Prepare to Publish Panel Discussion at Moss Library on Saturday, October 19

What : Panel Discussion on Prepare to Publish
When: Saturday, October 19, 2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Where: Moss Library in Hayesville, NC 28904
Who: Glenda Beall will moderate a panel of three authors who will discuss their experiences in self-publishing and in traditional publishing. We will share our mistakes, what we wish we had known, what we learned while publishing, and give our advice to those who want to publish. We will help you avoid scams, find out where to seek publishing advice you can trust. Is there a difference in vanity publishing and self-publishing?

What: Refreshments will be served at break. Audience can talk with authors and purchase autographed books.

And More: Handouts for you to take home will keep links available to you when you get ready to publish. Phone numbers you can call when you need to connect to someone in the writing community.

Thanks to the Moss Library for the use of the room.

Glenda Beall and Michael Diebert at Writers’ Night Out, Oct 11

A favorite local writer and an Atlanta editor:

What more can you ask for?

Oh yeah, an Open Mike too!

Writers’ Night Out
Friday, Oct 11

Brothers Willow Ranch Restaurant, Young Harris, GA
 

Note for this month only:

We’ll meet in the room on the main floor to the right as you enter the front door.

• 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 poetry or prose reader (Please time yourself at home, let's make it fair to everyone. Prose readers can often eliminate some details and still captivate the audience with their piece).

Featured Writers’ Bios:

Glenda Beall, a Georgia native, lives in Hayesville, NC where she is owner of a studio, Writers Circle Around the Table. She also teaches continuing education writing classes at Tri-County Community College. Glenda has been writing since she was a child and credits her sanity—growing up with six brothers and sisters—to her ability to lose herself in penning stories and keeping a journal. She became interested in genealogy and compiled a family history book, Profiles and Pedigrees, Thomas C. Council and His Descendants.

Glenda began publishing poetry in 1996, and her work has appeared in many journals including Wild Goose Poetry Review, Appalachian Heritage, Main Street Rag, and Journal of Kentucky Studies, and in anthologies. Her poetry book, Now Might as Well be Then (Finishing Line Press) is available on Amazon.com. In addition, Glenda’s short stories and personal essays have been published in Muscadine Lines, Dead Mule School of Southern Literature, Echoes Across the Blue Ridge, Living with Loss Magazine, and Reunions Magazine. She is a member of the NC Writers Network and NCWN West, the Georgia Poetry Society, The Byron Herbert Reece Society and the North Carolina Poetry Society.

Michael Diebert is the author of the poetry collection Life Outside the Set (Sweatshoppe, 2013). In addition to his work as editor for The Chattahoochee Review, he teaches writing and literature at Georgia Perimeter College in Atlanta. Recent poems appear in jmww, Dead Mule School of Southern Literature, The Comstock Review, and The Southern Poetry Anthology, Vol 5, Georgia.
 

Originally from Kingsport, Tennessee, Michael underwent a successful bone marrow transplant for leukemia in 1988. He holds degrees from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, and he has been a resident at the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow in northwest Arkansas. In previous guises, he has worked as a technical writer, shoe salesman, and sandwich maker. Michael will teach a workshop called “Looking for the Poetic Line” at Writers Circle in Hayesville on October 12 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, see http://glendacouncilbeall.blogspot.com/

Woman to Woman, by Mary Ricketson

Mary Ricketson, the Cherokee county Netwest Representative, writes a column for the Cherokee Scout newspaper entitled Woman to Woman. Copied below are the contents of her column for the issue of September 25, 2013, important because of its emphasis on helping girls develop their self esteem. Thank you, Mary!

"Last month, on August 26, we celebrated women’s equality day.  We are well versed by now about the gains women have made in the past century, starting with the right to vote, on down to women in leadership and our growth toward equal pay.  Women’s opportunities today are better, even though we have not made it to full equality.

Still, girls’ self esteem and girls’ academic achievement tend to drop during the teen years, starting in middle school.

