Showing posts with label readings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label readings. Show all posts

Saturday, May 23, 2026

Poet Scott Owens Featured at May 28 Wordsmiths Meeting

Scott Owens will be the guest reader at Mountain Wordsmiths Thursday, May 28, at 10:30 a.m.  Mountain Wordsmiths meet monthly over Zoom to listen to a featured writer and let local writers share their work during an open mic session. 


Owens has just completed his twenty-fifth collection of poetry, "The Song is Why We Sing."  Owens—poet, professor, coffeehouse owner, and the City of Hickory Poet Laureate—is marking his more than four
Scott Owens

decades of writing, reading, and teaching poetry with this latest landmark collection

His poems reflect a lifelong of artistic practice and invite readers to pause, observe, and listen more closely to the music of language.  "I would love to have as many wordsmiths as possible to celebrate Scott’s achievements," Wordsmith's coordinator Carroll Taylor said.

Mountain Wordsmiths is an informal group. Gatherings are open to anyone who wishes to join and hear from well-known writers whose work is featured.

If you wish to attend, contact Carroll Taylor at vibiaperpetua@gmail.com to get the Zoom link.

Saturday, November 8, 2025

Mary Ricketson to read at Mountain Crowns Nov. 21



Mountain Crowns in Brasstown will feature local poet Mary Ricketson Friday, Nov. 21, from 3 to 5 p.m. Ricketson will be reading her beautiful and insightful poetry which artfully combines her love of writing, gifts of nature, and long career as a mental health counselor.

Take delight as Ricketson reads in the magical setting of Mountain Crowns a sampling of selected poems from several of her nine published books.  Register early via Jessica 404-292-3005 or just drop in and enjoy the reading and cookies homemade by Mary.

Mountain Crowns, 10950 Old Hwy 64, Brasstown NC 28902

Monday, September 15, 2025

Local Writers Dyre and Stevenson to Read at Campbell School

The September Literary Hour at the J.C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC, will feature author MaryJo Dyre and poet Eugene Stevenson.  Literary Hour is Thursday, September 18, at 7 p.m. in the Keith House.  Literary Hour is free and open to everyone.

MaryJo Dyre
Murphy’s MaryJo Dyer is the author the well-received novel “Springheads” and the sister of the late novelist Arnold Dyer.  She began writing by finishing her brother’s last novel “Dark Spot” following his death.  Her next novel, currently in the works, will be a sequel to “Springheads.”  An educator by training, she now works as Marketing Director for Steven Aft State Farm Insurance, and is a Community Advocate for Go the Extra Mile Today, Inc.  Dyer also hosts the Literary Hour.

“Mary Jo Dyre is a master of story who weaves truth and tweaks it with what might be, ingrained with vibrant characters set in a world where all returns to two springheads. Take this book to bed with you, but don’t expect to sleep,” says author and poet Mary Ricketson.  The story merges multiple genres of historical fiction, romance, mystery, adventure and fantasy into the intriguing journey of Sarah Baker Bryant.

Eugene Stevenson

Eugene Stevenson is author of “Heart’s Code” and “The Population of Dreams.”  Critics call his work “simultaneously plain and artful,” “draws us into dislocated people finding their way,” and “captures the places of great joy and the places of great pain.”

Stevenson’s poems have appeared in Appalachian Journal, Atlanta Review, The Brussels Review, The Hudson Review, Red Ogre Review, Slipstream Magazine, Washington Square Review, among others, and have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize.  Stevenson lives Brasstown, North Carolina.

The Literary Hour at the folk school is sponsored by the North Carolina Writers’ Network-West on every third Thursday of the month through October.  It brings local writers to the campus to share their work with the community.  The public, and students and faculty of the school are welcome to attend the readings.


The John C. Campbell Folk School offers classes in folk arts and crafts and storytelling.  For information about the school, you can find its webpage and contact information at https://www.folkschool.org/.


