Writers and poets seem to have one question these days. NCWN-West will answer on December 12, 2015 at a Panel Discussion in Hayesville, NC.

Wally Avett

Deanna Klingel

“How do I get my writing published?” And then they have another question. “How do I sell my book?”

We hope to have some answers for them on Saturday, December 12, 2015 from 1 – 3 p.m. at Moss Memorial Library, 26 Anderson Street, Hayesville, NC.  No charge to attend.

We will have a panel of three novelists and me, Glenda Beall. Cherokee County resident, Wally Avett, journalist and author of four novels, Deanna Klingel, of Sapphire, NC, author of nine books for young and young at heart readers, and Tom Davis, who lives in western NC, an author who also owns Old Mountain Press. Each of these writers will have a story to tell about their publishing experiences and the way they promote their writing careers.

Glenda Beall, moderator of the panel discussion

Recently I asked Scott Owens, well-published poet and teacher from Hickory, NC to share his publishing experiences and his ideas on marketing and publishing. He publishes a new book of poems about every two years. His latest is from Main Street Rag Press. 

Scott Douglas, owner of Main Street Rag Press, was generous with his answers to questions I posed to him on these topics. He has built his small press into a well-established business with some of the best poets on his author list. He once told me that he publishes books for people he is confident are good readers who can promote their books. That is one thing a writer will not get from a small press – book promotion. They don’t have the staff or time to do that. It is up to the author to build a readership and promote his work.

Kevin Watson, founder of Press 53, in Winston-Salem, NC  answered my questions as well and gave me great insight into what it takes for a small press to accept your manuscript and publish your book. 

Press 53, which opened in 2005, quickly began earning a reputation as a quality publishing house of short fiction and poetry collections.

With all the information from Scott Owens, Main Street Rag and Press 53, I will be able to speak to those who want to publish poetry books as well as short fiction.

Today, writers are often in a hurry to get their first book out to the public. They can do this by paying for the publishing or printing themselves. Tom Davis helps people self-publish, and his website fully explains what a writer needs to know about that process.

We ask that everyone hold their questions until the end when we will have a question and answer session. Nothing is more irritating to the audience than people who interrupt the speakers with personal questions.

We will have a short break when audience members can talk with the panelists.

We hope all local writers will mark December 12, 2015 on their calendar. Our speakers will have their books for sale and will be happy to sign them for you.

This event is sponsored by the North Carolina Writers’ Network—West, a program of the state literary organization, the North Carolina Writers’ Network.

Blue Ridge Writers' Conference - Blue Ridge, Georgia

MARK THIS DATE ON YOUR CALENDAR NOW! April 1 and 2
You don't want to miss the Blue Ridge Writers Conference in its fourteenth year.
The Blue Ridge Writers’ Conference is back for its 14th year, featuring literary agent Sally McMillan as keynote and speakers Robert Brewer, editor of Writers’ Market, Scott Owens, editor of Wild Goose Poetry Review, Jennifer Jabaley, 2010 Georgia Author of the Year in the YA category, and Hope Clark, editor of Funds for Writers website.

April 1 and 2, 2011. Please note a location change – this year the conference will be at the Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Association in downtown Blue Ridge, Georgia.
For more information call 706-632-2144.
If you haven't attended this conference in the past, April 1 is the Friday night reception. Saturday, April 2, is the all day conference with workshops, etc. If you want to learn about publishing, this conference should be on your list of events for 2011.

Scott Owens to Visit Far Western NC and North Georgia

Interview with Scott Owens,

Poet and Editor of Wild Goose Poetry Review
By Glenda C. Beall

I recently interviewed Scott Owens, well-published and highly acclaimed poet from Hickory, NC. In his book The Fractured World, Scott explores his childhood in which he suffered physical and emotional abuse and the impact this had on his life.
He says of this book, “I have found it very cathartic to write about the darker parts of my life, as you put it. I have used poetry for a long time as a sort of self-therapy, but I have also known that writing about these things was one way to help others who had been through similar experiences to know that they were not alone, and to help those guilty of the negative actions and attitudes portrayed in the book to understand that it's not okay, that what they do causes a lifetime of irreparable harm.”
In his book, Paternity, he writes about his relationship with his little daughter Sawyer.
“Sawyer is my only biological child. I have two stepsons who are both in college now, and I had a stepson with a previous wife for a few years as well.
The first new poem in this book was an occasional poem written for the Jewish ceremony of naming the new baby. The next one was written after holding her one night and crying as I realized the clichés about being willing to die for someone were not just clichés.”
He went on to say, “A lot of my poems are attempts to convey the emotional intensity of a particular moment. In a larger sense, I think I wanted to continue with these poems to finish what I had started in The Fractured World. That book ends with the disintegration of Norman, my alter ego who represents the fear and alienation that result from child abuse.