Low self esteem means someone thinks she is less than her peers, maybe unworthy, un-loveable, even incompetent.  It does not mean it is true, it just feels true.  Eventually this low self esteem type thinking can lead to self defeating behavior.

Teenage girls are very aware of their looks and about what males think of them.  Teen girls who have a poor self concept are more likely than others to engage in behaviors with boys that they will later regret.  They sell themselves short in expectations for education and employment.

Perception is not always accurate.  For instance, 7 out of 10 girls are said to believe they are not as good as their peers.  This is all about how they feel about their appearance, their grades, and their relationships with anybody.  A girl’s self esteem relates less to her actual body weight and more to how she perceives her body.

So, for all the opportunities in today’s life, why do so many girls lag behind? Sometimes it is fear of success.  Other times it is the age-old fear of being smarter than boys.  Always, in our society there is great pressure for girls to look good.  We are surrounded by pictures of good looks that are impossible to achieve.

Girls are great.  Girls are wonderful.  In all shapes and sizes, talents, interests and achievements, girls are individuals with something unique to offer.  Girls who take physical risks are more confident individuals, even if not athletic.  Girls who engage in cooperative activities gain self esteem.  Girls who receive recognition for accomplishments grow self respect.

To counteract the downward spiral of self esteem, let’s help a girl have specific positive experiences.  Help her find an activity she loves, something she can pursue with all her brains and guts.  Let her make choices and decisions for herself whenever possible.  Encourage her to solve issues independently. Allow her to express her own opinions, even disagree.  Respect her.  Let her know you like or love her because of who she is, not simply for how she looks.

Find more at dosomething.org, pbs parents, and dove.us, girls unstoppable.

Credits: Mary Ricketson makes her home in Cherokee county. She is a licensed professional counselor in private practice in Murphy. She has a special interest in women’s issues."

Take Advantage of Opportunities

Every week the NC Writers' Network sends an email to all members that is entitled "Opportunities". These opportunities are a great way to earn money for your writing and to gain recognition. Since we know that we are an organization of great writers, we hope that you will all try one or more of these opportunities. When you win, let us know, and you can be featured on our News blog and the Network's Hat's Off feature. 

Here are some samples of this week's award based opportunities. Note: Most do require a small entry fee:

NEW! MALAHAT REVIEW OPEN SEASON AWARDS
Deadline: November 1
Award: $1,000 CAD (each genre)
Fee: $35 CAD (Canada) / $40 (USA) / $45 USD (Other) (includes 1-yr subscription to Malahat Review)
Enter either three poems (100 lines max. each), one work of short fiction (2,500 words max.), or one work of creative nonfiction (2,500 words max.).

NEW! RASH AWARDS IN FICTION AND POETRY
Deadline: November 15
Award: $500 and publication
Fee: $15
The Broad River Review invites submissions to the 2013 Rash Awards in Fiction and Poetry. We will award $500 to the winner of each contest, as well as publication in the next volume of the Broad River Review, which will appear in Spring 2014. Finalists will also be considered for publication. Wiley Cash will judge the fiction contest, while Joseph Bathanti will judge the poetry contest.

LENA M. SHULL BOOK AWARD
Deadline: November 15
Award: $250, 50 contributor copies, reading, publication
Fee: $25
The Lena M. Shull Book Award is an annual contest for a full-length poetry manuscript written by a resident of North Carolina. The  manuscript must not have been previously published, although individual poems within the collection may have been published elsewhere. The winning manuscript will be published by a NC press. Sponsored by the Poetry Council of NC.

PRESS 53 AWARD FOR SHORT FICTION
Deadline: December 31
Award: $1,000 cash advance, publication, travel
Fee: $30
Press 53 is proud to announce the Press 53 Award for Short Fiction, to be awarded annually to an outstanding, unpublished collection of short stories. This contest is open to any writer, regardless of his or her publication history, provided the manuscript is written in English and the author lives in the United States. The winner of this contest will receive publication, a $1,000 cash advance, travel expenses and lodging for a special reading and book signing party at Press 53 headquarters at the Community Arts Café in downtown Winston-Salem, North Carolina, attendance to the 2014 Press 53/Prime Number Magazine Gathering of Writers, and ten copies of the book; all prizes will be awarded upon publication.

