COFFEE WITH THE POETS AND WRITERS

We had an interesting mix of writers and poets gather today at  Blue Mountain Coffee and Grill for our last meeting of the year. We don’t meet in January and February because the weather is questionable in this area during those winter months. We will begin in March on the second Wednesday, at 10:30 a.m. and our featured Netwest member will be Bob Grove, author of several books, including his memoir, Misadventures of an Only Child. Visit him online at bobgrove.org.

We had visitors today from Murphy, NC and from Blue Ridge, GA. I was happy to  see two writers from my classes at Tri-CountyCommunity College in Murphy, Kim Delaney and Larry Weas. I look forward to teaching again in March 2015 at TCCC. The title of the class is Write Your Life Stories. We will meet from 6 – 8 p.m. on Tuesday evenings. See www.glendacouncilbeall.blogspot.com for more description of the class.

We gave away five or six door prizes today – books and writing magazines. We talked about how, as writers, we bond when we share our poems and stories with each other. We get to know each other in a way that non-writers do not. Maren Mitchell said when she first read her work in public her knees were shaking but now she could read before a thousand people and it would not bother her. I hope all our beginning writers and poets hear that and know that one day all their fears will disappear, and they will enjoy sharing their work with others.

The program was all open mic today and we heard stories, poems and essays from those gathered around the table. I read a poem from Christmas Presence, an anthology edited by Celia Miles and Nancy Dillingham. The poem, Southside Diner by Cecily Wells, showed a glimpse of the loneliness of some people at Christmas time and made us all feel grateful.

Some photos of our day:

From left: Kim, Totsie, Maren, Joan, and Bill

Linda, Joan and Jim

Not pictured,  but present: Larry Weas and Louisa, Jim's wife.

Learn the Nuts and Bolts of Good Writing

Tri-County Community College, Enloe Building, Murphy,NC -

Saturday, September 10 -- 9:00 a.m. - 12:00, lunch break, 1:00 -4:00 pm.


Nuts and bolts of good writing.

Covering basics in writing: passive/active voice, dialogue, metaphors, show not tell.
Important things for anyone wanting to make their words sparkle and be noticed.
Some of the six hour course will be interactive. Bring laptops if you want. Wireless provided.

Instructor: Shirley Uphouse, former Netwest Program Coordinator, Co-editor of the anthology, Lights in the Mountains, author of a memoir, My Friends, My Dogs, and numerous stories in magazines.

Call Shirley Uphouse 828-837-6007 or contact TCCC Continuing Education,
828-837-6810, fee $25.00.

New Georgia Rep for Netwest

My name is Carole Thompson. I am pleased to be a member of the North Carolina Writers Network. My husband, Norm, and I moved to Blairsville, GA 18 years ago. Prior to that, we lived on St. Simons Island for 10 years, moving there after he retired as a career pilot in the US Air Force.
Network West Coordinator, Glenda Beall, asked me about becoming one of her GA Representatives. Glenda devotes so much of her own time working hard promoting programs and literary opportunities for writers in our area. I have accepted this opportunity to be of some assistance to her and her other representatives, as we work toward the goals laid down for this Network West chapter.

. Glenda thought I might tell you something about myself. If you were to ask me, “Who are you?” my first answer would have to be:”I am a wife, a mother of four children, a grandmother of five and great-grandmother of two.” Norm and I are celebrating our 56th anniversary this month. We wanted to do something special, so we’re visiting friends in England and then we’re all taking that train that zips under the English Channel and pops up somewhere near Paris! This is going to be a great adventure. I’m happy pursuing many interests right around my home, too. Most of my adult life I have worked in oil painting, particularly portraits. I also love to read, quilt and do crossword puzzles. Norm and I sing in the Mountain Community Chorus, and in our own church choir.

About 8 years ago, a friend invited me to take a writing class with her at Tri-County College in Murphy, N.C. I became a student in one of Nancy Simpson’s poetry classes. She totally liberated me by explaining the concept of free verse. I hung on her every word. In her next class, she pulled stories out of me like a painless dentist. The next year one of my poems was published in an anthology. After that, I submitted a short Christmas story to a well known Catholic magazine, and nearly had a heart attack when they bought it. Nancy Simpson was the first one I called. She continues to be my mentor and friend. Network West has so many wonderful, talented members!

John C. Campbell Readings May 15, 7:00 p.m.

Brenda Kay Ledford and Shirley Uphouse are reading this month at John C. Campbell Folk School.

Brenda Kay Ledford, a native of Clay County, North Carolina, writes about what she knows best; life in Clay County and the people of the Appalachians. Her work has a warmth that is only achieved by experience and a keen awareness of her surroundings. Her first poetry chapbook, Patchwork Memories, received the 2005 Paul Green Multimedia Award from North Carolina Society of Historians.

Previously, Ledford's writings have appeared in Pembroke Magazine, Asheville Poetry Review, Main Street Rag, Appalachian Heritage, Cappers, Our State Magazine and other journals. Shew Bird Mountain also received an award from the North Carolina Society of Historians. Her books are available from Amazon.com and local book stores.

See her website http://www.brendakayledford.com/

Shirley Uphouse, former Program Coordinator for Netwest, of Murphy, North Carolina, writes essays and short ficiton. She has taught Creative Writing at Tri County Community College for several years and has been an AKC dog show judge for twenty years. Her interest in purebred dogs is the subject of articles published in magazines geared toward dog enthusiasts. She is presently working on a book about her life with her dogs.
Both writers are members of the North Carolina Writers Network West (Netwest), which sponsors the monthly readings at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina.