LIARS BENCH, MARCH 28, PERFORMS AT WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY'S MOUNTAIN HERITAGE CENTER

THE LIARS BENCH which has been called “an Appalachian variety show” will kick off its third season with guest appearances by two of Appalachia’s most gifted talents:  Shelia Kay Adams, a seventh generation ballad singer from Madison County and Marvin Cole, noted throughout this region for his depiction of Mark Twain. 

In addition to these two remarkable performers, Gary Carden, the founder of the Liars Bench, intends to introduce a few samples of his latest project, “An Appalachian Bestiary” which is a collection of “whimsical and imaginary critters.”  

Carden notes, “I have about 48 now, and they range from birds that fly backwards to snakes that milk cows.”



Shelia Kay taught school for 17 years before she became a full-time performer. She is the author of two remarkable books:  Come Go Home With Me, which is a collection of community stories from Madison County, and My Old True Love, which is called “a Civil War love story.” Since she is also a gifted storyteller, she has a collection of tales called “Don’t Get Above Your Raising.” 

For more than 40 years, she has been nationally known and sought after by the country’s colleges and universities for her ability to combine exceptional musical skills (banjo) and traditional ballad singing...and, as Daniel Patterson says, “for good reason.  She is North Carolina’s greatest musical treasure.”



Many people in this region have had the pleasure of seeing Marvin Cole do “An Evening With Mark Twain.” Dr. Cole has performed throughout the United States ...especially on Mississippi river boats.  However, Marvin is leaving his trademark “ice cream suit” at home, and he intends to explore new territory.  When asked about his topic for his Liars Bench performance, Marvin said he wanted to perform a “meditation on outhouses.”



The Liars Bench show is scheduled for March 28th at 7:00 in the Mountain Heritage Center at WCU.  Other scheduled performers will include Paul Iarussi (claw hammer guitar) and William Ritter, a Liars Bench regular (and gifted fiddler) who is scheduled to play “The Belled Buzzard.”  
The audience is advised to come early as this will be a popular show.

Gary Carden
gcarden498@aol.com

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/.

JACK PRATHER FEATURES NOTABLE NORTH CAROLINIANS

May Book Events for Netwest member, Jack J. Prather, author of Twelve Notables in Western North Carolina -

2 p.m. Saturday, May 4th, Osher Lifelong Learning Center, Reuter Center, UNCA, with three 'Notable' authors: Joe Epley, Revolutionary War novelist; Dr. Olson Huff, children's books; and Doug Orr, Appalachian music book (2014) with co-author Fiona Ritchie.

 

8:45 a.m. Saturday, May 18th, as an author-presenter and exhibitor at the Fifth Annual Blue Ridge Bookfest,Tech Center, Blue Ridge Community College, Flat Rock, NC.

Jack will be announcing at the Blue Ridge Bookfest the identities of the exemplars who will be featured in his new book of comprehensive condensed biographies tentatively scheduled for release later this year: Seven Notable Women of North Carolina. (Two of the Notables are very well-known and respected within the writing community. The third book in this series will be about 'Young Notables', as he seeks to become a major chronicler of exemplary North Carolinians.

Jack J. Prather
prathergroup@aol.com

COFFEE WITH THE POETS

Brenda Kay Ledford will be featured during "Coffee With the Poets" at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva, NC; 10:30 a.m., on Thursday, March 21, 2013.

She will read from her poetry chapbook, BECKONING, that was released last month by Finishing Line Press.

Her book is available locally at the Clay County Chamber of Commerce; Hayesville, NC; and online:  www.finishinglinepress.com, www.amazon.com.

Coffee With the Poets is sponsored by North Carolina Writers' Network West.

Coffee with the Poets, Another Great Day for Writers

Once again we had a delightful poet featured at Coffee with the Poets Wednesday.
Carol Bjorlie brought her cello and honored us with two pieces played flawlessly. Her new poetry book The Poet Behind the Cello encompasses her love of music and writing. She gave us humor and a serious side as well.Our room at Blue Mountain restaurant filled completely with regular attendees plus four new guests. The waitresses at Blue Mountain took good care of us, serving coffee and sweets before we began.
 
The Poet Behind the Cello is a collection of poems for those who love the sound of words as much as the hum of a cello. In this collection is humor, love in abundance, attentiveness to sound, singing, and gratitude. Carol has been behind the cello since she was ten years old. She began writing when her father died days after her sixteenth birthday.

