May 14th Writer's Night Out ZOOM: Tips for Improving Your Writing, Karen Paul Holmes

James Crews is unable to join us tonight as planned, so here is our new program. 

For the Zoom link and to sign up for open mic,

 please email Glenda Beall: pcncwnwest@gmail.com  

What Can Writers of
Poetry & Prose Learn From 

Song Lyrics?
Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, and more, even Gilbert & Sullivan...

Karen Paul Holmes
Reading & Craft Talk
Open Mic 

A longtime lover of words and beautiful writing, Karen Paul Holmes will share favorite song lyrics and point out how we can use similar techniques to improve our writing --  whether fiction, non-fiction, memoir, poetry, or blog posts.  

Karen regularly teaches writing classes at the John C. Campbell Folk School. As a former Vice President-Marketing Communications at a global financial company, and now a freelance writer, Karen has also had articles published in business journals and has led writing workshops at international conferences.

Her poetry has  appeared in about 100 journals and anthologies, and her two books are No Such Thing as Distance (Terrapin Books) and Untying the Knot (Aldrich Press). Karen says a dream came true when Garrison Keillor read her poem "Rental Cottage, Maine" on The Writer's Almanac. 

She'd love to hear you read at Open Mic, so if you haven't signed up, there's still time. 

---

Open Mic
3-4 minute maximum of poetry or prose (2 poems only, please)

To sign up,  please send Glenda an email (with a sentence she can use to introduce you)  

pcncwnwest@gmail.com 

The true story of a miracle in an African slum: Writers' Night November 13 via Zoom

Special Guest Paul Higdon
Hope and a Future:
Life, Survival, and Renewal on the Streets of an African Slum

Writers' Night Out
November 13, 7 pm
Reading & Discussion
+ 
Open Mic

Join us on Zoom
You do not need a Zoom account nor a Zoom app.
Netwest members, check your email for the Zoom link and login. 

You may wish to purchase a copy of this fascinating book ahead of time.
All proceeds go to charity. 

During Paul Higdon’s 36-year career in international finance, he had the honor of serving for six years as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of a children’s welfare operation in central Kenya. Based on that work, he was presented a Global Volunteer Award by Bank of America.

Since retiring from his banking career, he says the most rewarding endeavor has been composing his first book, Hope and a Future: Life, Survival, and Renewal on the Streets of an African Slum, which chronicles the true story of a street boy, John Maina, who lived in the slums of Nairobi. Eventually, John and Higdon became so close that in an African sense, they are now father and son. In conjunction with the book’s publication, Higdon created a public charity, Little Boost Children’s Fund, whose mission is “Giving vulnerable kids a little boost.” All proceeds from the book go directly to the fund.
 
Higdon holds degrees in philosophy, politics, and economics from Cornell, Oxford, and Johns Hopkins, and he continues to enjoy a wide range of intellectual pursuits, especially early Christianity, and modern history.
 
His wife, Linda, is a classical pianist, an award-winning filmmaker, and now runs a tour company offering a unique “Women’s Journey to Kenya.” They live on the edge of the Kettle Moraine forest in the southern lakes region of Wisconsin.

Netwest members, check your email for the Zoom link and login. 

Writers' Night Out Has a New Home: The Ridges on Lake Chatuge

NCWN-West is happy to become associated with 

The Ridges Resort.  

3499 US-76, Young Harris, GA 30582

Writers' Night Out Begins April 10 at 7 pm with poet Rupert Fike

Joan Howard and I met with Andrea Allen of The Ridges Resort to confirm having our Writers' Night Out (WNO) there. Click here for their website. We'll continue with our normal schedule: the second Friday of each month, April through November, at 7 pm, featuring guest readers and an open mic. The resort is excited about helping make the event a success for our members, their guests, and the public. It's sure to be a win-win. 

The change of venue was necessary because our prior meeting place -- the Union County Community Center in Blairsville, GA -- could no longer offer us a free room. We're grateful that they donated space for WNO for several years. 

Karen Paul Holmes, who has hosted WNO for 10 years, was touring the various meeting spaces at The Ridges for another event and had the thought that it could work very well for NCWN-West and WNO. Her idea met with much enthusiasm from their meeting planner Andrea and the resort's General Manager. They give us the room at no charge and will promote the event to their guests. In return we will tell everyone about the restaurant and the resort. 

I hope to see us meet for dinner at The Oaks Lakeside Kitchen, their farm-to-table restaurant, before we gather for WNO. It is fine dining and is not cheap, but once a month, you might want to splurge or at least try their appetizers and a cocktail. They open at 5 PM, and reservations are recommended. Their guests also give great reviews for the breakfasts served each day. 

Our writers will like that we can go to the bar in the restaurant, purchase a drink, and take it to the meeting room. 

On the marina side of the property is another restaurant, Marina Station, where they serve lunch and dinner Wednesday through Sunday (summer hours will likely be extended).

Originally the Fieldstone Inn, The Ridges was purchased by Duke Hospitality in 2017 and underwent extensive remodeling of all meeting spaces, lodge rooms, and restaurants in 2018.  All venues and restaurants have the most beautiful views of Lake Chatuge and the surrounding mountains. Weddings, family reunions, and conferences often enjoy the ambiance and friendliness of the staff.

