Nancy Purcell - Monday, December 6th, 2021

This was Nancy's favorite photo of herself and it was taken by my husband, Barry Beall at an NCWN-West event

 It is with great sadness tonight that I learned of the passing of Nancy Purcell, writer, teacher, and friend. Nancy served as Netwest representative for Transylvania County, NC for a number of years. She led writing groups for NCWN-West and then while teaching writing classes at Brevard College, she led another writing group for her students. 

I always enjoyed our phone calls. She was a generous writer, always helping others but also encouraging others including me. 

These are some of the words in her obituary.

"Following in the footsteps of her idol, Georgia O'Keeffe, fairly late in life Nancy began writing short stories and poems. Many of her stories were published in well-known literary journals. She honed her writing skills when she was accepted to the Iowa Writers' Institute Summer Program. She also served as Prose Judge at Carl Sandburg Home Writer in Residence Program, taught writing classes at Brevard College, and led a writer’s group for many years. Nancy loved to laugh and entertain friends and family with stories of her life and experiences."

I was honored when Nancy sent me copies of her short stories and happy for her when her work was published. She knew sorrow and loss and had great empathy for me when I endured the loss of loved ones. Read the comments on her obituary and you can see that she was well-loved.

We have lost a dedicated member of our writing community.

 https://www.moodyconnollyfuneralhome.com/memorials/nancy-purcell/4797546/obituary.php

A memorial service will be held at 11 AM Saturday, February 12, 2022 in the Moody-Connolly Funeral Home Chapel. To livestream her service please go to https://foveo.stream/moody-connolly/nancy-lou-purcell

 In lieu of flowers, donations in Nancy's name may be made to the charity of your choice.

Read more about Nancy here.   and here.

Nancy said this about NCWN-West:

You and the entire membership of Netwest have been an inspiration to me in my writing life. The group is a welcoming & encouraging gathering of like-people. Thank you for all you've done for others. It does not go unnoticed.

Nancy Purcell

 

When should you say, "I am a writer?"

I follow Bobbie Christmas, editor and writer, who lives in the Atlanta, Georgia area. She has earned her living as an editor and has run her own business for decades. In a post on her blog, she answers the question, "When can a person call himself or herself a writer?"

I suggest clicking on Bobbie's website, www.zebraeditor.com, and reading her blog posts, but below is part of her answer to the question.

People who are golfers read articles about golf, go to seminars about golf, and talk to other golfers about golfing. People who are writers read articles about writing, go to seminars about writing, and talk to other writers about writing. Golfers golf. Writers write. If you write, you are a writer. If you get published and/or get paid for writing, good for you, but those things aren’t the only way to determine whether you are a writer. Golfers don’t have to win the green jacket at the Masters Tournament to be considered golfers, do they?

Writers are people who have an avid interest in putting words and sentences together. It doesn’t matter if you never get paid for your writing. You write because you enjoy it, so you are a writer. It doesn’t matter if you write letters to the editor, articles for magazines, private journals never meant for the public, or bestselling novels. If you write, you are a writer."

Beginning writers always have concerns about this issue. As a writing instructor, I get questions. "I haven't published anything. Can I still identify myself as a writer?" 

I have been a writer since I was a child. I grew up wishing I were a writer, but I was a writer because I wrote stories, I wrote small books and I wrote poetry that no one read. You don't have to share your writing to be a writer. You don't have to publish your writing to be a writer. 

I think Bobbie Christmas gives us the best definition of a writer, don't you? If you write, love to write, and read about writing and writers, then you are a writer.

FESTIVAL ON THE SQUARE 2021

Carroll S. Taylor and Hugh Taylor

In spite of a rainy day Friday, Carroll and Hugh Taylor and I put up our tent, tables and chairs to create a booth at the annual Festival on the Square. 

This delightful event is sponsored by the Clay County Historical and Arts Council in Clay County North Carolina. Over 70 artists and crafters set up their booths around and on the historic square that surrounds the old Courthouse which has been renovated and is now a convention center with the name, The Beal Center. 

NCWN-West has been a part of this festival for years and this year has been one of the most successful for our authors and for Netwest. We gave away brochures and sold lots of books on both days.

Carroll Taylor was kept busy talking to those interested in her young adult novels and Feannag, the Crow, her picture book. Echoes Across the Blue Ridge was popular with the out of state visitors. Tourists wanted to take home this book from the mountains. Brenda Kay Ledford found visitors interested in her new picture book, The Singing Convention.

The small town of Hayesville, NC hosts thousands of guests as the folks from Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama and surrounding states vacation here in this scenic area. A young couple from California dropped by, extremely interested in our booth.

People signed up for our giveaways every two hours and asked to be put on our mailing lists. 

Appreciation goes out to Bob Grove,  Brenda Kay Ledford, Jim Davis, and Anne Wheeler for staffing the booth along with Glenda Beall and Carroll on Saturday.