NATURE POETRY COMPETITION 2013
Deadline: September 30
Award: £1,000 / £500 / admission to writing workshop
Fee: £6
As a BirdLife International Partner, RSPB works for birds and nature on an international scale. As well as offering poets the chance to win considerable cash prizes and publication of their poems, the competition will raise money for conservation and poetry. We are working in partnership with leading independent UK poetry magazine, The Rialto, as we feel the magazine will be the perfect place to showcase the winning entries. Please do note the term "Nature Poetry" will be given a wide interpretation by the judge.

Authentic Dialect

Good article in Writer's Digest: How to Give Your Character an Authentic Dialect.

http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/how-to-give-your-character-an-authentic-dialect

Here’s a good rule of thumb for dialect: Do not use the language unless you live the language.


How many times have we seen authors try to write southern dialect when it is obvious they are not from the south and have not lived long enough in the south to know a southern dialect when they hear it?

We who live here know that every state has various dialects. Being from Georgia, I recognize dialects of southwestern Georgia and dialects from north Georgia. Folks in Savannah have their own way of speaking that is different from those other parts of the state. Native Georgia black people speak in a dialect that is different from most white native Georgians.

I think the writer is correct. Do not use the language unless you live the language. Writing dialect is tricky. It can ruin a story when overdone or done incorrectly. 

Author Interview by Glenda Beall

Maren O. Mitchell is the author of a book that will be helpful to anyone who suffers daily with chronic pain, as many of us do. Prescription medicine is one of the biggest causes of death in women, so it is imperative to look for other and better ways to handle pain. We don’t want to become dependent on powerful drugs with side effects that keep us from living a full life. I interviewed Maren about her life and her book.

1     GB:  Maren, your book,  “Beat Chronic Pain, An Insider's Guide - Return to Your Life: Ways toConfront and Relieve Pain Through Avenues Other Than Drugs,” is well-written and full of great ways to deal with pain whether it is arthritis, damaged nerves, back pain or fibromyalgia. I know that over 25 years ago you had a tumor in your spinal cord. After surgery, pain continued and never went away. Tell us what was the first thing you learned about chronic pain and how did you face it?

MM: The first thing I learned about chronic pain is that constant pain interferes with all aspects of life, from concentration on anything—to physical activity. Facing these sudden and big changes was the most difficult and longest fight I have had. The first years were the worst, when I had no idea how to deal with pain, and fell into the habit of useless self-pity. Information on effective methods to reduce pain was not easily found. It took years before I learned of pain-reducers other than drugs, and faced the reality that I am responsible for the quality of my life—no one else is.

2.      

     GB: You are a poet and have included many poems in this book. How has pain affected your poetry?

MM: First, none of the poems in my book were written for the book. Only two, the first—written over 20 years ago, and the last—written a few years ago, specifically refer to pain. I chose all the poems to illustrate and introduce the subjects of the chapters.

Before pain began, from the time I was 18 I’d written poems whenever I wanted to.  After pain started, for many years I was able to write a poem only now and then, and with difficulty.  I thought and felt that I was no longer a poet—that my most loved means of expression was gone.  I began to write prose—children’s stories, journaling and build on my manuscript about dealing with chronic pain. After about 16 years, I joined a poetry critique group. With that support, and my desire to write poems regularly again without being influenced by the fluctuations of my perceptions of pain, I have been able to feel, think and act as a poet—a happy state of being.

3    GB:  I recently taught a class on Healing through Writing and we discussed how many famous writers and poets were inspired to write because of some kind of pain, mental or physical, in their lives. Have you found that your painful experiences, and the pain you continue to endure, deepen your writing?

