Poet Mary Ricketson to Read at City Lights Jan. 6

Mary Ricketson will be reading at the City Lights Bookstore in Sylva, NC, from her new book of poems "Stutters: A Book of Hope" Saturday, Jan 6, 2024, at 3 p.m.

Mary Ricketson

"This new collection of poems is my most vulnerable and possibly most creative yet, poems of my own stuttering, which I hardly even discuss," Ricketson said.

She will read a sample of the full length collection, discuss her work, and sign books.  Also, refreshments will be available.  

City Lights Bookstore is located at 3 E. Jackson St, Sylva NC, on Saturday, 1-6-24 at 3 pm. 

Please come if you can, bring a friend, and please do pass this notice on to others. 

News from Netwest PC

On our latest membership list for NCWN-West, we have 116 members. Our members come from Henderson County down to Cherokee County, and we have twelve members from bordering counties in Georgia.

Most of our counties have one or two Netwest representatives, but we still need people in Transylvania County, Graham County and Cherokee County. We are able to reach more writers when we have a representative who makes himself or herself available to members, and who cares about those she represents. The best writers are generous writers, and I hope you will think about being generous in your county.

What can we do for others during a pandemic?
In this time of having to give up so much in our lives, I see our fellow writers  lending a helping hand to others. I see people searching for ways to make their lives meaningful during this crisis. 

I don't have money to give away, but I want to help our local food pantry which is feeding many, many people who can't work because their places of business are closed, who don't have a paycheck coming in and need to feed their children.

Estelle Rice, member and co-author of Paws, Claws, Hooves, Feathers and Fins, joined with me in offering all profit for the next month from sales of our book to the Clay County Food Pantry. This is done through City Lights Books in Sylva, NC where you can order online, and they will ship the books at a deep discount. I sent out a few emails and posted it on Facebook and my blogs, but hope you will help us spread the word. This helps our favorite bookstore as well as helping the food pantry.

I have been surprised at the response. One person thanked me for reminding her that she should send a check to the food pantry in her county. Another person who was once a member of NCWN-WEST simply sent a check for the Clay County Food Pantry. We all want to help when we can. Be creative. How can you use your talents to help others?

For four weeks in March, I taught a creative writing class for Tri-County Community College. We met once at the college, but three of the classes I taught online using Google Classroom. The students enjoyed it so much, I decided to teach another six weeks, but at no charge. 

While we are home and looking for things to do, taking an online class is a way to keep motivated to write. It is good for me as well. I have learned a new skill and find that Zoom gives us a perfect way to stay connected. My students  enjoy sending in a writing piece each week that we all read and offer helpful comments. I critique each individual story and send back to the author.

So, although I am self-quarantined, I am using this time to help others as well as myself. 

On Friday evening, 7:00, May 8, we plan to hold another Writers' Night Out on Zoom. The April WNO was well-attended and enjoyed. I will host, and we will send out instructions on how to join us.

Rosemary Royston, our Netwest treasurer, wrote a post on her blog today that I want to share with you.  https://theluxuryoftrees.wordpress.com/2020/04/29/the-art-of-losing/

NCWN will hold an online course on May 20, 7:00 PM.
Topic: "Revealing Character Through Dialogue" with Xhenet Aliu

I have been teaching this subject, and I hope to learn some new tips to pass on to my students. I believe that dialogue is such an important part of writing and often the hardest part. It is a perfect way to reveal character. If you haven't received an email about this class, go to www.ncwriters.org and you can register.

What are you doing to help others while staying at home and being safe? 

Email me, pcncwnwest@gmail.com or leave a comment on this site.

Nancy Werking Poling announces a new novel

I'm a member of the NCWN and want to announce that I'll present my new novel, While Earth Still Speaks, at City Lights Books in Sylva, NC on Saturday. August 17, 3:00 PM.

Can women rescue Earth -- not from aliens but from ecological disaster? I'll address the weird string of events that inspired the story. If you are in the area, drop in. I'd like to meet you.

Regards,
Nancy Werking Poling | nwpontheroad@gmail.com

Contributors to Kakalak are reading on Jan. 23, 2016, 3:00 PM, City Lights Bookstore, Sylva, NC

Several authors who were published in Kakalak, an anthology of North Carolina poetry and art, will be reading at City Lights Bookstore , 3 Jackson St., Sylva, NC 28779, on Saturday, January 23, at 3:00 PM.

The public is invited to attend and it should be a nice gathering of poets and writers.

City Lights Bookstore hosts Valerie Nieman at Coffee with the Poet

The Coffee with the Poet series continues on Thursday, July 16th at 10:30 a.m. at City Lights Bookstore. The July gathering will feature Valerie Nieman as she presents her new collection of poetry, Hotel Worthy. 

