Congrats to Betty Reed

Betty Reed's poems, “Woodland Glory” and “Requiem” have been published in Whispering Willow: Tree Poems, an anthology, the sales of which benefit the Arbor Day Foundation.

“The Masterpiece” will be published in The Reach of Song (2022). Betty's article “Love Blooms, School Dies” and her poem “Coming Home” will be published in a Virginia journal.

Carroll S. Taylor has good news

Carroll  S. Taylor  received exciting news this week. Two of her poems, "Irises" and "Circling Magic," will be published in the upcoming edition of The Georgia Poetry Society's annual anthology, The Reach of Song. The anthology will be published this year.

Carroll is an active member of NCWN-West. She is volunteer assistant to the program coordinator. We will publish an interview with Carroll soon. She is author of two children's books, Chinaberry Summer and Chinaberry Summer, on the Other Side.  

Carroll S.Taylor's poem "In Memoriam" awarded Second Place in the Mnemosyne Award for the 2018 Georgia Poetry Society's fall contest.

Carroll S. Taylor has been awarded Second Place for her poem, "In Memoriam," in the Mnemosyne Award contest for the 2018 Georgia Poetry Society's fall contest. The poem will be published in the 2019 edition of The Reach of Song. 

Carol Crawford judged this award category. Her comments are as follows: 

"In Memoriam" comes at the reader with vivid visual imagery. It reads like an artist's black and white photograph, with sharply drawn contrasts. The word pictures of death and mourning are dramatic. The stark warning of the dead bird bringss to mind violence humans commit against each other and serves as its own warning and cautionary tale.

Carroll S. Taylor grew up on a dirt road in rural West Central Georgia. A graduate of Tift College (Mercer University) with a BA in French, she holds graduate degrees in French and English as well as an EdS in Educational Leadership. She was an educator for forty-three years. As a secondary teacher, she taught French, English, Journalism, Creative Writing, and ESL. She advised students in the creation and publication of school newspapers and yearbooks. After her retirement, she moved on to her second career as a part-time instructor at Columbus State University, teaching freshman composition. 

She is the author of two young adult novels, Chinaberry Summer and Chinaberry Summer: On theOther Side. She is currently writing the third novel in the series, Chinaberry Summer: Down by the Water. Her books emphasize generational storytelling and respect for the valuable role of reptiles and amphibians in our ecosystem. One of the personal highlights of publishing her novels was her book reading held in the childhood home of Carson McCullers.

Carroll is a member of North Carolina Writers’ Network, North Carolina Writers’ Network-West, and the Georgia Poetry Society.

 She and her husband retired to Hiawassee, Georgia, where they share a home with their two cats. She loves studying nature, especially snakes. She enjoys writing in all forms, including poetry and novels. Readers may find her journal blog at chinaberrysummer.com and follow her at: https://www.facebook.com/ChinaberrySummer/.

Brenda Kay Ledford publishes with Finishing Line Press

LEDFORD PUBLISHES POETRY CHAPBOOK

Brenda Kay Ledford’s poetry chapbook, SACRED FIRE, will be released by Finishing Line Press this September.

A native of Clay County, North Carolina, Ledford earned her Master of Arts in Education from Western Carolina University. She studied Journalism at the University of Tennessee and was creative writing editor of Tri-County Communciator.

She received the Paul Green Multimedia Award for her poetry books, Patchwork Memories and Shew Bird Mountain. Her work has appeared in Our State, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Pembroke Magazine, Old Mountain Press, Appalachian Heritage, Main Street Rag, Asheville Poetry Review, and upcoming in The Reach of Song.

Ledford is a member of North Carolina Storytelling Guild, North Carolina Writer’s Network West, North Carolina Poetry Society, Byron Herbert Reece Society, Georgia Poetry Society, Appalachian Writer’s Association, and listed with the Directory of American Poets and Fiction Writers.

According to Maureen Ryan Griffin, an award-winning poet and commentator for Charlotte, North Carolina’s NPR station, “A lovely offering indeed is Brenda Kay Ledford’s SACRED FIRE. It pays homage to her Cherokee, Scots-Irish ancestors, and the Appalachian Mountains she calls home. Despite the pain and desolation present in this patchwork of Appalachian moments, SACRED FIRE is in the end an uplifting book, filled with beautiful images lovingly rendered.”

The cover of Ledford’s book is a beautiful image of Hayesville’s historic courthouse framed by flaming maples. Ledford took the picture that received an award in the Georgia Mountain Fair Photography Show last year.

To order Ledford’s book, send $14.00 to: Finishing Line Press; PO Box 1626; Georgetown, KY 40324.

You may also order online at: http://www.finishinglinepress.com/ and click on “New Releases.”