Who was there? Coffee with the Poets filled the room

Wednesday was Coffee with the Poets day in Hayesville, NC at Cafe Touche.

Mary Mike Keller, one of the Writers Circle faculty, along with a long time friend, Glenda Barrett, each read their original work for a packed house.

This event is sponsored by Netwest and has been running since 2007. Over the years we enjoyed local poets and writers as well as guests who traveled many miles to read here.

I am excited that two of my students, Nadine Justice and Barb Gabriel read at open mic and their work was evidently appreciated by the warm applause each received.

We gave a door prize yesterday - a copy of The Best of Poetry Hickory, an anthology of poets who read in 2011 at Poetry Hickory held at Taste Full Beans Coffeehouse in Hickory, NC. This event is led by Scott Owens, poet and NCWN rep for that area.

The winner of the book was none other than Nancy Simpson, mentor to many of us and teacher of poetry.


Robert S. King, FutureCycle Press, and Dot James, journalist, writer and poet



Mary Mike Keller reading her poetry and a spooky essay

Glenda Barrett, poetry book, When the Sap Rises, Finishing Line press



Nancy Simpson visits with Carolyn Johnson and Joan Howardl



NC Writers Network Fall Conference - COMING SOON TO ASHEVILLE. Register Now.

"Spread the word, pack your bags, books and poems and come join us." 

POETRY WRITING WORKSHOP

Poetry Writing Here and Now with

Instructor: Nancy Simpson 

(Description)

Poets of today have many choices and much freedom, but it is a misconception to think that as practicing poets we can write with a total abandon of rules. Yes, Free Verse breaks with traditional forms and rhyme is shunned. This workshop will cover and promote a list of specific guidelines that – although not rules – can greatly advance your poetry and make it more publishable. Where to break the line, and how to make your poems sing with sound, will be discussed. We will also talk about how to connect with the reader on a sensory level, on an emotional level, and on an intellectual level. We’ll consider specific free verse forms, especially the lyric poem, and we’ll write one in this workshop.

Nancy Simpson is the author of three poetry collections: Across Water, Night Student, and most recently, Living Above the Frost Line: New and Selected Poems, published in 2010 by Carolina Wren Press. She is also the editor of the recently published anthology Echoes Across the Blue Ridge. Her poems have appeared in the Georgia Review, Prairie Schooner, and other literary magazines, as well as in several anthologies. She holds an MFA from Warren Wilson College and is a recipient of an NC Arts Council fellowship. She is one of the co-founders of North Carolina Writers’ Network – West, the Network chapter for writers in the westernmost counties of the state. 

"A number of our Netwest writers have registered or are planning to register. Please leave a comment if you are planning to attend the conference. We hope to see you there, talk, catch up."

Miami Singer & Hayesville Writer Perfom November 11

A special treat is in store at Writers’ Night Out in Hiawassee this month when classically trained singer Felicia Kurtz and published writer Glenda Beall share their talents with the audience. It’s all at Mountain Perk Coffee House on Friday, November 11. The free event begins at 7 p.m. and also includes an open microphone for those who’d like to read their own poetry or prose.

Kurtz studied voice at the University of Michigan School of Music. Her singing experience ranges from opera to musical theater, including both cabaret and jazz venues. She has performed leading roles in over twenty opera and musical productions in the United States and abroad. Kurtz teaches voice at the New World School of the Arts in Miami and is also a facilitator at the University of Miami Frost School of Music Young Musician’s Camp.

Beall’s writing has appeared in numerous literary magazines, anthologies, online magazines and newspapers. Her poetry book, Now Might As Well Be Then, was published in 2009. A family history, Profiles and Pedigrees: Thomas Charles Council and His Descendants, was published in 1998. Beall runs Writers Circle, a program of writing classes held at her studio in Hayesville, NC. Besides teaching herself, she invites guest teachers for classes in poetry, family history writing, publishing, fiction and non-fiction. She also teaches at John C. Campbell Folk School.

Writers’ Night Out takes place on the second Friday of each month and is open to the public. The event draws approximately 30 people from four counties. Mountain Perk Coffee House is located at 1390 Highway 76 East in Chatuge Harbor Plaza across from Towns County High School. Food, gourmet coffees and other refreshments are available for purchase. Each open microphone reader can sign up at the door and has two minutes to read.

