gary Carden and Susan Lefler, all members of NCWN West write for this magazine, published by Scott McLeod.


Smoky Mountain Living can be found on stands all over the country, according to Michael, not just in North Carolina. Articles are focused on the mountain area including the high country and south western counties such as Clay, Cherokee and Graham.


This is another opportunity for writers to submit stories and poems. The magazine is a paying market. Go to the website, and see for yourself.


I was impressed with the wide variety of subjects covered in the Fall 2008 issue.