Paternity illustrates what can happen after one gets past one's past. I guess you could say that Paternity balances the scales.
Scott grew up part of the time on his Papa's 7-acre farm, part of the time in various mill villages in a nearby small town, part of the time in trailer parks around military bases, and part of the time in military housing. His parents were married and divorced numerous times, including three times to each other.
“If I include all of my stepbrothers and sisters, then my family size would rival the Duggars, but most of the time my family was my mom, myself, my three brothers, and whatever "Daddy" happened to be around at the time,” Scott said.
I asked him how his childhood affected his writing as an adult and he said, “I suspect my writing is what allowed me to become an adult, both literally and figuratively. Life has not been great for my three brothers. They have all struggled to maintain sanity and security in their lives. On the other hand, I graduated, went to college, became a teacher, and pretty much stayed out of trouble. And the only real difference between me and them is that I read and started writing at a young age and frequently went to books when I needed to get away from a difficult reality. I would say my childhood gave me the motivation and the reason to write. I see my writing as my way of redeeming that childhood.

“Your poetry is accessible and can be understood by the average reader. Do you think our modern poets, like you, are bringing poetry back to the people?" I asked the poet.
" … I think with the proliferation of poetry readings there is a growing tendency to be a bit more accessible than a lot of poetry had been for the last 25 years or so. Personally, I don't see the attraction in being needlessly obscure. I have plenty of difficult poems, but I hope that even with the most difficult the poem achieves some level of emotional or intellectual effect upon a good reader.”

I asked Scott Owens to tell us why we should come to hear him read his poetry at Coffee With the Poets, Wednesday, May 12 at 10:30 a.m. and at Mountain Perk in Hiawassee, GA that evening at 7:00 p.m. I like his answer.

“To paraphrase Dr. Williams, because while it is difficult to get the news from poetry, people die miserable every day for lack of what is found there. I do think reading and writing poetry can make a difference in everyone's lives. Poetry is mostly about seeing connections that aren't otherwise immediately apparent. That's a good skill to develop. It helps us take fewer things for granted and recognize the value of things through their connectedness to other things.
A big part of that connectedness, as you've alluded to in your questions, is the connectedness of one human life to another. This is what allows us to achieve catharsis by watching, listening to, or reading about someone else's experience. We recognize our own story in theirs and are able to learn from it. Then, of course, there is the best reason of all, because it will be fun.”

Phillips and Lloyd Books hosts a book signing for Scott from noon until 1:00 p.m. right after Coffee with the Poets on May 12.
Curiosity Shop Books in Murphy, NC will host Scott for a book signing at 2:00 p.m. May 12.
Stop in to meet him and pick up one of his books.

Contact Glenda at glendabeall@msn.com or 828-389-4441 for more information.

Fathers and Daughters, PATERNITY By Scott Owens

Tonight I ordered from Main Street Rag, a poetry book by Scott Owens.

The cover and the title, PATERNITY, intrigue me. I always get a bit misty when I see a loving father with his daughter. Scott will be in Hayesville and Murphy in May and will be reading and signing this book at Coffee with the Poets at Phillips and Lloyd books.

Poems of aching tenderness. PATERNITY explores with a discerning, clear-eyed sensitivity the daily small delights, frustrations, and purely unexpected miracles that, taken together, make up the building blocks of one father's personal salvation.
--Joanna Catherine Scott, author of Night Huntress and Fainting at the Uffizi

In Scott Owens' lovely book of poems, PATERNITY, we have a remarkable account of how his very special relationship with his young daughter, Sawyer, has saved him from the darkness of his own childhood. The poems are engaging in the deepest sense--funny, touching, and full of the kind of wisdom we all need as parents and family members to sustain the balance of daily life. How can anyone resist a girl who makes up the word, "effluctress," to describe what only a four-year old can see.
                                           --Anthony S. Abbott, author of The Man Who.