For more information, please contact Karen Holmes at (404) 316-8466 or kpaulholmes@gmail.com, or call Mountain Perk at (706) 896-0504.

MOUNTAIN WOMAN: El Dia de los Muertos, or, in our culture, All Sou...

MOUNTAIN WOMAN: El Dia de los Muertos, or, in our culture, All Sou...: The second day of November is All Souls Day, or in Mexico and Central America, El Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the De...

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MOUNTAIN WOMAN: ALL HALLOWS: These powerful days around the Celtic New Year have always pulled at my soul. Today is All Saints Day or All Hallows. I remember a poem...

Pirene's Fountain Poetry Journal and Scott Owens

Scott Owens who is not a member of Netwest, but is a representative for NCWN, is the subject of an interesting article in Pirene's Fountain. Read it here and learn more about Scott and his poetry.
Scott Owens will be in Hayesville and Hiawassee, GA in May of next year to do a workship at Writers Circle and to read at Writers' Night Out.

December will mark the fourth anniversary of the Netwest Writers blogsite

With some of our members announcing the anniversary of their blog site, I decided to go back and see if I could find the first post I made on the Netwest Writers site.

I had gone to the Fall Conference in November, 2007 in Winston-Salem. There I heard about setting up a free blog instead of a website. Netwest didn't have funds to pay an ongoing service for a website.  I came home and for a few weeks I practiced on setting up the blog hoping I'd not embarrass our members with my amateurish efforts. My hope was that our mountain writers would use this blog to further their opportunities to reach outside the far western part of the state to have their voices heard.
When Nicki Leone set up a new website for NCWN she gave Netwest the chance to be a part of that site. Anyone who goes to http://www.ncwriters.org/ will see where they can click on the Netwest blog.  The following is the first post I made that went out to the public.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007

NCWN announced the new Executive Director

On Saturday at the NCWN Fall Writing and Publishing Conference in Winston-Salem, Ed Southern was introduced as the new Executive Director for NCWN, and he will take office on January 1, 2008. Ed is highly qualified to lead the writers’ network. He presently works with John F. Blair, publisher, as vice president of sales and marketing. He has served on the Board of Trustees of the NCWN since July 2005.

Some of you may know that I “announced” his position prematurely. My mistake. But, even though I haven’t talked with Ed, I feel that he is an excellent choice. We will hear more from him after he takes office. He graduated from Wake Forest University with a Bachelor of Arts, politics, (cum laude) in 1994.

In conversations with Cynthia Barnett, present Executive Director, I learned the network had no particular marketing or public relations personnel. I feel that Ed Southern with his marketing background will increase the visibility of the network and then everyone, not only writers, will know what NCWN can do for them, and he will see that NCWN reaches out to writers and those who need writers anywhere in the state. I look forward to meeting him and making him aware of our NCWN West writers here in the mountains.

Posted by Glenda Council Beall at 6:22 PM

Labels: Cynthia Barnett, Ed Southern, John F. Blair

2 comments:

The Resident Curmudgeon said...

Glenda: Keep up the good work. I am enjoying your postings.



Saturday, December 8, 2007 8:58:00 PM EST

Kay said...

Hi Glenda,

Your blog is great! Your group may enjoy going to this Blogger site, it is extremely helpful!

http://www.problogger.net/archives/2005/12/30/tens-tips-for-writing-a-blog-post/

I liked his ten tips for writing a blog...his whole site is excellent. Kay Lake



Sunday, December 9, 2007 1:53:00 PM EST

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MOUNTAIN WOMAN: MY FIRST MEMORY

MOUNTAIN WOMAN: MY FIRST MEMORY

Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel submission deadline

Pauletta Hansel

Folks, this is a literary magazine, not a construction site, though I guess we could call writing "construction", couldn't we. Pauletta Hansel, a fine mountain poet with a new book out from Wind Publications, is editor.  She asked me to help spread the word.  I hope some members will submit work.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Volume 15: The Mountains Have Come Closer
In 1980, Jim Wayne Miller’s “The Mountains Have Come Closer,” gave voice to one of Appalachian poetry’s lasting personas, “The Brier,” who pondered and preached and opined, much as Jim did, on the tension inherent in being of and from Appalachia in the late twentieth century. As we mark the 15th anniversary of his passing, we invite you to ponder and preach and offer your literary opinion on the ways in which the mountains have come closer, even as, perhaps, we have moved farther, or further, away. Possible permutations might include reflections on ancestry, migration, mountaintop removal, images of Appalachia in pop culture… You also might take this as an opportunity to read or re-read any of Jim Wayne’s books. But we aren't asking for new Brier poems. We ask only for your own exploration of Jim Wayne’s resonating metaphor: maybe, like the Brier, you'll find something you didn't even know you had lost. (Southern Appalachian Writers' Cooperative ------Visit the SAWC Web Site  www.sawc.us)