I appreciate those attending who buy a coffee or drink and leave the nice staff a tip. Eight of us stayed for lunch and had fun socializing. While waiting for our meals we used the time to – guess what? – write.
It looks like Coffee with the Poets has found a good home. Thank you Mary and staff at Blue Mountain.
April is poetry month. Brenda Kay Ledford will be the featured poet. She has another book, Beckoning, www.finishinglinepress.org, which I think is one of her best. I hope to see you there.

Glenda Beall

Should We Just Read or Perform our Poetry?

Yesterday, after the monthly Coffee with the Poets event, I had a conversation with poet Glenda Beall and her sister, Gay, about the lack of “performance poetry” in our neck of the woods. This phrase is not to be confused with “poetry slam” or “rap poetry,” though it may be similar, depending on the one dramatizing the poetry.

In a nutshell, performance means dramatization in which an actor or reciter delivers (not reads) the verse as if on a stage. In fact, sometimes the presentation is physically on stage. In many larger cities, you will find poetry troupes that routinely put on poetry plays in theaters or other suitable venues. Very often, they will even build stage settings and props.

I know the very mention of acting gives stage fright to some folks who have never done anything like this before. It’s true that not everyone is suited to acting out poetry. It’s also my observation that most poets are not very good at reading their own poems, much less dramatizing them. I can name some poets in our area who might pull it off.  I have seen Karen Holmes, for example, perform some of her poems quite well. Years ago I also participated in performance poetry.

Simply having good poetry does not good drama make. Some words just don’t work when staged. Usually the best poems for this purpose are dramatic monologues or narratives. However, a good voice can bring out the drama in other poems we might have considered unsuitable for staged presentation. I would find it interesting to see what our area poets select for performance.

One of the main requirements for performing is energy, which is usually the domain of youth. Some of us old timers can still cut the mustard, though I don’t think I’m one of them anymore. My mouth still works okay, though. Older age does not shut down all the possibilities. Many arts organizations actually pair drama departments or theater companies with poets. In this case the actors perform the poetry, and the poet basically takes an appreciative seat in the audience, perhaps taking a bow at the end along with the actors. I’d like to see this scenario play out in our area. When good poetry is coupled with good dramatic presentation, the results can be magical.

In this article, I’m just trying to identify a need, not to make a proposal. Nevertheless, if anyone has any ideas on resources to make this happen or would like to see the idea pursued further, I would certainly volunteer to help out. I suppose I will know the interest level by the number of comments to this post!

Can Writing Be Taught?

I have spent a lot of time in the past trying to figure out why some very intelligent people cannot write very well, whether we refer to poetry or prose. On the other hand, I’ve met a lot of poorly educated people who shine as wordsmiths.

Obviously, “writing talent” is the first criterion for determining whether one can write effectively. But what does that mean? I’ve met some people who seem to have substantial talent, but they have never learned to harness it in order to write well. I suggest that those folks are the ones who can be taught to write.

What are some of the elements of writing talent? Not necessarily in this order or all-inclusive, I’d say 1. A way with words; 2. A sense of humor and irony; 3. A sense of and skill at using metaphors, including the vision to see connections between unlike things; 4. Enough experience with life to have something to write about; 5. The ability to improve what you’ve already written (revision); and 6. Curiosity.

You may be able to add other elements as well. I think curiosity is most important of all because it is the catalyst for the other elements. Contrary to the popular axiom, curiosity does not kill the cat. It is a vital organ for a writer.

There are many permutations of curiosity (you can fill in any blanks): 1. Interest; 2. Studiousness; 3. Compassion; and 4. The courage and desire to know truth, even if it hurts. In my experience with classes and workshops, and with one-on-one interaction with others who consider themselves writers, I observe that lacking a significant number of these elements and/or permutations renders you ineffective as a writer. I say that if you inherently lack enough of these, you will never be a writer of any note.

Admittedly, some skills can be taught. You can teach someone to make subjects and verbs agree, but these are mechanical devices, not talent. It is true, however, that mastery of the mechanical skills can aid in developing more advanced skills. You may even be able to teach someone how to use metaphors, but I’d say only if that person possesses the appropriate sensitivity (i.e., talent).  To be a writer, there has to be more power under the hood than just a mechanical engine.