MM: Yes, pain has changed me. The only good immediate use of pain is to warn of damage or illness in the body. But, the major good side-effect of endless pain is the opportunity to examine the ways we feel, think and act. Self-examination is not pleasant or easy. Change is not easy. During the first few years I found areas of myself I disliked as I tried to deal with my hurting body. The joy was discovering I could change my outlook, my behaviors, and in so doing, regain the control over the quality of my life that I had lost. And yes, my writing has gained from those changes, but not specifically or directly from pain.

4    GB:  I, too, suffer from chronic pain and have used many of the techniques you write about in your book. One that helps me is finding something to do that I enjoy and that takes my mind away from my pain for a time. What works best for you to take your mind off your pain?

MM: I find that living a full day, which includes as many therapies as possible to maintain strength of body and mind, is best for me. I tend to put rest, socializing, and exercise last on that list, as they are the most difficult, but enjoy with no effort: gardening, light therapy, doing what I enjoy, giving to others, music, dance, other species, and laughter.

Biofeedback, guided imagery, and especially self-hypnosis have become automatic to me from use for decades. They are a part of all my waking life. I could have chosen drugs and lived the rest of my life without doing all I wanted to do, live in a fog. Some people do choose drugs of one sort or another, and never live fully again. I discover, as I get older, more and more things I want to do, and continue to be sure that I will never resort to drugs, drugs that would dull my mind.

5   

      GB:  Having a social life, keeping house, enjoying time with your husband, all are important aspects of life that you continue to manage even with the chronic pain. What would you tell someone who suffers like this and has a family to care for?

MM: I’d tell him that if you don’t deal with your own life—your health (mental and physical), your work, your ambitions—then relating to and caring about others will be out of reach.  As far as “housekeeping” goes, every day I have priorities and cleaning is nowhere near the top. I’d suggest that choosing order of importance is essential. When we are healthy and feel good all the time we don’t have to examine priorities as much; but, with energy, concentration, and mobility lessened, we have to let go of what really doesn't matter.

6  

      GB: Your book is highly regarded by some medical people who have read it and two doctors have endorsed it. Has it been hard to get the book into the hands of those people who most need it?

MM: A good and tricky question. As soon as my book was available on Amazon, people who knew of it and wanted to use it bought it. As far as quality of success—it is successful. If my book helps one person re-establish his life, it is worth all the years I took to learn what I know. But, nationally and internationally, the awareness of what my book offers is going to be a continuing effort of self-marketing. I’m not a social media expert, only a beginner. But I do realize the power of the web, and will learn and use all I can.

7   

         GB: Has your own health made it difficult to market your book? If so, in what way?

MM: It takes work to market any book, even those published by the big guys. Self-promotion and marketing are necessities now for all authors. The publishing world has changed from the days of F. Scott Fitzgerald, when advances and pampering were the norm. Print on demand (POD), and self-publishing are increasing, and chain and independent book stores are closing because more people are buying more books through the web. Even the most successful authors hit the road now, using advance money and their own money to promote. Because of my physical limitations I chose to establish my own press and to self-publish. Some years before, I was going the route of seeking to be published. Querying literary agents is one of the steps, and approaching fifty agents is advised. I selected ten. Two agents were interested, one in California and one in NYC. Both eventually turned me down.

Because of my limited stamina I had not planned to sell or market my book personally, only online, as this is more realistic for my physical capacities. My friends and the local communities have been so supportive of my book that gradually I changed my mind, and have been promoting and selling locally at a pace that I can manage.

8  

     GB:What do you want your readers of “Beat Chronic Pain, An Insider’s Guide” to take away from the book?

MM: I hope, and also pray, that what I have learned through two decades can be shared by others who suffer, enabling them to take control of their lives, and shape them as they wish, by accepting and acting on being responsible for their own choices.

GB: Thanks to Maren O. Mitchell, author and poet, for taking time to answer our questions. Be sure to order “Beat Chronic Pain, An Insider’s Guide -  Return to Your Life: Ways to Control and Relieve Pain Through Avenues Other than Drugs,"  www.amazon.com or through Line of Sight Press, http://www.lineofsightpress.com/ .