Sunday, October 6, 2024

Poet Mary Ricketson to Read at Cherokee County Arts Council Oct. 10

    Cherokee County Arts Council presents Mary Ricketson, acclaimed local poet and author of 8 books, for a poetry reading at Cherokee County Arts Council, 33 Valley River Avenue, Murphy, October 10, at 5:30 pm.
Mary Ricketson

    Featured will be poems from her latest book, "Stutters, A Book of Hope," and other selections.  Discussion time will be available immediately following the reading.  Everyone is invited.

    "Stutters" is the personal collection of poems Mary thought she would never write but she’s glad she did.  

    Julia Nunnally Duncan of the North Carolina Literary Review said of the collection,  "So, as I read Ricketson’s poetic account of her lifelong struggle to understand and overcome stuttering, I vicariously experienced this struggle with her…. I think Ricketson has accomplished her goal in Stutters, it is a book of hope, a stirring and enlightening book of hope."


Friday, October 13, 2023

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.


Tuesday, September 12, 2023

Local Writers Karen Paul Holmes and Bob Grove Featured at Literary Hour

The Literary Hour will feature two well-known local writers Thursday, Sept. 21, at 7 p.m. at the John C. Campbell Folk School.  Poet Karen Paul Holmes and author Bob Grove will read from their works at the Open House on the school’s campus.  The Literary Hour is sponsored by the North Carolina Writers’ Network-West and is free and open to everyone.

Karen Paul Holmes

Holmes won the 2023 Lascaux Poetry Prize and has published two books of poetry: “No Such Thing as Distance” and “Untying the Knot.”  Her poetry has also appeared in “The Writer's Almanac,” “The Slowdown,” “Verse Daily,” “Prairie Schooner,” and “Plume” among many other literary journals and anthologies.

Holmes also teaches writing at the John C. Campbell Folk School.  Since 2010, she has hosted the Side Door Poets in Atlanta, and she is known locally as the founder and host for many years of Writers' Night Out in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  More information about her work can be found on her website, www.karenpaulholmes.com.

Grove lives in Brasstown within five minutes of the folk school.  He has published twenty books and hundreds of magazine articles and is also known for his dramatic reading at the Campbell School of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”, which he performs in costume and in a British dialect.

Bob Groves

Grove’s writing varies between genres from humor to drama.  Prior to retiring he was a high school science and English teacher and for several years was an ABC-TV public affairs host.  Additionally, he has appeared as a featured speaker at 14 national conventions and before one U.S. Congressional committee.

The Literary Hour at the folk school is offered every third Thursday of the month through November and brings local writers to the campus to share their work with the community.  Students and faculty of the school are welcome to attend the readings.

The John C. Campbell Folk School offers classes in folk arts and crafts and storytelling.  For information about the school, you can find its webpage and contact information at https://www.folkschool.org/.

Thursday, January 24, 2019

Dates and Readers for 2019, for The Literary Hour, John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, NC

Here are the readers and dates for the updated 2019 Literary Hour readings, at the John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, NC. You will notice that most months will have 3 readers, our best attempt to accommodate everyone who asked to read, so we have two months that can add another reader. We will start promptly at 7:00 PM, finishing by 8:00 or 8:15 PM.

Please contact Mary Ricketson for issues regarding this event at: maryricketson311@hotmail.com.



Wed, 3-20-19         Joan Howard

                                    Natalie Grant

                                    Mary Ricketson



Wed, 4-17-19          Bob Grove

                                    Carroll Taylor

                                    Joan Gage



Wed, 5-15-19          Carol Lynn Jones

                                    Kanute Rarey

                                    Rosemary Royston



Wed, 6-12-19          Brenda Kay Ledford

                                    Richard Cary

                                    Maren Mitchell



Thurs, 8-22-19       Karen Paul Holmes

                                    Carol Crawford

                                    Kenneth Chamlee



Thurs, 9-19-19       Martha O. Adams

                                    Loren Leith

                                    Glenda Barrett



Thurs, 10-17-19     Mary Mike Keller

                                    Glenda Beall



Thurs, 11-21-19      Janice Moore

                                    Linda Jones