For 2020, WNO will begin Friday, April 10 with a popular guest: Rupert Fike of Atlanta, whose last book was named a "Book Every Georgian Should Read." He will share his insights on writing, and this new aspect of the program will continue with each of our featured writers throughout the year. Open mic will take place after the reading/discussion. Because Karen has decided to step back a little due to scheduling conflicts, various members of NCWN-West will rotate as hosts.

At 6:45 we can enter the Blue Ridge Room adjacent to The Oaks Lakeside Kitchen for our meeting at 7:00 PM. If there is a change of room, the reception area of the restaurant will have the information for you. 

I urge you to drop by The Ridges for dinner or breakfast and see this lovely place. Stop in at the Marina Station Restaurant for lunch and a beautiful relaxing view of Lake Chatuge. 

I see many possibilities for NCWN-West to use facilities at The Ridges in the future. Let's support the businesses that support us, the writers in the area.

Writers' Night Out Features Newton Smith & Robert Lee Kendrick

Our 2017 Season Opens on April 14 in Blairsville, GA

You're invited to hear poems from two Ph.D. poets who have new, highly acclaimed books: Newton Smith will read from his Camino Poems: Reflections on the Way, and Robert Lee Kendrick from his Winter Skin. After the featured readers, there's an open microphone for anyone wanting to share their own poems or prose. All this takes place at 7 pm on April 14 at the beautiful Union County Community Center. Please note, we will be meeting in a first floor conference room this month rather than the ballroom, and the grill will not be open for dinner until May.

Of the two books, celebrated North Carolina author, Ron Rash, says: “Newt Smith’s spiritual journey is rendered with such attentiveness and fidelity that we become his fellow travelers. We too share the pain and effort but above all the wonder, and are reminded that in matters of the spirit the journey and destination can be one,” and “Robert Lee Kendrick’s poems transport the reader into the deep, dark souls of his narrators, but the elegance of his language gives the poems a rough, hard-earned grace.”

Smith, who lives in Tuckasegee, NC, received his Ph.D. from University of North Carolina. He's the treasurer of NCWN-West and a retired professor who taught creative writing, poetry and literature at Western Carolina University. He has been published widely in literary magazines including Southern Poetry Review, Carolina Quarterly, Ann Arbor Review, Poetry Review, Main Street Rag, and others. Smith now devotes his time to travel, gardening, Buddhist studies, mindfulness practices, and hiking in nature, especially in the Smoky Mountains. During his 2014 pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago he wrote a poem every day reflecting on the physical body, nature, and the spiritual.

Kendrick also has a Ph.D., earned from the University of South Carolina. He grew up in Illinois and Iowa, but now calls Clemson, South Carolina home, where he lives with his wife and their dogs. His poems have appeared in top journals, such as Tar River Poetry, Xavier Review, Louisiana Literature, South Carolina Review, The James Dickey Review, The Sow’s Ear Poetry Review, and elsewhere. His chapbook, Winter Skin, was released in 2016 by Main Street Rag Publishing.

Writers’ Night Out is a free monthly event, sponsored by North Carolina Writers’ Network-West. It takes place on the second Friday of the month, April through November. Open mic readers sign up at the door and can read for three minutes each. The Union County Community Center (map here) is located at Butternut Creek Golf Course at 129 Union County Recreation Rd., Blairsville, Georgia 30512, off Highway 129 near the intersection of US 76,  phone (706) 439-6092. Food is available for purchase in The View Grill, but please arrive by 6 pm to get served.  For more information, please contact Karen Holmes at (404) 316-8466 or kpaulholmes@gmail.com.

NEWS FROM HENDERSON COUNTY, NC

Fountainhead Bookstore in Hendersonville announces Michael Hopping will read from his Short Story Collection MacTiernan's Bottle, Friday, March 23rd at 6:30 p.m.
He will be available for a Q&A session.
He is immensely talented and has honed the craft of saying much - really painting a scene and characters - within a limited number of pages.

Contact the bookstore for more information.

The Fountainhead Bookstore
408 N Main St.
Hendersonville, NC 28792
828-697-1870
www.FountainheadBookstore.com

NETWEST MEMBER, JACK JOSEPH PRATHER RECEIVES RAVE REVIEWS

Jack Joseph Prather, author and poet, is reading and signing his highly praised new novel - The Day of the Knights.

Saturday, June 13th from 11:30-2 p.m. at Mike's On Main, Main Street and Third Avenue, Hendersonville, NC

Tuesday, August 18th from noon-1:30 at the Lanier Library, Chestnut Street, Tryon, NC

Thursday, August 20th from 4-5:30 p.m. at the Henderson County Library, Washington Street, Hendersonville, NC

Be sure to check out Jack's website: http://www.jackjosephprather.com/
Order The Day of the Knights from Amazon.com and other sites you will find on Jack's website.

One reviewer asks for a sequel, and others say this book is impossible to put down. A page-turner, it seems. If you have read Jack Joseph Prather's books, please leave a comment.