This Wednesday, July 19, 2017, poet Glenda Barrett will read at Coffee with the Poets and Writers, at 10:30 AM, at the Moss Memorial Library, 26 Anderson Street, Hayesville, NC. This event is sponsored by the North Carolina Writers' Network-West, and is open to the public. An open mic for all attendees will follow Barrett's reading.
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.
Barrett'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 book of poetry with Kelsay Books, The Beauty of Silence, available on Amazon, 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.
Barrett is a member of the North Carolina Writers' Network-West. For more information on this event, contact Glenda Council Beall, Program Coordinator of NCWN-West, at 828-389-4441.
Writers and poets in the far western mountain area of North Carolina and bordering counties of South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee post announcements, original work and articles on the craft of writing.
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Monday, July 17, 2017
Wednesday, July 5, 2017
Poet Maren O. Mitchell has poems in the July 2017 publication of The Lake, in Slant, Summer 2017, in POEM, May 2017, and Comstock Review Spring/Summer 2017
Maren O. Mitchell's poem, "Outside In," is currently in the July issue of The Lake, an online English poetry journal. Her poem, "A Is an Article to Anchor," appears in SLANT, A Journal of Poetry, Summer 2017, and poems, "K, Lost Dog" and "I Want to Remember" appeared in POEM, May 2017. Forthcoming in Comstock Review, Spring/Summer 2017 is the poem, "D, The First Syllable."
Labels:
Comstock Review,
Maren O. Mitchell,
POEM magazine,
poetry,
Slant,
The Lake,
writing
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Appalachian author Glenda Barrett publishes a new book, The Beauty of Silence, with Kelsay Books
Appalachian author Glenda Barrett has published a book of poetry with Kelsay Books. The Beauty of Silence, is available on amazon. Here is what writers Nancy Simpson, Mary Ricketson, and Janice Townley Moore say about Barrett's book:
In The Beauty of Silence, Glenda Barrett reveals the most authentic Appalachian voice to rise out of the southern mountains in years. “The Gist of the Matter,” invites us in, as she sits at a table with her kinfolks, peeling and eating an apple. The reader listens as this wise family elder recounts the then and now of her mountain heritage. In her poem, “Sorting it Out,” she affirms, “In hindsight, my best lessons were learned not in good times, but in deepest sorrow. I learned pain would not destroy me.” Her hope is to share specific truths. This nugget of wisdom emerges from, “Serenity,” “I’ve learned the comfort and peace found in solitude.” I chose, “The Fork of the River,” as my favorite. “My best lessons have been learned not in chaos, but in places of silence. Like the Cherokee before me, I seek direction in the quietness of the morning."
—Nancy Simpson, author of Across Water, Night Student, and Living Above the Frost Line, New and Selected Poems
Glenda Barrett’s poems reflect a wisdom that grows from a life-long relationship with nature. The gentle flow of a mountain stream, the hardship of ice in winter, and a sudden drought in summer contribute to her perspective. In The Beauty of Silence, Barrett plants seeds for the reader through a garden of strong people, simple ways, and the wisdom of experience. From her grandmother, her ancestors, flowers in a garden, to the trail tree of the Cherokee, she sifts her life to find nuggets of country wisdom. She “stands knee deep in the cool, clear waters of Owl Creek.” A quiet simplicity feeds her, feeds the reader. “Clods of dirt are busted, large rocks rolled aside, tangled vines uprooted, and brambles turned under,” until it’s time to return to my complicated life.” Barrett is a “homegrown girl” who couldn’t leave her roots for long. Her poems provide the reader a wealth of perspective, a wisdom long remembered.
—Mary Ricketson, M. E. Ed., Licensed Professional Counselor, author of I Hear the River Call My Name, and Hanging Dog Creek
In clearly crafted poems, Glenda Barrett connects a literal geography, the North Georgia mountains of her heritage, to a landscape of honest and varied emotions. There is elation in, “I can almost feel the pulse beat of my ancestors who hoed this ground,” balanced with sorrow, “I felt searing pain like deep furrows plowed slowly back and forth across my heart.” As a poet who finds meaning in the ordinary, she often surprises the reader with insights such as, “For the soil to be useful it has to be broken.” Always close to the natural world, her poems reveal that she is a professor of the five senses, as when she describes spring, “Even the red tulips . . . with their mouths wide open seem to be shouting with the rest of creation, 'Hallelujah.'" As seen her lines reflect a triumphant spirit that is certain to be transferred to readers.
—Janice Townley Moore, author of Teaching the Robins
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.