What to send:
Send a cover letter with your name, address, phone, email address, a short bio (50 words or less), and a list of the titles submitted. Poets, please limit submissions to 5 poems or 10 pages. Prose writers, limit submissions to 5,000 words. Artists, send any 2D art, including black and white drawings, photos, comics, etc., that can be scaled effectively to a digest-sized page. Series formats are welcome. Submissions will not be returned.

Where to send it:
Send electronic submissions to: pmsg.journal@gmail.com
We prefer electronic submissions, but please only send your work pasted directly into the email message or as a Word or PDF attachment. No funky formats, please.

Send regular submissions (include SASE for reply) to:
Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel
c/o Pauletta Hansel
1266 Avon Drive
Cincinnati, OH 45229

Deadline: November 1, 2011

MOUNTAIN WOMAN: PEPPER POT SOUP

MOUNTAIN WOMAN: PEPPER POT SOUP

PAUL GREEN AWARD

Brenda Kay Ledford and Blanche L. Ledford received the 2011 Paul Green Award from North Carolina Society of Historians for their book, SIMPLICITY. The Award's Ceremony was held on Saturday, October 22, 2011, at the Hilton Garden Inn located in Mooresville, NC.

This is the fifth time Brenda Kay Ledford has received the Paul Green Award for her work. She won it for her poetry books: PATCHWORK MEMORIES, SHEWBIRD MOUNTAIN, SACRED FIRE, and for collecting oral history on Velma Beam Moore. www.brendakayledford.com and http://blueridgepoet.blogspot.com.

MOUNTAIN WOMAN: ROOTED

MOUNTAIN WOMAN: ROOTED

MOUNTAIN WOMAN: BLACK LUNG, by R. T. Smith

MOUNTAIN WOMAN: BLACK LUNG, by R. T. Smith

City Lights Coffee with the Poet, October 20th

City Lights Bookstore's ColorFest Artist is Terry Michelsen. Hear her read her poetry at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, October 20th when she'll be featured at our monthly Coffee with the Poet. See her (along with many other visual artists, throughout downtown Sylva) demonstrate her pastel technique on Saturday, Oct. 22nd, 2011, the third annual ColorFest.

The monthly event gathers every third Thursday and is co-sponsored by NetWest.

NCWN-W PICNIC

North Carolina Writers' Network-West held an annual picnic and celebrated their 20th anniversary on Sunday afternoon, October 16, at the Clay County Recreational Park on the banks of beautiful Lake Chatuge in Hayesville, North Carolina. It was indeed a splendid fall day.

Scott Owens signs a copy of his poetry book. He was the featured poet this year at the picnic. Everyone enjoyed his outstanding poetry reading.

Rosemary Royston, program coordinator for NCWN-W, did a great job organizing the picnic. She also introduced the writers who read their work.

Susan Anderson looked super wearing her lovely scarf to the picnic. She shared her excellent poem with those who attended the picnic.

Shirley Uphouse read a heart-warming story about a dog.

Paul Donovan listens to the poetry readings at the picnic.

Nancy Simpson purchased a copy of Scott Owens's poetry book.

Maren Mitchell and her husband attended the picnic. She shared her wonderful work with us.

Linda Smith dressed in fall colors read a great poem at the picnic.

Karen Paul Holmes looked lovely wearing her hat to the picnic. She shared a poem about being in the moment when she attended college.

Judy and Bob Grove. He read a humorous story about his high school teacher.

Janice Moore, English professor at Young Harris College, read an image-filled poem about snow.

Carole Thompson and her husband, Norm. She read a beautiful poem about fall.

Brenda Kay Ledford read her poem, "Art Quilting," at the NCWN-W picnic. She wrote the poem after taking Scott Owens's workshop at the Writers' Circle on October 15.