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.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
TWO GEORGIA POETS WILL READ THEIR POEMS - DO NOT MISS THIS CHANCE TO HEAR ROBERT KIMSEY AND ROBERT S. KING
Celebrate 20 Years at our Annual Picnic!
At our annual picnic, October 16, 2011, 2 pm, NCWN-West or Netwest will celebrate its 20th anniversary! We will be in Hayesville, NC, at the Clay County Park (pavilion by the water). Our featured reader/speaker this year is NC poet, Scott Owens. All those attending should bring a covered dish, chair, and drink (plates, napkins, and silverware will be provided). Our meal will be followed by some brief remarks from myself as Program Coordinator, a reading from Scott Owens, and then open mike. Readings for the open mike session should consist of ONE PAGE of prose or two short poems per person. Time limit is 2.5 minutes. In order to accommodate as many readers as possible, please time your piece before reading.
I will be recognizing all county representatives throughout NCWN-West, and will send out requests for help (tablecloths, book sales table) in the near future. Please spread the word in your area so that as many people as possible can CARPOOL. Also, the public is invited to this picnic, so encourage anyone you know who may be interested in Netwest to attend! Press releases will be sent out to local papers in each county.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
LET'S ALL GO TO THE NCWN FALL CONFERENCE IN ASHEVILLE
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November 18-20
DoubleTree Hotel Asheville-Biltmore
115 Hendersonville Road
Asheville, NC 28803
828-274-1800
When booking at either hotel, use “North Carolina Writers’ Network” for special conference rates.
Our local Irish poet Paul Donovan says he writes poetry as a hobby, but he has published an autobiographical poetry book, Ramblings of an Idiot. He is working on another book and we look forward to seeing what he will offer in this one. Paul is a Reiki Master and teaches spiritual writing classes at Writers Circle. Netwest’s first anthology, Lights in the Mountains, came to fruition because of Paul’s early ideas and suggestions. He began the Cherokee County High Schools Poetry and Essay contest several years ago and continues to be a guiding force in its success. Paul is the featured reader at Coffee with the Poets on Wednesday, September 14 at 10:30 a.m. We meet and enjoy Liz’s coffee and delicious pastries at Café Touche, 82 Main Street in Hayesville, NC.
After Paul’s reading, we will open the floor to anyone who has brought an original poem or short prose piece. If you can’t be there early, you might want to bring a folding chair. Coffee with the Poets is bigger and better than ever in its fifth year. We appreciate all the poets and writers who have supported this event since 2007.
In October, Carole Thompson will be the featured reader.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Poetry in North Carolina - You don't want to miss this
The Poetry Council of NC is keeping quite busy these days, planning for its annual Poetry Day on October 1, 2011 in Salisbury, NC while simultaneously starting up a new cycle of contests whose deadline for entry is November 21.
Poetry Day is a day-long celebration of poetry that will be held this year in the Crystal Peeler Lounge on the campus of Catawba College. Highlights of Poetry Day will include presentation of the 2011 Poetry Council contest winners, readings by those winners, the release of the council’s awards anthology titled Bay Leaves, and a live Poetry Slam competition.
The event is open to anyone, and reservations may be made via the form found on the council’s website: http://www.poetrycouncilofnc.wordpress.com/.
In 2012, the Council is moving Poetry Day from October to April to coincide with National Poetry Month.
To facilitate this transition, the Council’s annual contests have already opened for submission and will close on November 21.
The Council coordinates separate competitions for
Elementary School students
Middle School students, and
High School students, as well as
Adult competitions for free verse, traditional form poetry, light verse, and others.
The Oscar Arnold Young Award is given to the best book of poems by a NC poet each year. Information on entering any of the contests is available on the Council’s website or by calling Ed Cockrell at 919-967-5834.
Entry in the youth contests is free, while most of the other categories have a $5 entry fee. First, second, and third place prizes ranging from $10 to $100 are given in most categories, and up to three honorable mentions are commonly named in each.