Barrett'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.
Barrett is a member of the North Carolina Writers' Network-West.
Labels:
Glenda Barrett,
poetry,
The Beauty of Silence,
writing
Saturday, June 24, 2017
Marcia Hawley Barnes receives the Georgia Author of the Year Award in Childrens Books, for 2016
Marcia Hawley Barnes, a writer and member of the North Carolina Writers' Network-West, has received the Georgia Author of the Year Award in Childrens Books, for her book Tobijah. Barnes received the award on Saturday, June 3, 2017, at the 53rd Annual Georgia Author of the Year Awards. Her book, Tobijah, placed first in the children's category. There were 126 nominees in 14 categories, and over 230 authors and literary enthusiasts attended the banquet and ceremony. Published by Catch the Spirit of Appalachia, Marcia's heart warming story of friendship was illustrated by Doreyl Ammons Cain. You can find Marcia's book at: CSABookscom.
Tobijah is a delightful story emphasizing that even though many of us are different, we are not alone. The story holds the attention of young readers as Tobijah, a duck, tries to find a friend. This story is well written with the young reader in mind. It teaches through the story that helping and encouraging others can be a rewarding experience. Children can relate to the characters, and the story moves along emerging in a satisfactory outcome. Taking young readers on journey, an exploration of life, it entertains and holds their attention. Tobijah has memorable characters, an engaging plot, and is fun to read.”
Born in Tacoma, Washington, Marcia Hawley Barnes' early life was in sight of the mountains of the Pacific Northwest. She studied liberal arts at the University of Puget Sound, and design at the University of Houston, and received a Bachelor Degree in Fine Art from the University of South Florida. Further studies in Spanish and French languages were at Hillsborough Community College, University of Tampa, Macon State College, and Wesleyan College, Macon, Georgia. In 2014, she earned a Doctor of Christian Theology degree from the International Miracle Institute, Pensacola, Florida. Barnes lives and writes in the North Georgia Mountains.Here is a video that Barnes' son make for her about the book, Tobijah:
Friday, June 23, 2017
Interview with Rosemary Rhodes Royston on Writers Digest by Robert Brewer
Please access this interview with Rosemary Rhodes Royston on Writers Digest by Robert Brewer:
http://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/rosemary-rhodes-royston-poet-interview
Rosemary is a long time member of NCWN and NCWN West and served as Program Coordinator a few years back. She holds an MFA in Writing from Spalding University and is a lecturer at Young Harris College, Georgia.
Royston’s poetry has been published in journals such as The Southern Poetry Review, The Comstock Review, Main Street Rag, Coal Hill Review, FutureCycle, STILL, New Southerner, and Alehouse. She has a chapbook, Splitting the Soil, published by Finishing Line Press.
Her essays on writing poetry are included in Women and Poetry: Tips on Writing, Teaching and Publishing by Successful Women Poets, McFarland. Her poetry has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and she was the recipient of the 2010 Literal Latte Food Verse Award. Most recently, she received Honorable Mention in the George Scarbrough Poetry Contest, Mountain Heritage Literary Festival, along with her short fiction being selected as Honorable Mention in the Porter Fleming Literary Awards, 2012. She blogs at The Luxury of Trees.
Saturday, June 17, 2017
Coffee with the Poets and Writers features writers Staci Lynn Bell and Joan M. Howard on June 21, 2017, 10:30 AM, at the Moss Memorial Library, Hayesville, NC
Coffee with the Poets and
Writers will meet June 21, 2017, 10:30 AM at Moss Memorial Library in Hayesville, NC.
Staci Lynn Bell and Joan Howard will be featured members this month.
Staci Lynn Bell, a Chicago native, has lived in Western North Carolina for
the past 6 years. Having moved many times as a child, her best friends were her
imagination, books and animals. Staci attended University of Wisconsin, Madison
majoring in Communications. She relocated to SW Florida, gaining recognition as
a 25 year radio and television personality and animal advocate. She has
been published in Wild Goose Poetry Review, 234 Journal, Old Mountain Press
Anthologies and in Kakalak 2016. Bell has both a poem and short story in Wolf
Warriors: The National Wolfwatcher Coalition Anthology. Staci is a member of
the NCWN.
Joan M. Howard lives in Hiawassee and in Athens, Georgia. Joan loves to
kayak on Lake Chatuge and take long walks on the Chatuge Dam. She holds a BA
from Indiana University and an MA from the University of Oregon. Her poems
have been widely published in journals and anthologies. She published a
poetry collection recently, Death and Empathy: My Sister Web, which is
in memory of her sister, Webster and her husband Jack.