On Sunday, a new member, Raven Chiong enjoyed meeting fellow members and talking with anyone interested in writing. She also used this opportunity to purchase books.

Joan Howard was another member who worked in the booth and was there when the big rain came. Joan is a supportive member of Netwest and volunteers to help when she is needed. She is a poet whose poems I recommend.

Caesar Campana, a member for only a year, helped with taking down the booth. His wife, Monica, sat at a book table. Check out his Amazon page to learn more about this novelist.

In spite of the on again and off again showers both days, the writers did not fold their tent and leave. When table cloths were soaked, they were removed and books were put back on the bare tables. 

This event is wonderful for networking with others. We met the new owners of Curiosity Books in Murphy, NC. They want writers to come by and talk with them. They are interested in books by local writers. 

All booths were directed to stay open until 4:00 PM Sunday. When the time came to break it all down, Hugh and Caesar made short order of folding the tent and chairs and loading it all in Hugh's truck. 

 

Carroll and Hugh endured rain showers but saved the books and brochures.

This event would not have happened without Carroll Taylor and the support of her husband Hugh. Carroll's novels sold well and her bright display drew attention to our booth. She is very good at meeting people and discussing NCWN-West. 

This event serves several purposes for writers. It shows we are a strong active part of the community and we welcome new people. Because we are open to the public, beginning writers and those who are a little hesitant to join a writers' group find they are comfortable with our members. That is very important when speaking to novice writers. I am sure we will have new members after this weekend.

Often out of state visitors discover NCWN at this festival and find that they can join even if they don't live in North Carolina. Our brochures, designed by Meagan Lucas, are filled with information, and they were in the hands of everyone who stopped to speak at our booth.

See photos of the booth and the people who managed it this weekend.

Brenda Kay Ledford and Carroll Taylor ready to meet festival-goers

Our poster, Books by Local Authors, 
drew attention from the passersby

 

Caesar Campana and Raven Chiong work the Sunday afternoon shift

Photos by Glenda Beall, Carroll Taylor and Raven Chiong.

Glenda Beall and Raven Chiong

Photo of Nancy Simpson Gifted to the Moss Memorial Library, Hayesville, NC

Glenda Council Beall and Mary Fonda

On Tuesday, August 7, 2018, the Moss Memorial Library received a photo of late poet, Nancy Simpson Brantley, given from the North Carolina Writers’ Network (NCWN), in Simpson Brantley’s, honor for her many achievements, most of which were in Western NC. Librarian Mary Fonda received the photo from North Carolina Writers’ Network-West’s (NCWN-West) Program Director, Glenda Council Beall. Simpson Brantley's work was written under her maiden name, Nancy Simpson.

Nancy Simpson Brantley was a poet, teacher, and mother of three children. She taught in Clay County Schools for 28 years, in the Exceptional Children’s programs. She received a Master’s in Fine Arts from Warren Wilson College, and a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Western Carolina University. 

A member of the NCWN, Simpson Brantley served on its executive board, and in 1991 co-founded the NCWN-West, a program of NCWN, to serve writers in the remote NC mountains. She was NCWN-West’s Program Director for over 21 years.

She taught writing at Tri-County Community College, Murphy, NC, The Institute for Continuing Learning at Young Harris College, Georgia, at John C. Campbell Folk School (JCCFS), Brasstown, NC, and was Resident Artist for Writing at JCCFS 1998-2010. 

Simpson Brantley’s poems were widely published in Literary Journals, and she had three published books: Living Above The Frostline, New and Selected Poems, Night Student, and Across Water. Simpson Brantley won first place for her poem, “Night Student,” at the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center in Atlanta, GA, in 1978, received the NC Arts Council Writing Fellowship for Poetry in 1991, and a Distinguished Alumni Award from Tri-County Community College in 1998. She was named a SIBA Poetry Award Finalist in 2011. Simpson Brantley co-edited Lights in the Mountains and edited Echoes Across the Blue Ridge, both anthologies with Western NC writers. Simpson Brantley has been included in several editions of Who's Who in America, Who's Who in American Education, Who's Who in the South and Southwest, and Who's Who of American Women. In 2018, she was given the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award from Marquis Who’s Who.

Nancy Simpson Brantley passed away on February 17, 2018. A memorial in her honor was held at the John C. Campbell Folk School on May 5, 2018. You can visit her blog at: http://nancysimpson.blogspot.com/

Poet & Writer Glenda Barrett to read at Coffee with the Poets and Writers, on Wed. October 19, 2016, at the Moss Memorial Library, Hayesville, NC

Glenda Barrett

Poet and writer Glenda Barrett will read at Coffee with the Poets and Writers, on Wednesday, October 19, 2016, at 10:30 AM, at the Moss Memorial Library, 26 Anderson Street, Hayesville, NC. 

