Mary Jo Dyre featured guest reader at Oct. 26 Mountain Wordsmiths

      Author Mary Jo Dyre will be the featured reader for this month’s gathering of Mountain Wordsmiths on Thursday, October 26, at 10:30 a.m. via Zoom. The monthly event is sponsored by North Carolina Writers’ Network-West.

     Dyre, a talented author based in Western North Carolina, is a former educator, now working in insurance. She first finished and published her deceased brother Arnold Dyre’s half-completed manuscript of "Dark Spot," the fourth book in the Jake Baker series.

Mary Jo Dyre

     Next came a plotline of her own. "Springheads" combines multiple genres of historical fiction, romance, mystery, adventure, and fantasy to create a compelling story of self-discovery.

     Dyre's novel takes readers on a journey through time and space, from Mississippi to Arizona, and even South America, as the protagonist, Sarah Baker Bryant, discovers herself through connections to land and water that cradle home and deep-running family roots. Vivid descriptions transport readers to the westernmost mountains of North Carolina and a special piece of river property that holds great power and significance. Sense of place becomes a compelling character in its own right.

     Dyre says, "Dreams from real life inspired the writing of this particular book. These sequel dreams, so-called visions of the night, produced the creative, intriguing flow of tales mixed and connected through time in the plot of 'Springheads.' My characters revealed lives of their own making throughout the writing process, discovered only as I listened intently enough to bring them to the page through my words."

     NCWN-West is continuing to stay in touch by using technology to share our writing. We offer writing events and writing classes both online and in person. Writers are enjoying the convenience and flexibility of Zoom meetings because they can join our gatherings from other locations across America. Attendees are welcome to bring a poem or short prose piece to read during Open Mic. Please limit the reading to 3-5 minutes.

     Those wishing to attend Mountain Wordsmiths may contact Carroll Taylor at vibiaperpetua@gmail.com or ncwngeorgiarep@gmail.com to receive the Zoom link.  Mountain Wordsmiths is informal, and welcomes anyone who would simply like to listen to the beauty of wordsmithing. All who attend are encouraged to enjoy their morning cup of coffee or tea as the group shares thoughts about writing.

Poet Jill Jennings to be Featured Reader for Mountain Wordsmiths

By Carroll S. Taylor

Jill Jennings

       Poet Jill Jennings will be the featured reader for April’s gathering of Mountain Wordsmiths. The group will meet Thursday morning, April 27, at 10:30 via Zoom. One of the benefits of meeting online is the ability to host writers from all areas of the country. 

       Jennings, a retired teacher, linguist and journalist, is the author of three full-length poetry books, The Poetry Alarm Clock (2008); Dead Man’s Flower (2012); and Pineapple Wine: Poems of Maui (2019). Her poems have been published in in The Atlanta Review,  Oberon Poetry Magazine, Calamaro, Reach of Song (Georgia Poetry Society); Encore (The National Federation of State Poetry Societies);  Cadence  (Anthology of the Florida State Poets Association); Poetry of the Golden Generation (Kennesaw State University), and is a frequent contributor to Please See Me Literary Journal.

       Her work has been featured on Kinver Radio in the U.K.  In 2013, Jennings was awarded a U.S. Congressional Commendation for her career as an author and teacher of  Latin and English. She has served as Vice President, and Secretary of the Georgia Poetry Society and as Co-Coordinator of the Johns Creek Poetry Group.  She received her B.A. in Classics in 1969, followed by an M.A. in Classics in 1975, both from the University of Georgia. Since retiring she has kept busy teaching writing classes and setting up poetry slams for high school students. Originally from Georgia, she now lives with her husband in Fort Myers, Florida.  Follow her at www.jilljennings.org.

        NCWN-West is continuing to stay in touch by using technology to share our writing. We offer writing events and writing classes both online and in person. Many writers are enjoying the convenience and flexibility of Zoom meetings because of the ability to join our gatherings from other locations across America.       

        Those wishing to attend Mountain Wordsmiths may contact Carroll Taylor at vibiaperpetua@gmail.com to receive the Zoom link. Our group is informal, and we welcome those who would simply like to listen to the beauty of wordsmithing. All who attend are encouraged to enjoy their morning cup of coffee or tea as we share our thoughts about writing.

                                         

Poet Louise Runyon to be Featured Reader for Mountain Wordsmiths

 By Carroll S. Taylor

Louise Runyon

 January 2023 begins a new year for Mountain Wordsmiths, an online writers’ gathering sponsored by North Carolina Writers’ Network-West. Our first gathering will meet on Thursday morning, January 26, at 10:30 a.m. on Zoom, and our featured speaker will be poet Louise Runyon, who will be sharing poetry from her fifth and most recent book of poems, Where Is Our Prague Spring?

 Her book examines Runyon's deep love for the mountains of Western North Carolina, her childhood experience of love here, and her attempts to reconcile this love with the hatred and division found in the present.  A great-niece of Lucy Morgan, founder of the renowned Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina, Runyon honors her visionary and activist family in these poems.

 A resident of Sylva, NC , Runyon was born and raised in New York City but grew up at Penland School in the summertime.  She lived most of her adult life in Atlanta before coming back to western North Carolina in 2019. A dancer and choreographer as well as a poet, she is Artistic Director of Louise Runyon Performance Company. The publication of her new book is supported by the Jackson County Arts Council.

 Poet Catherine Carter of Western Carolina University says, “…Runyon interrogates the place and her family’s long history there to illuminate a complicated tradition of Appalachian progressivism dating both back to and forward from the Trail of Tears.  These thoughtful poems evoke an Appalachia that few outsiders know: simultaneously progressive and conservative, woven into the wider world in unexpected ways, and rooted deeply in the labor and vision of women.” 

 NC Writers’ Network-West is continuing to take precautions as we stay in touch and use technology to share our writing. We will offer writing events and writing classes online with some writers’ groups now meeting in person with careful safety guidelines.

 

Mountain Wordsmiths will meet via Zoom on the fourth Thursday of each month Those wishing to attend our gatherings may contact Carroll Taylor at vibiaperpetua@gmail.com to receive the Zoom link. Also, those who wish to participate in Open Mic may sign up upon entering the meeting. We welcome those who would simply like to listen to the beauty of wordsmithing.