It has been said that, “Howard’s
poetry will not only make you ache for something or someone lost; it will
stitch together a broken heart.”
The public is invited to attend
Coffee with the Poets and Writers. Everyone is invited to take part in Open Mic
and read a poem or short piece of prose.
This event is sponsored by the
North Carolina Writers’ Network West, a program of the state literary
organization, North Carolina Writers’ Network.
Contact Glenda Beall, 828-389-4441
or glendabeall@msn.com for more
information.
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
NCWN to host their first ever Online Open Mic, Wednesday, June 14, 2017, 7:00 PM
Charles Fiore and Ed Southern have had a "crazy idea" and it involves writers of all genres.
On Wednesday,
June 14, at 7:00 pm, the North Carolina Writers' Network will host our
first-ever Online Open Mic! Registrants will be given
five-minute time slots, and all genres are encouraged (fiction, creative
nonfiction, poetry, hybrid, etc.)
Registration is free,
but is limited to 16 participants, first-come, first served.
"Online Open Mic"
When: Wednesday, June 14, 7:00-8:30 pm, EST
Where: Online (internet or phone connection
required)
Cost: Free
This opportunity is
available to anyone with an internet connection and a working microphone
(and/or webcam) on their computer, or readers can participate over the phone.
Registrants will be
sent log-in instructions no less than 24 hours prior to the Open Mic.
Labels:
live event,
NCWN,
Open mic event,
writing
Monday, June 12, 2017
Poets Karen Paul Holmes and Brenda Kay Ledford to read at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC, on Thursday, June 15, 2017
JOHN C. CAMPBELL FOLK SCHOOL
On
Thursday, June 15, 2017 at 7:00 PM, John Campbell Folk School and North Carolina
Writers' Network-West are sponsoring The
Literary Hour, an hour of poetry and prose reading held at Keith House on
the JCFS campus. This event is held regularly on the third Thursday the month. The
reading is free of charge and the public is invited to attend. Poets Karen Paul
Holmes and Brenda Kay Ledford will be the featured readers, both of which are widely
published poets. This should be an excellent program and presents an exceptional
opportunity to hear these two women read their poems, many of which are
centered on the mountain area.
Karen Paul Holmes was selected for Best Emerging Poets, 2015 (Stay Thirsty
Media), and her full-length poetry collection, Untying the Knot,was
published by Aldrich Press in 2014 (available on Amazon.com). Her poems have
appeared in journals, such as Prairie
Schooner, Poet Lore, Poetry East, and Atlanta Review, and
anthologies such as The Southern Poetry Anthology, Vol 5: Georgia. Holmes
serves as the Towns County Representative for the North Carolina Writers'
Network-West, and is a member of the Georgia Poetry Society.
Formerly the VP-Communications at ING, Holmes now
works as a freelance writer and teaches writing classes at John C. Campbell Folk School, Writers
Circle, and elsewhere. She’s inspired by
the Blue Ridge Mountains, Lake Chatuge, and her home in Hiawassee, GA. Holmes
supports writers through a critique group she started in Atlanta, and the
Writers Night Out she founded/hosts in Blairsville on the second Friday of
every month.
Brenda Kay Ledford is a seventh-generational native of
Clay County. She was an honor graduate of Hayesville High School, earned her
Master of Arts in Education from Western Carolina University, and received a
diploma of highest honors in creative writing from Stratford Career Institute.
Ledford’s work has appeared
in many journals including Our State,
Woman’s World, Country Extra, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Angels on Earth, 30
Old Mountain Press anthologies and Blue
Ridge Parkway Silver Anniversary Edition coffee-table book.
Aldrich Press published her
poetry book, Crepe Roses, that won
the 2015 Paul Green Multimedia Award from North Carolina Society of Historians.
Ledford has received this award nine times for her books, collecting oral
history on Southern Appalachian and on her blogs: http://blueridgepoet.blogspot.com and http://historicalhayesville.blogspot.com.She also won the North Carolina Press Association’s
Journalism Contest Award for her feature on the John C. Campbell Folk School in
1999.
Ledford is listed with A Directory of American Poets and Fiction
Writers, North Carolina Literary Map,
North Carolina Storytelling Guild, and
Who’s Who in America. She has appeared on the “Common Cup,” talk show on
Windstream Communication’s cable television, and also was interviewed on “The
Blue Sky Show” over WJUL/WJRB Radio Station and gives regional poetry readings.
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