Glenda C. Beall

Writer and poet, author of Now Might as Well be Then, Finishing Line Press, 2009

www.glendacbeall.com, 

Imitation – the greatest form of flattery

Recently I listened to leaders of three organizations, all similar in their work, discuss their passion for what they do. All three have become successful by helping others. All three said they are not in competition and actually work together when they can.

This brought to mind my own work as teacher, mentor and writer. In recent months I have seen bitter conflict, ugly accusations and even have fallen prey to my own fears from those who imitate what we in NCWN West have accomplished in the past twenty plus years.

Many, many writing events have been held and sponsored by NCWN West including all day conferences from Lake Logan in Haywood County to Blairsville, Georgia. We have held three-hour workshops at the Senior Center in Hayesville, at church fellowship halls, and in the libraries. Netwest has sponsored visits from some of the best writers and poets, all who have added to the success of local writers.

Netwest sponsors four events every month in the Cherokee, Clay and Towns County area. Two counties, Henderson and Transylvania, have begun free open microphone events for writers, set up by Netwest Representatives and sponsored by NCWN West.

I think of the North Carolina Writers Network, our state literary agency, as the parent of all of us and NCWN West (Netwest) as the oldest child. Beginning with Marsha Warren, Nancy Simpson, Kathryn Byer and others, models were set up that served writers in the southwestern part of North Carolina and neighboring states.

Under the umbrella of the state, Netwest organized events for local poets and writers. Although this was not so long ago, it was a time before the Internet and instant messaging. Thank God for the telephone and newspapers.

In the past decade, communication changed and with these changes, our world as we knew it changed. Suddenly writers found other writers in their own towns, in their own neighborhoods, and even around the world. Writing groups began to form such as the Winston-Salem Writers. They began holding events within their region similar to what we had been doing in the mountain area. With the opportunity to go online, create a website, an organization could quickly be born. Some of them last, some don’t.

Because NCWN supports and serves all writers in North Carolina, it doesn’t deny any group and even promotes their events when asked. Small groups of like-minded writers have discovered each other through Facebook, Twitter, and other online systems.

Where do leaders of these groups get their ideas? Often from NCWN and from Netwest. Netwest has been called, in the past, the star of the Network. Ed Southern, Executive Director of NCWN, admits he liked the way Netwest appointed county representatives to reach writers throughout the region. He used that concept when he began appointing regional reps for the Network and found it to be an excellent way to serve members and non-members.

Now it seems we have other imitators setting up in the Netwest region. Again, we should be flattered. It shows we, our leaders in Netwest, have done a great job and continue to do good work in the far western mountains.

Recently a woman in another town told me she was thinking of copying my idea of holding writing classes in my home studio. She needs a chemically free environment as I do, so why shouldn't she?

Our first inclination when we hear of people usurping our ideas, our successful ventures, might be anger. “How could they?” We might resent the way it is done. But on more careful thought, we have to realize that through unity we can reach more people, do more good and be more successful ourselves.

Competition has never come between us in Netwest. As J.C. Walkup said in a recent post on our former website, this group of writers does not compete against each other. Instead we help each other to succeed. In my opinion, it is wrong to bash an organization, or try to undermine it, especially if you are a member. Far better to simply drop out or never join.

Thankfully, the reputation of inclusiveness of NCWN West precedes us throughout the region and the state. We are here to serve writers according to our mission statement. If you haven’t read it, please visit our website: www.ncwriters-west.org and learn all about us. If you live in a far away place, feel free to copy our concept and serve writers in your area.
Imitation is, indeed, the sincerest form of flattery. 

These opinions are those of Glenda C. Beall, former Program Coordinator for NCWN West. She holds writing classes at her home studio. Read more at www.glendacouncilbeall.blogspot.com 

A Novelist Approach to Getting Published: Getting Rid of Trite Phrases

Here's some great advice from one of our members, Pat Meece Davis.
A Novelist Approach to Getting Published: Getting Rid of Trite Phrases: 
Most of the books I've read recently have two phrases I'd like to remove from the English language. One is "...somehow managed..." as in "He somehow managed to get out of the cave." This provides no image for the reader. Compare with "He crawled out of the cave." The reader can visualize a male person on hands and knees making slow progress through a tight space. A simple example but more effective.