I could blame a lot of things on our societal lack of communication skills and growing illiteracy: 1. Terrible and decaying public schools; 2. The greater prevalence of broken homes; 3. The cost of living that favors the rich, in that more and more only they can afford an education. These are largely factors that have impeded our growth, even as writers, but they don’t address the key issue. That is, a writer must possess a certain spirit, perhaps his/her unique spirit, that goes far beyond knowing when to use a comma or a semicolon. The same is true for artists, musicians, or anyone creating what we recognize as art.

Perhaps we could label the list of elements and permutations collectively as “power.” Sometimes the power to write is there, and the owner of that power does not know it. Someone may recognize potential in that person but could not honestly label him/her as a good writer. Maybe that person will never develop further. Or maybe the light will go on. I have seen this happen. Thankfully, it happened to me as well.

Even at a young age, I was always interested in words and exercised that interest at least on an occasional basis until I got out of the Navy and went back to college. I took a creative writing course and quickly discovered that my puny attempts at poetry did not see the world as others saw it. I recognized that I did not know how to communicate through poetry. Thankfully, the professor did not try to dictate how I should write. He did not suggest that I go to an MFA factory. Instead, he gave me a reading list, at the top of which was W. S. Merwin’s Writings to an Unfinished Accompaniment. After reading this book, the light went on. I understood the compactness of poetic language, the subtlety of metaphor, and the unique voice that every worthy poet must eventually develop. This book did not make me a good poet, but it made me want to write and read. It turned on the power switch within me and allowed my skills to develop around that power. I knew then who I was and that I could do it.

So, if the power is already there, one can become a writer. I won’t speculate on the possibility of the power coming in to where it did not exist before. Perhaps such miracles do happen, but you don’t have to wait for a miracle. Instead, read and write long enough to see if the light comes on. The light is an awareness of one’s talents. It’s the knowledge where you feel certain that “I can do this.” It’s also the eagerness to do it, the curiosity that gives a cat new life.

One Man's Profit

Tonight I ventured out after being shut in for a few days of bad weather. Robert S. King, poet and member of NCWN West, was featured at Writers Night Out, a monthly event facilitated by poet, Karen Holmes.

Robert has recently published a poetry collection, One Man’s Profit, and in this book is one of my favorite poems, In Flight, originally published in The Bookends Review. It deals with the way we want to die.

Robert admits that his poetry lends itself to the darker side. Perhaps that is why I find this book appealing. The darker side has shadowed my own life in recent years.

Another of his poems in this book touches me as he writes about land. The poem is Grandmother. She works the land, sees it for how it fills her needs and doesn’t appreciate what the poet sees – the ancient trees, “the tall green grass stalks dancing like soulmates of the wind.” While her roots run deep, his seed is in the wind. Yet she teaches him the important things that make him “one not afraid to get his hands dirty.”

On Mother’s Day lets us see the devastation of his mother’s memory loss, the pain he felt, “I hurt that in the end you did not know me or yourself.” The poet continues with the pain she endured at her death. Anyone who has loved his mother will feel the depth of emotion in this poem.

Senior Moments is one of the poems Robert read tonight. Those of us near his age can relate.
…“I’ve got some sit- around friends,
all with that faraway look in their eyes.
Always nodding, one calls herself Dementia.

Is oblivion better than needles of worry?
Dementia knows, but she’s not saying.
Pain is not my friend, but so far
I can talk him down from the ledge.”

While I am certainly not a poetry critic, I know what I like. I like this book, One Man’s Profit, published by Sweatshoppe Publications. I enjoy the poems more with each reading.

Why should authors participate in book festivals?

At the risk of stating the obvious, if a book is to sell, the author needs to effectively promote it.
The question is how and where to do it. Does one hit the road and make individual appearances at book stores and coffee shops? Even a recognized author may find ten people in the audience and sell only a couple of books.
The disappointed author may have driven many miles and spent money on food and a motel. The host of the book-signing event offers all the usual excuses. "We don't know why people did not show up. We had a poster on the bulletin board for weeks and told lots of people about your coming."