Nieman was a 2013-2014 North Carolina Arts Council poetry fellow and has received an NEA creative writing fellowship.  A graduate of West Virginia University and the MFA program at Queens University of Charlotte, she teaches writing at N.C. A&T State University and is a regular workshop leader at the John C. Campbell Folk School and the North Carolina Writers Network. She is poetry editor for the online/print literary journal, Prime Number.

The Coffee with the Poet series gathers the third Thursday of each month and is cosponsored by the NC Writers’ Network-West.  For questions about the Coffee with the Poet series or to reserve a copy of Hotel Worthy please call City Lights Bookstore at 828-586-9499

July 9, Ellen Bass Reading and Book Signing at City Lights Bookstore

Date of event: Thursday, July 9th at 6 p.m.

Ellen Bass Reading and Book Signing

On Thursday, July 9th at 6 p.m. author Ellen Bass will visit City Lights Bookstore to present her books. Her poetry collections include Like a Beggar and The Human Line. She is also the author of The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse. It is an inspiring, comprehensive guide that offers hope and encouragement to every woman who was sexually abused as a child – and those who care about her. 

Bass will also be leading a writing workshop at Cullowhee Mountain Arts from July 5th to the 10th. Registration is currently wait-listed. To be placed on the wait list send an email to  registrar@cullowheemountainarts.org. To reserve copies of Ellen’s books please call 828-586-9499. 

contact:: Eon Alden (eon@citylightsnc.com)

                  

August Events at City Lights Books in Sylva

Wendy Watkins Offers a Discussion on Sustaining Happiness
Friday, August 17th at 6:30 p.m.
Professional Certified Coach, Wendy Watkins will visit City Lights Bookstore on Friday, August 17th at 6:30 p.m. to discuss methods of sustaining happiness. She will also present her new book, The Joy Factor Recipe Book. As a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach she is perfect for those who desire to amplify their clarity, focus and positivity to increase their productivity, fulfillment and success. Wendy says of her book, "Because of my deep love for both personal development and food, I bring them together to share  this common sense approach to having more joy in your life. I use the word 'recipe' to describe the instructions and guidelines that lead to sustainable happiness. Some you can prepare in your kitchen, but most are prepared in your heart, soul and conscious mind."
Learn how to live a delicious life with Wendy as she shares her philosophy that our lives are like a cookbook and we choose what recipes we want to use to create a life we love each day. She'll share four ingredients you can weave into your recipe, as well as share a few of the recipes that others have contributed, including a recipe or two from Bernadette Peters, owner of City Lights Café.

Discussion on Appalachian Folk Magic
Friday, August 31st at 6:30 p.m.
On Friday, August 31st at 6:30 p.m. Byron Ballard will present her book, Staubs and Ditchwater. Part memoir, part instructional primer, Staubs and Ditchwater is an entertaining introduction to Appalachian folk magic. This knowledge encompasses planting by the signs, healing with herbs divination. Ballard leads local and regional workshops on these traditional practices and after much thought and many conversations decided to share fading aspect of traditional culture from the southern highlands. To reserve a copy of her book please call City Lights Bookstore at 828-586-9499.

John York Returns with New Poetry Collection
Saturday, September 1st at 6:30 p.m.
Poet and North Carolina resident, John York will return to City Lights Bookstore on Saturday, September 1st at 6:30 p.m. to present his latest collection of poetry, Cold Spring Rising. Of the book, Robert Morgan, author of Gap Creek and Boone says of the book, "John Thomas York has long been known as the Yadkin Bard. But he is also a poet of the vast reaches of the night sky, of deep memory, of wonder. His voice is distinctive, fresh, bringing to life a world long forgotten, of work, of struggle, of family bonds and community. I know of few poets who recreate so effectively the awe and aching immediacy and imaginative intensity of childhood. It is a pleasure to welcome the abundance, the full range of achievement, of Cold Spring Rising, which has both the sweetness and thrilling sting of the coldest and boldest spring water." York's work has appeared in many regional journals, as well as in anthologies such as Word and Witness: 100 Years of North Carolina Poetry and The Southern Poetry Anthology, Volume III: Contemporary Appalachia. He has previously published three chapbooks, Picking Out, Johnny's Cosmology, and, in 2010, Naming the Constellations, the last published by Spring Street Editions of Sylva, NC. In 2011, he received the first annual James Applewhite Poetry Prize from the North Carolina Literary Review. He lives with his family in Greensboro, NC. For more information or to reserve a copy of the book please call City Lights Bookstore at 828-586-9499.