The other phrase is "...seen better days..." Whether it's clothes, cars, shoes, houses, or a multitude of other objects that wear, fade, scuff, fall down, or deteriorate, they all end up bearing this generic description. Choose a specific characteristic or two and show what's wrong. "Not only did the fence require a fresh coat of paint, a half-dozen missing rails needed to be replaced."

When you complete a manuscript, use Find/Replace to delete and rewrite these phrases.

Coffee with the Poets and Writers

Wednesday we had a good crowd at Blue Mountain Coffee and Grill for our monthly meeting sponsored by NCWN West. I can hardly believe it was seven years ago that we began Coffee with the Poets at Phillips and Lloyd books on the square in Hayesville, NC.

Here are a few photos from way back then:

Karen Holmes reads. Clarence Newton listens.

Visitors 

This week our featured Netwest member was Lucy Cole Gratton who gave a great reading, mixing up some thought provoking verses with humorous poems.

Besides the regular group, we had four visitors. One was Eva Maiden from California. Her son lives in Blairsville, Georgia so she visits the area from time to time. Eva published a memoir on Create Space about her childhood in Austria during the frightening period of the Second World War.
I’ve heard it is an excellent read.

Eva Maiden

Ten of us stayed for lunch and enjoyed the time to socialize. Put next month’s meeting, second Wednesday, on your calendar now. Carole Thompson, author of Enough, published by FutureCycle Press, will read for us.

Visit the Netwest website, www.ncwriters-west.org for more writing events in the area.

Maren O. Mitchell Featured At Writers' Night Out Sept 13

Come hear Maren Mitchell, prize-winning, nationally published poet and author of Beat Chronic Pain: An Insider’s Guide.

Writers’ Night Out

Friday, Sept 13

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 poetry or prose reader (Please time yourself at home, let's make it fair to everyone. Prose readers can often eliminate some details and still captivate the audience with their piece).

Maren’s Bio:

Maren O. Mitchell’s poems have appeared in Southern Humanities Review, The Classical Outlook, Town Creek Poetry, Appalachian Journal, Red Clay Reader #4, The Arts Journal, The Journal of Kentucky Studies, Wild Goose Poetry Review, and Pirene’s Fountain and elsewhere. Her work is included in The Southern Poetry Anthology, V: Georgia; Sunrise from Blue Thunder; Nurturing Paws; and Echoes Across the Blue Ridge, and is forthcoming in Hotel Amerika. Her nonfiction book is Beat Chronic Pain, An Insider’s Guide (Line of Sight Press, 2012), and is available at the Curiosity Shop bookstore in Murphy, NC, and on Amazon.

Mitchell has taught poetry at Blue Ridge Community College, Flat Rock, NC, and catalogued at the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site. In 2012 she received 1st Place Award for Excellence in Poetry from the Georgia Poetry Society. For over twenty years, across five states, she has taught origami, the Japanese art of paper folding.

A native of North Carolina, in her childhood Mitchell lived in Bordeaux, France, and Kaiserslautern, Germany. After moving throughout the southeast U.S., she now lives with her husband in Young Harris, Georgia.

Venus... the planet

Finally. Clear skies have dared to show themselves after the rainiest and cloudiest summer in years. I almost forgot the sun's warming touch and what it looked like. And the moon and stars? It's been so long, it's like a whole new experience.

But what's that bright star in the west just after dusk? No star at all, it's Venus shining brightly. On September 8th the young crescent moon will be close to Venus and the star Spica. Also on the 8th and 9th another faint 'star' will be close to Venus. This is actually another planet, Saturn, getting close to the end of its viewing season as it starts its leisurely slide behind the sun. The two planets are 3.5 degrees apart. This appears about three fingers in width on your outstretched hand. Check these two out with the wide-field view of binoculars.