There is an alternative to individual book-signing tours.
An author can participate in a book festival and share the large stage with dozens of other authors? Perhaps a shared stage is better than a tiny, empty one. There is the related opportunity to meet editors, reviewers, publishers and other authors making  it an enriching experience. Writers can attend free presentations on a variety of things like marketing, e-books trends and the effective use of industry professionals.  Mix with and talk to readers to see what they are reading and how they discover what they read. Ask questions that can guide both your writing and the most effective ways you can promote it.
There are about six active book festivals across North Carolina and others in adjacent states.  The closest to those living in western NC is the Blue Ridge Bookfest.

Fifth Annual Blue Ridge Bookfest

Your friends at the 5th annual Blue Ridge Bookfest invite you to attend on May 17 and 18, 2013 in the Technology Building on the Blue Ridge Community College campus in Flat Rock/ Hendersonville, North Carolina. Visit our website www.BlueRidgeBookfest.org and click on "Contact Us" to sign-up for our newsletter. Interested authors can request a table at a future festival by clicking on the drop down menu "Interested In".

Consider coming this year even if you are not exhibiting your latest book. Or you could just stay home and wonder why your books are not selling and why your writing is becoming more a task than a joy. What fun is writing if nobody seems to be reading what you write? Come play in our writer's sandbox; our book festival.


Bill Ramsey

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

Editors, Publishers
Writers checkout check us at
www.mountainwritersnc.com

Table Rock Writers Workshop at Wildacres

Children’s Writing Added to Table Rock Workshop: Piedmont Laureate John Claude Bemis Will Teach

Johnclaudebemis.com

For more information on the Table Rock Writers Workshop, held September 9-13, 2013 at Wildacres Retreat in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, please visit http://tablerockwriters.com.  Classes are small, register early.  All meals and accommodations are included.

Former student Bradley Scheel says, “John is the rare artist who is so passionate about the craft that he is willing to share everything he has on the subject freely and without reserve. Every moment was fun, every class inspirational. No time will be more wisely spent.”

I had the good fortune to attend the Table Rock Writers Workshop last year. My teacher was Darnell Arnault, a wonderful writer. Other excellent instructors are Abigail DeWitt, fiction writer, Joseph Bathanti, poetry, Judy Goldman, memoir and personal essays. The classes are filled with writers who give good feedback. I thoroughly enjoyed my week there.

It is held at Wildacres Retreat, one of my very favorite places. Check it out here.

Macon County Welcomes New Representative

Please extend a welcome to Netwest member Shirley Cole, who has agreed to serve as the Macon County rep for Netwest!  Welcome, Shirley!!  Below is information on the first gathering she will be holding for writers in the Macon County area:

WORDSMITHS  OF  MACON

Macon County,  North  Carolina

WORDS LAY CAGED

 ON VELLUM PAGES

READ THEM;

SPEAK THEM;

RELEASE THEM

INTO YOUR UNIVERSE

Wordsmiths is a gathering of poets, writers, editors,

publishers who reside in  Macon County, North Carolina

to read, speak, critique and assist fellow writers to promote

creative expression and activities for themselves and the

neighborhood of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

 

Meetings will be the first Thursday,every other month

at the writer's cottage of Shirley Marie Cruse Cole

at 81  Great Oak Drive

Franklin, N.C. 28734

6 o'clock

Next meetings

May 2^nd 1013

July4th 2013 Guests invited

September 1^st 2013

November 7^th 2013

Contact; Shirley Marie CruseCole  seventhchild39@hotmail.com

cell:770 403 2225

Writers' Night Out

Yippee! Robert S. King will read from his new poetry book at Writers' Night Out on March 8.

He's a wonderful poet and the former director of FutureCycle Press.

And, as usual, we'll have open mike after the reading Friday night.

Writers' Night Out:

Brothers Willow Ranch Restaurant, Young Harris, GA
upstairs private room, park in back and walk in via the ramp
6:00-7:00 eat dinner or munchies and socialize (come early to order dinner)
7:00-ish announcements and featured reader
Break
7:45-ish Open mike, sign up at door, limit 3 minutes per reader

Coffee with the Poets at Blue Mountain Restaurant

COFFEE WITH THE POETS hosts Asheville poet and cellist CAROL BJORLIE

On Wednesday, March 13th at 10:30 AM, Blue Mountain Restaurant on Alternate US 64, hosts Coffee with the Poets, sponsored by NC Writers’ Network West. Poet and musician Carol Pearce Bjorlie of Asheville, NC, author of The Poet Behind the Cello will be featured. This event is free and open to the public.

