Tuesday, November 29, 2011

POET AND PUBLISHER FEATURED AT WRITERS’ NIGHT DEC. 9

Writers’ Night Out brings you Robert S. King reading his poetry at Mountain Perk Coffee House in Hiawassee. The free event takes place on Friday, December 9, beginning at 7 p.m. and also includes an open microphone for those who’d like to read their own poetry or prose.

King lives near McCaysville, Georgia. His poems have appeared in hundreds of magazines, including California Quarterly, Chariton Review, Hollins Critic, Kenyon Review, Lullwater Review, Main Street Rag, Midwest Quarterly, Negative Capability, Southern Poetry Review, Spoon River Poetry Review, Visions International, and Writers' Forum. He has published three poetry chapbooks (When Stars Fall Down as Snow, Garland Press 1976; Dream of the Electric Eel, Wolfsong Publications 1982; and The Traveller’s Tale, Whistle Press 1998). His full-length collections are The Hunted River and The Gravedigger’s Roots, both from Shared Roads Press, 2009. He is director of FutureCycle Press, www.futurecycle.org.

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-and-a-half 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.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Have you visited Bill Everett's site?

Thanksgiving seems to get lost in the greed we see on Black Friday. Our most precious days are ruined by the commercialism our country seems to need.


William Everett is a writer and poet and a member of Netwest. I recommend his post on Thanksgiving.
Click here.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

“When words are all that you have” | Mountain Xpress | Asheville, NC

This article in the  Mountain Xpress, Asheville, NC does a great job of reporting on Silas House's talk at the Fall Conference last weekend. Please click on the link below and read more.


“When words are all that you have” Mountain Xpress Asheville, NC

Monday, November 21, 2011

Writers' Conference - Chock Full of Writers in Asheville

Although I didn’t attend even one workshop at this conference, I loved being there with all the writers, poets, publishers, editors and agents. Our  Program Coordinator, Rosemary Royston, had other duties including participating in a panel. My goal was to have our Netwest table to showcase Echoes Across the Blue Ridge, to sell books and to proclaim “We are here! Writers in the mountains have a voice.”

We arrived early and grabbed a great table near the entrance to the Exhibitor Area. Directly in front of us were JC Walkup and Penny Morse with a table for Fresh, their beautiful literary magazine. JC is distributing Echoes in the Waynesville, Asheville and Canton areas. She will be glad to sell a copy or two as she says storing them is a nuisance.

Joan Howard, Netwest poet from Hiawassee, GA and writer, quilter and knitter, Barb Haynes who lives in Murphy and is a Netwest member also, rode with me to Asheville. Great travel companions and good caretakers. Little did they know I’d become ill on Saturday afternoon. I missed all the fun on Saturday evening, the open mike readings and the happy hour gathering as I slept in my room.
I can never thank Joan enough for taking the early hours she logged in at the Netwest table. Bright and early Saturday and Sunday, she welcomed writers, handed out brochures and sold books. Our Netwest members came by to pick up their Netwest stickers to attach to their name tags.
Betty Reed manned the table on Friday evening while I had dinner. Barb also filled in when needed. Others who represented Netwest at the table were Mary Ricketson, Susan Anderson, Pamela Warr, Linda Smith, and Rosemary Royston, Program Coordinator. Many thanks to them from me and Netwest members for being there to help when needed. I feel sure all these writers enjoyed the conference because each time I saw them they had big smiles on their faces.

Networking with other writers is an important part of a writing conference. One lady said to me, “Do you think it would be Okay to ask Rob Neufeld to review my book?”
She saw the Asheville Citizen-Times book columnist across the hall. I told her to go for it.
Novelists and non-fiction writers came to find agents and publishers. Poets hoped to find the best place to submit a poetry book. And everyone wanted to chat about writing with other writers.


But I imagine most were looking to learn something from the accomplished faculty that would stay with them and be the spark to push their writing up a notch.
Because I was tied pretty closely to the Netwest Table when I was at the conference, I was delighted so many folks I know dropped by. One of our first visitors was Scott Owens, poet, editor, teacher, and very nice guy. I especially enjoyed meeting Netwest members who have recently joined or even some who have been members for a long time, but I’ve not encountered before. Betty Reed and Pamela Warr are two of those members I had not met, but learned more about them and their writing. Pamela Warr designed our most recent brochure and the new Netwest logo.

Bill Ramsey was promoting the phenomenal literary event, the Blue Ridge Bookfest at Blue Ridge Community College in Henderson County NC. Just a short time ago the first bookfest was a toddler, and now it is running and jumping. Bill says the college has come on board with the volunteers and can guarantee continuity of this well-attended showcase for authors. Netwest was a supporter of the first bookfest, and we have been there to help in any way we can each year. NCWN is a sponsor, too.

Scott Douglas’s Main Street Rag exhibit seemed to always have writers gathered there. I appreciated Scott coming over to chat. He has been quite successful with his small press and publishes some of the best authors in North Carolina. He told me to check out his site to see the books by other presses that he sells. Wouldn’t it be great if Echoes were listed there?

Kevin Watson from Press 53 and Keith Flynn with the Asheville Poetry Review seemed to be popular in the exhibitor’s center. People were talking about Keith’s interesting poetry presentation. His band also played Saturday night for the banquet. I didn’t hear them from my room on the third floor, but I’m sure they were entertaining.

Our own Netwest founder, Nancy Simpson, held a poetry workshop. I heard many compliments on that session. I'm sure those poets came out of that room wanting Nancy's book, Living Above the Frost Line, which has received awards and nominations for awards this past year.
The keynote speaker, Silas House, blew us all away with his talk. But I’ll write more about that in another post.

Ed Southern held a townhall meeting and updated us on the Network. As Ed said, NCWN is not the staff. NCWN is the members. To truly feel a part of this large writers’ network in our state, I think you should attend at least one Fall Conference. I always leave feeling motivated, energized and enthusiastic about my own writing.

I look forward to the next one -- Fall 2013.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

MOUNTAIN WOMAN: Grave Stone

MOUNTAIN WOMAN: Grave Stone: Primitive gravestone from the 1830's in the Smoky Mountains Grave Stone So that the dead might always be able to...

Thursday, November 10, 2011

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


Sunday, November 6, 2011

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."

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

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...

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

MOUNTAIN WOMAN: ALL HALLOWS

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

Post a Comment

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

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