Venus is somewhat of an enigma through the telescope, not much to look at because of its cloudy surface, bright and shimmering in the unstable atmosphere close to the horizon. What's interesting, however, is that it goes through phases like the moon and the planet Mercury. Sometimes Venus is a dazzling thin crescent shape and other times nearly full with plenty of variations in between. A green Wratten filter helps steady the telescope view.

Venus is known as the bright morning star as well as the evening star. But you'll never find it overhead... only east in the mornings and west in the evenings. Why is this? Both Venus and Mercury are closer to the sun than we are. We orbit around them and the sun; they can't travel around us so they'll always appear only in the east or west.

If the night is clear check out the glittering jewel Venus, sparkling brightly in the west just after sunset.

By Paul M. Schofield, posted on his Goodreads blog.

Excitement is building for the NCWN Fall Conference

The North Carolina Writers' Network 2013 Fall Conference will be held November 15-17 at the Holiday Inn Resort in Wrightsville Beach. The Resort has reserved rooms with special rates of $99 for a harbor front king, and $119 for an ocean front king. Call the Resort directly at 910-256-2231 for more information.

* * * * * * * * * *

Here are some highlights from recent Network posts about the conference. 

 For the second year in a row, the Network will offer two scholarship opportunities: the Blonnie Bunn Wyche Memorial Scholarship and the Mary Belle Campbell Scholarship. Complete information is available on the NCWN website.

* * * * * * * * * *

For writers of all stripes and experience levels, it's one of the most inspirational weekends of the year. And much of it is made possible by the generosity of sponsors, such as:

• Welcome reception on Friday, sponsored by the Arts Council of Wilmington and New Hanover County.
• Friday evening book-signing and reception, sponsored by Salt magazine.
• Saturday morning "Brilliant at Breakfast" panel discussion, sponsored by Ecotone/Lookout Books.
• Saturday luncheon Veterans Writing Collective reading, sponsored by Al Manning, a member of the NCWN Board of Trustees.
• Saturday faculty readings, sponsored by Bellamy Mansion.
• Sunday morning "Brilliant at Breakfast" panel discussion, sponsored by WHQR 91.3 FM Public Radio.8

* * * * * * * * * *

While the weekend will be full of workshops, panels, readings, and more, attendees have another reason to visit the coast this fall: to experience a bit of Hollywood history. Interested in touring some of the "Hollywood" locations in Wilmington? Book a location tour here. And for a complete list of television shows and movies shot in the Wilmington area, click here.

BRENDA KAY LEDFORD FEATURED AT JOHN C. CAMPBELL FOLK SCHOOL

Brenda Kay Ledford will read from her poetry chapbook, BECKONING, published by Finishing Line Press, at the John C. Campbell Folk School on Thursday, June 27 at 7:00 PM.  This event is sponsored by the North Carolina Writers’ Network West and the public is invited to this free event.

Clay County Native

A native of Clay County, NC, Ledford is a retired educator.  She received her Master of Arts in Education from Western Carolina University and studied Journalism at the University of Tennessee.

          She’s former editor of Tri-County Communicator at Tri-County Community College and previous reporter for the Smoky Mountain Sentinel. She received an award from North Carolina Press Association for her feature on the John C. Campbell Folk School.

         Ledford belongs to North Carolina Writers’ Network, North Carolina Poetry Society, Georgia Poetry Society, and a charter member of the Byron Herbert Reece Society.  She’s listed with A Directory of American Poets and Fiction Writers, North Carolina Literary Map, and Who’s Who in America.

Her work has appeared in many journals including “Lyricist,” “The Broad River Review,” “Pembroke Magazine,” “Asheville Poetry Review,” “Main Street Rag,” “Charlotte Poetry Review,” “Wild Goose Poetry Review,” “Town Creek  Poetry,” “Appalachian Heritage,” “Journal of Kentucky Studies,” “Our State,”  “Byron Herbert Reece Society Website,” and many anthologies.