The Poet Behind the Cello is a collection of poems for those who love the sound of words as much as the hum of a cello. In this collection is humor, love in abundance, attentiveness to sound, singing, and gratitude. Carol has been behind the cello since she was ten years old. She began writing when her father died days after her sixteenth birthday.

Carol graduated from East Carolina University with a degree in Cello Performance. She has a MFA in Writing from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Carol was a member of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra for twenty-eight years. She was a Teaching Artist at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. Her poetry and essays appear in Water~Stone, The Southern Poetry Review, and Great River Review. Her 2007 chapbook, Winter, is a collection of poems written in response to playing cello on Abbott Northwestern Hospital's Oncology Unit.

A freelance cellist and member of the Asheville Cello Choir, she teaches writing at the North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement at the University of North Carolina in Asheville. Her motto, from a poem title by Lucille Clifton is, "I am not done yet."

The community is invited to enjoy Carol’s playing cello and reading at no charge and everyone is also invited to bring a poem or short prose piece for open mike.

Call Glenda Beall at 828-389-4441 or email: nightwriter0302@yahoo.com for more information.
　
　

What makes a good blog? Hope Clark has the answer,

“Every piece of content you write on a blog has to either solve
a problem or entertain the reader.”  Hope Clark

Hope Clark is someone I greatly admire. Her blogs and her newsletters are food for writers, in my opinion. So when she says a blog must either solve a problem or entertain the reader, I know she is right.

My Writers Circle blog is designed to give writers information about workshops and classes and the writers who teach at my home studio. At times, I throw in a post on the craft or my opinion.

Writing Life Stories has been all over the place since the beginning. It has changed in theme and content, but that is because I have changed since the blog was started in 2007. Many of my readers manage a blog or many blogs on various subjects. I understand that a blog concentrated on a theme like quilting, chicken farming, or single mothers raising kids, that discuss the problems and offer solutions is going to have a large audience. Those blogs require a concentrated schedule and plan I think. That might be too much work for me at this time in my life.

How I became a blogger and Netwest Writers was Born

It was fall of 2007 at a panel discussion at a writers conference that I realized what a blog was and what it could do. A young mother had written a book on stay at home moms working from home and she found out she could sell more of her books on a blog than by going through a New York Publisher. On the panel were three other writers who had found success from writing a blog.

I came home and told my husband I was going to learn how to blog, not for myself, but for the writers and poets in our chapter of NCWN. I had taken the job of Program Coordinator for NCWN West. Nancy Simpson and I had often talked about the problem of getting the voices of mountain writers in our area over the ridges and past the ranges into the rest of the world. I believed a blog was better than a website. A website at that time was static and unchanging. A blog gave us freedom to share new material everyday if we wanted. And the blog was free!

I was scared. After all, I didn't know anything about this new technology. Would our members accept this and use it? Would it do what I hoped it would? Soon I was holding classes on blogging and some of our members, Brenda Kay Ledford, Nancy Simpson, Carol Thompson, and Sam Hoffer began their own sites. What pleased me the most was that all of us were beyond the young stage. We were all over fifty. It wasn’t long before Netwest member and Poet Laureate of North Carolina, Kathryn Stripling Byer created a blog. When she became Program Coordinator for Netwest, she brought readers from everywhere to the Netwest blog.

I have been disappointed that more of our members have not used the Netwest Writers blog. We have a number of authors listed who have the capability to write posts and other members can ask for and get permission to post on the blog. It was created for our members.

I am so thankful, however, that Netwest Writers blog has been successful in promoting our writers and helping them reach across the state and around the world. We have readers from many different countries every day.

Nicki Leone, president of the NCWN Board of Trustees at that time built a website for the state organization and plopped our Netwest blog right on the front page. Since they have thousands of visitors every single day, those visitors saw us here in the mountains, clicked on our blog with little effort and read about our writers and our poets and playwrights. The voices of our writers have indeed reached beyond the mountains.

Where do we go from here?
I hope that other members of Netwest will post articles that appeal to readers. One of our members said the blog had simply become a bulletin board of upcoming events. We need to change that. We need posts that will keep us worthy of exposure on the home page of the NCWN website. We need an administrator who will help keep the blog on the radar of the search engines. Who out there is ready to do that?