All prizewinners and honorable mentions are published in Bay Leaves, and the poets are invited to read their poems at Poetry Day.
In 2012, Poetry Day will be held in Hickory NC, in the new Student Center on the campus of Catawba Valley Community College. (This is much closer to our western writers than Weymouth where it has been held in the past.)
Teachers interested in facilitating their students’ participation in the contests can contact Nancy Posey (nposey@embarqmail.com) for high school students or Michael Beadle (beadlepoet@yahoo.com) for elementary and middle school students.
Scott Owens, is available to visit classrooms in his local area to discuss these contests or coordinate workshops to get students started writing poetry. He can be reached at asowens1@yahoo.com.
In south western NC, contact Glenda Beall for information on the contests.
Information for this post comes from Scott Owens who will be in Hayesville, NC for a workshop at Writers Circle on Saturday, October 15.
Friday, September 9, 2011
WRITE YOUR POEMS IN FREE VERSE FORM - new poetry class with Nancy Simpson
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Writers' Night Out Features Two Poets


On Friday, September 9 at 7 p.m., come hear Karen Paul Holmes and Clarence Newton read their entertaining poetry. Mountain Perk Coffee House in Hiawassee hosts the free event, which also includes an open microphone. Those who’d like to share their own poetry or prose can sign up at the door to read for two minutes each, following the featured readers. Music will be provided by a local musician.
Karen Paul Holmes was scheduled to read at Writers’ Night Out in August but had to cancel due to a death in the family. Audiences instead enjoyed Young Harris poet, Maren O. Mitchell.
Holmes originated Writers’ Night Out in the spring of 2010, and she hosts the event on the second Friday of each month. She’s a freelance business writer who has poetry published or forthcoming in journals such as Poetry East, The Sow’s Ear Poetry Review, Atlanta Review, Main Street Rag, Caesura and Avocet. She has taught a writing class at Young Harris College’s Institute for Continued Learning and will be teaching at John C. Campbell Folk School next summer. Holmes lives in Atlanta and Hiawassee.
Clarence Newton of Hiawassee puts both humor and wisdom into his writings. Once a guest writer for several newspapers, he has turned his love of writing toward poetry. He studied under former Poet Laureate of Georgia Bettie Sellers and poet Nancy Simpson. His work appears in Echoes Across the Blue Ridge. After a long career in aviation, Clarence now finds inspiration in the things of retirement, such as fishing, gardening, and birding.
Mountain Perk Coffee House is located at 1390 Highway 76 East in Chatuge Harbor Plaza across from Towns County High School. Writers’ Night Out is open to the public. Food, gourmet coffees and other refreshments are available for purchase.
For more information, please contact Karen Holmes at (404) 316-8466 or kpaulholmes@gmail.com, or call Mountain Perk at (706) 896-0504.
Learn the Nuts and Bolts of Good Writing
Saturday, September 10 -- 9:00 a.m. - 12:00, lunch break, 1:00 -4:00 pm.
Nuts and bolts of good writing.
Covering basics in writing: passive/active voice, dialogue, metaphors, show not tell.
Important things for anyone wanting to make their words sparkle and be noticed.
Some of the six hour course will be interactive. Bring laptops if you want. Wireless provided.
Instructor: Shirley Uphouse, former Netwest Program Coordinator, Co-editor of the anthology, Lights in the Mountains, author of a memoir, My Friends, My Dogs, and numerous stories in magazines.
Call Shirley Uphouse 828-837-6007 or contact TCCC Continuing Education,
828-837-6810, fee $25.00.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Review of Ron Rash's new poetry book by Gary Carden
Read his excellent review of Ron's new book of poetry, Waking. This review will also be in the Smoky Mountain News this week.
If you live in the area, you will want to know that Ron Rash will appear at City Lights Books to read from this book on Sunday, August 28th, 1:00 p.m.
COFFEE WITH THE POETS Hayesville, August gathering
Joan Howard of Hiawassee and Athens, GA was one of the featured readers.