Awards

Ledford received the Paul Green Award from North Carolina Society of Historians for her three poetry chapbooks and last year for her blog:  http://historicalhayesville.blogspot.com.  She won the 2012 Royce Ray Award from “Aires.”  Her poem, “Velma,” received the Editor’s Choice Award from “Reflections Literary Journal.”  Three of her poems won the 2012 Writers’ Ink Guild’s Poetry Contest and were published in Fields of Earth Anthology.

Her latest poetry chapbook, BECKONING, was endorsed by Glenda Beall, director of Writers Circle, and Robert King, publisher of FutureCycle Press.

Says Beall, “Brenda Kay Ledford’s collection sings with color and harmony.  She lets us take a peek into her world as she shares her Appalachian roots in verse. We relate to the constancy of seasons in nature and in our lives. Digging in the dirt as her mother does each spring preparing her garden, lifts the spirit, and decorating graves of loved ones on Memorial Day perpetuate the love of generations. Throughout the snow, first greening of spring, summer’s roses, autumn’s harvest, and star-studded asters, the images in the book offer the reader the opportunity to feel, see, hear, and taste the beauty as well as the inevitable sadness of life.”

Ledford’s book, BECKONING, is available at the Clay County Chamber of Commerce and online at:  www.finishinglinepress.com and www.amazon.com.

Netwest Writers will be at Festival on the Square Saturday, July 13, Sunday, July 14

Festival on the Square

Date: Saturday and Sunday, July 13,14. 2013

Time: 10:00 AM  ·  Other dates and times

Venue: Downtown Hayesville on the Square, Hayesville, NC

Website: http://festivalnet.com/cgi-bin/subs/subsdb…

Clay County Historical Arts Council is hosting its 34th annual Festival on the Square in historical downtown Hayesville. Over 70 artists and craftsmen display handmade work, musicians play and sing a variety of music, and dance troupes perform for the crowd seated in chairs on the lawn while feasting on delicious barbecue. Come early to the Street Dance on Friday night at 7pm. 3,500 attendees expected. 

We are happy to have poet, Joan Howard, featured this month at Coffee with the Poets, June 12, 10:30 A.M. Blue Mountain Coffee and Grill hosts our group each month which is sponsored by the North Carolina Writers’ Network West. The public is invited.

Joan’s poetry has been published in Lucid Rhythms, Our Pipe Dreams, The Derondera Review, The Road Not Taken:the Journal of Formal Poetry, Victorian Violet Press, The Reach of Song:the 2012 poetry anthology (Georgia Poetry Society), The Lyric the Aurorean, Wild Goose Poetry Review and others.

When Joan is not writing she can be found kayaking, birding, or boating on the beautiful waters of Lake Chatuge.

Joan says, “I find my inspiration for poetry in nature, especially exquisite Lake Chatuge, the mountains of Georgia and North Carolina, and on my walks around Chatuge Dam. I like to sit in my comfortable chair or on a dock, watch the light change and all the theater that is constantly presented to all of us.”

Joan likes to write about her husband, who has passed away, and his many gifts in relation to the natural world around her. “I find him there!”

When Joan was in high school, she had a wonderful English teacher who recommended the book What Happens in Hamlet by John Dover Wilson. She was so amazed by this explanation of Shakespeare's work that, for months, she had a crush on Hamlet!

With her love for nature, it is no wonder that Joan’s favorite poets are Mary Oliver and Robert Frost, but she also enjoys the work of all her wonderful friends here in North Carolina Writers' Network West!

“I love this active, dedicated group and am so very glad to be a member,” Joan Says.

Come out and hear her read and bring one of your poems or a short piece to read at open microphone. We urge everyone to leave at least two dollars tip whether or not you order food. The waitress who works in the room with us is missing out on tips in the dining room, so, please, she needs some compensation. If we don’t support the restaurant, we can’t meet there. We often stay for lunch after, and would love for you to join us. The food is excellent.
Contact Robert S. King. rskingpoet@gmail.com  or Glenda Beall glendabeall@aol.com for more information.