Writers' Night-Blairsville Begins on April 13

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 Writers’ Night Out Announces 2018 Schedule

We begin our eighth season on April 13 and continue the second Friday of the month through November. Featured readers present their work at 7 p.m., and an open microphone follows, where audience members can share three minutes of their own poetry or prose. The event is free and open to the public and takes place at the Union County Community Center in Blairsville, GA.

 2018 schedule of featured readers from North Carolina and Georgia: 

April 13: Mike James and Michael Walls

May 18: Jennifer Lux and Rupert Fike

June 8: Michelle Castleberry and Karen Paul Holmes

July 13: Joan Howard and Jane Simpson

Aug 10: Kimberly Simms and Mary Ricketson

Sept 14: Robert Kendrick and Janice Moore

Oct 12: Danielle Hanson and Loren Leith

Nov 9: Glenda C. Beall and Estelle Rice

April reader, Mike James, is the author of eleven poetry collections. His most recent books include: Crows in the Jukebox (Bottom Dog, 2017), My Favorite Houseguest (FutureCycle, 2017), and Peddler’s Blues (Main Street Rag, 2016.) His work has appeared in over 100 magazines throughout the country in such places as Tar River Poetry, Soundings East, and Laurel Review. He has also been active as an editor for The Kentucky Review, Autumn House Press, and his own Yellow Pepper Press. After years spent in South Carolina, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Georgia, he now makes his home in Chapel Hill, NC with his large family and a large assortment of cats.  James will also teach a poetry class on April 14 at Writers Circle in Hayesville, NC. For more information, visit http://www.glendacouncilbeall.com/ .

Michael Walls has had poetry published in a variety of journals and magazines including The New York Quarterly, South Carolina Review, Atlanta Review, Chattahoochee Review, Poetry East, The Midwest Quarterly and others. His chapbook is The Blues Singer and his full-length collection is Stacking Winter Wood (Kelsay Books/Aldrich Press, 2017). His poems and articles have also appeared in law reviews and journals. He is a retired labor lawyer who now spends his time working as a volunteer on environmental and other issues, hiking, hanging out with friends and family, writing poems and letters to the editor, and listening to rock and roll, blues and jazz. He spends time in Atlanta and the North Georgia Mountains.

Writers’ Night Out is sponsored by North Carolina Writers’ Network-West. The Union County Community Center 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 on Writers’ Night, contact Karen Holmes at (404) 316-8466 or kpaulholmes@gmail.com.

The Literary Hour at John C. Campbell Folk School changed from Thusday 11/16/2017 to Wednesday, 11/15/2017, at 7:00 PM

Please be advised that The Literary Hour at John C. Campbell Folk School has been changed from Thursday, 11/16/2017, to Wednesday, 11/15/2017, at 7:00 PM.

The Literary Hour will host local poets Linda G. Jones and Staci Lynn Bell on Thursday, November 16, 2017, at the John C. Campbell Folk School at Brasstown, NC

On Thursday, November 16, 2017, at 7:00 PM, John C. Campbell Folk School and NC Writers' Network-West will sponsor The Literary Hour, an hour of poetry reading held at Keith House on the JCCFS campus, in Brasstown, NC. This event is held on the third Thursday of the month unless otherwise indicated. The reading is free of charge and open to the public. This month's featured readers will be Staci Lyn Bell and Linda G. Jones.

Dr. Linda G. Jones joined the faculty of Young Harris College in 2009 and is currently an Associate Professor of Biology and Dean of the Division of Mathematics and Science. Most of her career was spent in biomedical research. She is now happy to be teaching students in the classroom and serving as a mentor for student research. One current research model is the Zebrafish embryo used for developmental and toxicological studies. She has a number of interests outside of the science classroom which include reading and writing poetry. Jones is a member of the North Carolina Writers' Network–West and a participant in the NetWest poetry critique group.

Staci Lynn Bell, a Chicago native, has lived in Western North Carolina for the past 5 years. She relocated to South Florida, gaining popularity as a 25 year radio and television personality and passionate animal advocate. In 1988 her environmental essay won statewide acclaim in Florida.  After retiring from broadcasting, Bell worked for many years training working dogs and rehabilitating rescues. Her poetry and prose have been published in several journals. Her short story “Cheyenne” took 2^nd place and her poem, “Time” took 3^rd place in the 2016 NC Cherokee/Clay Senior Games Sliver Arts. Bell is a member of the North Carolina Writer’s Network and Ridgeline Literary Alliance.