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| Lana Hendershott, Henderson County NCWN West Representative at the Bookfest at Blue Ridge Community College |
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.