From Brevard, NC, Susan Lefler, author of a new poetry book, Rendering the Bones,
was also featured.
Bob Grove reading at open mic. He gave me the camera while he read.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
OLD TIME MOUNTAIN MUSIC
Tom Davis, editor and publisher of Old Mountain Press, has just released an anthology. OLD TIME MOUNTAIN MUSIC sets your feet tapping with poetry and prose.
The rustic cover of a sculpture by Stefan Bonitz, represents mountain musicians. The unique cover bids you to celebrate old time mountain music with 53 authors who contributed to this collection.
J.C. Walkup in her story, "It's Not Fair," captures the chords of this anthology:
"I'm living with hope
I'm living for a dream
I see with my heart
I hear, I hear...
Music of the mountains."
You can almost hear the fiddle sawing old-time mountain music in James Gibson's story, "Grandpa's Fiddle." Phil Richardson also tells about a special relationship with Grandpa Ollie and his "tucking the fiddle under his chin and sawing away."
Al Manning's, "A Mountain Virtuoso," writes about a marvelous improvisation, constructed by some musical genius: "It is well known that mountain mocking birds are very precocious."
You'll also hear a blind woman with red hair and cornflower blue eyes, strumming the dulcimer in Barbara Ledford Wright's story, "Marine's Mountain Dulcimer."
Another mountain woman, Ester Arledge," and her long life are described in Celia Miles' poem, "1848-1931."
Shape-note music and singing in a country church are addressed in Blanche L. Ledford's story, "Mt. Pisgah Church."
Notes swoosh-sway over cliff rocks, streams crackle, songs spurt over pebbles, and create a roaring waterfall musical in Patsy Kennedy Lain's lovely verse, "Mountain Melodies."
Beautiful images of nature fill Jerry L. Bradley's poem, "Mountain Music Memory":
"Cool autumn breeze carries
Pine smoke, Lilac and music
Across rolling hills...
Music memory is forever."
Finally, Tom Davis' poem, "Summer in the Smokies," best summarizes this anthology:
"Thunder
Rumbles
Like an old man's hungry stomach
Through the green capped Smokies
Soon
Rain will come
To cool a Summer's lazy afternoon."
To order copies of OLD TIME MOUNTAIN MUSIC, go to: www.OldMountainPress.com.
Brenda Kay Ledford plays a mountain dulcimer. Gordon Parris of Hayesville, NC made the instrument. Ledford's essay, "Mountain Craftsman," profiles Parris in this anthology.
Friday, August 19, 2011
MOUNTAIN WOMAN: Guest Blogger: ELIJAH MORGAN
FOLK SCHOOL READINGS
Glenda Barrett and Bob Grove read their work at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC on Thursday, August 18. This event was sponsored by the North Carolina Writers' Network-West.
These two terrific writers deighted the audience with poetry and prose. A lot of their work was humorous and held everyone's attention. It was an enjoyable literary event.
Glenda is a native of Hiawassee, Georgia. Her artwork is displayed at "Fine Art America." Her poetry chapbook, WHEN THE SAP RISES, was published by Finishing Line Press and available at: www.Amazon.com. Her writing has appeared in many publications including: "Woman's World," "Farm and Ranch Living," "Chicken Soup for the Soul," "Journal of Kentucky Studies," "Mary Ann's Farm Magazine," "Kaleidoscope," and many other journals.
Bob received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Kent State University and his Master of Science in Teaching degree from Florida Atlantic University. He has taught courses in English, journalism, and creative writing. He was formerly at TV program host in West Palm Beach and is a popular guest speaker and reader.
Bob is founder and publisher of "Monitoring Times" magazine, and has published seven books and hundreds of magazine articles. Most recently, he has written a mystery novel, his memoir, a collection of children's stories, and some award-winning poetry.
Both Glenda and Bob gave wonderful readings last evening at the John C. Campbell Folk School. This event is held the third Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Keith House at the Folk School. It is free and open for the public to attend.