Glenda Barrett, a native of Hiawassee, Georgia, is an artist, poet, and writer. Her work has been widely published yearly since her first writing class in 1997 and has appeared in: Woman's World, Farm & Ranch Living, Country Woman, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Journal of Kentucky Living, Nantahala Review, Rural Heritage, Wild Goose Poetry Review, Kaleidoscope Magazine and many more.

Glenda's poetry chapbook, When the Sap Rises, was published by Finishing Line Press in 2008. She has completed two more books since that time, a full-length poetry book which is currently under review by a publisher and a book of Appalachian essays. Glenda worked many years in various healthcare system jobs and retired due to a form of Muscular Dystrophy.

She is very grateful to be able to devote her time to the two things she loved as a child, painting and writing. She has two grown children and lives with her husband of forty-two years in the North Georgia mountains.

Coffee with the Poets and Writers is a free event sponsored by the North Carolina Writers Network-West. The public is welcome to attend.

For more information, please contact Glenda Council Beall at 828-389-4441.

Coffee with the Poet and Writer, Estelle Rice

Estelle Rice, author of Quiet Times, a book of poetry, will be featured at Coffee with the Poets and Writers on Wednesday, June 11, 10:30 a.m. at Blue Mountain Coffee and Grill. 

Rice is a well-published writer whose short stories have appeared in The Appalachian Heritage Journal, the Journal of Kentucky Studies, and in anthologies and magazines, including Lights in the Mountains and Echoes Across the Blue Ridge.

She is a native North Carolinian, born in Rocky Mount and raised in Charlotte. She now lives in Marble, NC. Estelle received her BA in psychology from Queens University in Charlotte and a MA in counseling from the University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama. She is a retired Licensed Professional Counselor.

Although she is a full-time caregiver for her husband now, she still attends writing workshops and continues to create poems and stories. Her poetry has been published in The Back Porch, the Freeing Jonah series and others.

Estelle has been a member of Netwest for as long as I have known her, around twenty years. Her positive personality has always endeared her to those who know her and is reflected in her poems such as the one below from Quiet Times.

Silence

When I am silent,

thoughts surge onto the shore

of my consciousness.

There is no place to hide

or deny my fears.

Silence endures my frailties,

nudges me toward the paths

where I will meet myself.

Silence encourages me

to listen to the universe,

that I may hear

the songs of angels.

             ---Estelle Rice

Come out to Blue Mountain, on the corner of Hwy 141 and Hwy 64 near Murphy Medical Center, and hear Estelle’s reading as well as participate in our regular open mic session. Stay for lunch. We pull the tables together and enjoy a social hour. This event is sponsored by NCWN West and is open to the public. Contact Glenda Beall, 828-389-4441 or nightwriter0302@yahoo.com for further information. 

Beat Chronic Pain, An Insider's Guide by Maren O Mitchell is on the air

Maren O. Mitchell, author

FOUR MONTHLY RADIO INTERVIEWS

WITH MAREN O. MITCHELL,

AUTHOR OF BEAT CHRONIC PAIN, AN INSIDER’S GUIDE

Beginning this weekend, March 23th and 24^th, Maren O. Mitchell will be interviewed by Robin Watts of Regency Hospice in Hiawassee, Georgia, on WJUL FM, 97.5, during the Silver Linings Show. There will be a series of programs over the next four months, discussing chronic pain, and methods other than drugs that can be used to cope with pain.

The broadcast times for the first show are: 

Saturday, March 23th: 6:30 am; 10:00 am; 12:30 pm; 8:00 pm, 10:30 pm. Sunday, March 24^th: 6:30 am; 10:00 am. 

All shows are available on podcast on the website of WJUL (see below). Each show will address different problems and solutions. The shows air at the same times each month.

Beat Chronic Pain, An Insider’s Guide is available on Amazon through Line of Sight Press, http://www.lineofsightpress.com/.

For confirmation of air times, check online with WJUL at their website, http://www.wjulradio.com/.

Why Netwest? JC Walkup tells us.

Why?

 by JC Walkup

March 4, 2013

 

Competition. Among writers of NC Writers Network West members, there doesn’t seem to be any. Why do writers help their competitors? After twelve years in this group, I still can’t find an answer to that.

         Having trouble with an ending? There’s a writer who can help with that.

         Want to inject humor in a story too dark for its own good? There’s a writer who can help with that.

         Need to polish a novel to a blinding shine? There’s a writer/editor who can help with that.

         The magical thing about all of the above resources and more is that all those writers will do their best for you. True, a good editor costs a few bucks but those advertised in the blog and NCWN newsletters have proven value added to manuscripts.

         I challenge you to find another business where there is this much cooperation and support among those competing for the same recognition and dollars (as few of those there be). This phenomenon is like a warm blanket thrown over the shoulders of every shivering newcomer to the field.

Of course, as a writer or wannabe one, you have to put yourself out there. Risk? Yes, but not of failure. Never that. Pride can take a beating if yours is of the hubris variety. But honest, energetic efforts to learn the craft will always find support in this group.

 

JC Walkup
Wordslinger

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