Great Gift Item - Laurence Holden's Christmas Book

A book where vision and poetry gather, where sound and sight converse. These paintings and poems share something very important - a concentrated form of paying attention - paying attention to what is! And what is, is both moving and still, both seen and unseen, heard and unheard. The paintings are still, yet move in our minds, thoughts, and feelings. The poems move in our minds, our thoughts, our feelings, and yet they form pooling echoes of the still and eternal present. Paintings and poems - two sides of one coin.


This electronic version includes two additional videos and is developed and adapted by Louis Leon from a handmade limited edition book the artist created and gave for a Christmas gift to friends and family in 2009.

Ten Poems And Eleven Paintings, Christmas 2009 is especially designed for iPad and is available for purchase on iTunes for $4.99: http://goo.gl/BeOKJC.

Poets, What do you think?

This post is from an article by Nancy Simpson, “Writing Free Verse: Some Questions and Answers,” posted on this blog December 17, 2011.

3) QUESTION: Do I have to punctuate?

ANSWER: No. This is your choice. Once in a while, in the literary magazines, I read poems that have no punctuation. However, it is as if the poem were punctuated and then the poet lifted out the punctuation marks. There is no rule, but caution would say, help the reader all you can. If there were a rule regarding punctuation, it would be: Do not lose your reader.

4) QUESTION: What is the rule for line breaks?

ANSWER: There is no rule. Line breaks are completely your responsibility and your choice. Some free verse poets work in unrhymed meter, some count syllables, some spoon feed the reader one thought on one line and the next bite on the next line. There are no rules, but there are a few guidelines.

A.) End the line with a strong word, not a weak word such as a, and, or the.

B.) Be aware of your one-word lines. That one word you want to use will draw attention to itself. It had better be great, for it will provoke questions, and it will slow your reader.

C.) If your line is too wide for a narrow page, it will wrap, and you will lose whatever it was you were trying to accomplish. Editors shun the wide line that wants to wrap.

D.) If there were one rule to line breaks, it would be, work your lines.

Read the entire article here.

What Questions Do You Ask?

We began this blog in 2007. Looking through our Archives tonight, I realize we have many posts that are worth repeating. This one from Maureen Ryan Griffin is one I think our readers will enjoy.

Monday, January 21, 2008
Good Advice From Maureen Ryan Griffin
I asked Maureen Ryan Griffin to guest post today, and she sent me the following:


What Questions Do You Ask? 

As a writer, the questions that you ask matter. Why? For one thing, they are important clues to the context you have for your writing. This context affects, not just the way you feel, but also what you choose to write about, how hard you're willing to work, and how tenaciously you seek publication.

I've had well over a thousand students in my writing classes and workshops, and there's one question I get asked over and over. Want to guess what it is?

The question is some variant of Do I have talent? Sometimes it comes out Is my writing any good? or Do you think I can get published? Regardless, what students are really asking for is a measurement of their innate ability. This is dangerous. And not particularly useful.

Of course, we all want to know, beyond all doubt, that we are brilliant. Of course, some people have more raw talent than others. But think about it-the correlation between talent and success is not particularly high. There are extremely talented writers who never publish a word, for reasons that range from practical to heartbreaking. Conversely, there are moderately talented writers who publish profusely. You've read their books, poems, and/or articles. You've said, "How could this get published? My stuff is so much better!"

I'll tell you how. The writer did what it took to write it and get it out there. Sure, he or she may have had connections, but forging those connections took effort, too. The focus was not on Am I talented? but something more akin to What will it take to get this published? or What's the next step?

Asking Am I talented? keeps the focus on you. And you will be much better served if your focus is on the writing, or on the reader. Remember J.K. Rowling's Dumbledore telling Harry that our choices say more about us than our abilities do? Talent is far less important than commitment.

One of my early successes was the publishing of an article, "Faith Lessons from a Dying Woman," in a Catholic magazine called Saint Anthony Messenger. It was about Lynn Tucker, a woman in my church who died of cancer, leaving behind a family, including a son who, at eight, was only a year older than my daughter. One evening several months after her death, our parish priest, the Father Burke I spoke of earlier, gave my daughter an angel filled with candy that Lynn had made and given him. The circumstances of that evening, coupled with my memories of Lynn's loving generosity, so inspired me that I was determined to share the story.

I'd never written an article like this before. My husband told me later that when he read my first draft, his heart sank because it was so bad. I don't remember how long it took me to prepare that piece for submission. I do remember that I turned to my mentor, Irene Honeycutt, for constructive feedback. And I'll never forget the day I revised and polished it for over four hours, only to have my dedicated word processor (a precursor to the desktop computer) lose every word. Of course I was discouraged. But I didn't let even that stop me. I rewrote the whole thing.

My husband was surprised when Saint Anthony Messenger took my story, but I wasn't. "Faith Lessons from a Dying Woman" made it to publication because the question I was asking was What will it take to get this story in print to show Lynn's family my gratitude? and I was willing to do whatever it took. My context was love and honor, not talent.

Instead of focusing on your talent, or lack thereof, ask questions such as How can I become a better writer? and What's possible for me if I throw my whole heart into my writing? What juicy, fascinating person, place, or thing can I write about? What can I write that will touch, or entertain, or inspire someone else? Your chances for happiness-and success-will multiply.

What questions will you ask?
Keeping in mind that the questions you ask are the foundation of your whole relationship with writing, which will you ask? Choose a question or questions from the paragraph above, or create a question or questions of your own.

From Spinning Words into Gold by Maureen Ryan Griffin

To order a copy, see www.maureenryangriffin.com.

All Open Mic in December for Coffee with the Poets and Writers

Coffee with the Poets and Writers meets Wednesday, Dec. 11, 10:30 a.m. at Blue Mountain Coffee and Grill in Murphy, NC. 

This monthly reading series is sponsored by the North Carolina Writers’ Network West, and is open to interested writers and poets. The community is invited to participate.

Bring a poem or story, holiday theme if you have one. There will not be a featured reader this month. The program will be all Open Mic. Sign in for a chance to win a door prize. We will begin scheduling readers for next year.

Stay for our social time when we pull tables together and have lunch.

This event will not take place in January and February, but will resume in March, 2014. Contact Glenda Beall, Clay County Representative for NCWN West, 828-389-4441 or nightwriter0302@yahoo.com for information.

See some of the writers and poets who participated this year.

Lucy Cole Gratton

Eva Maiden from California

Joan Howard

Paul M. Schofield

Estelle Rice

Don Long

Brenda kay Ledford

Mary Mike Keller

Maren Mitchell

Bob Grove

Re-print of Interview with Ellen Schofield, Program Coordinator for NCWN West

Earlier this year, Rosemary Royston, program coordinator for the past couple of years, resigned due to a heavy workload and family issues. NCWN West was without a leader for a couple of weeks, and then an interim program coordinator was named.

It was chaotic for a while as weeks passed while we waited to see who would be chosen. Some of us wondered about the future of Netwest.

I am here to say that we can all rest well. 

The future of NCWN West is in the good hands of Ellen Schofield, Murphy resident, originally from Big Sky Country, Montana. It has been my pleasure to get to know Ellen in the past few months. I learned more about her when she attended one of my classes at Tri-County Community College.
Her ancestors were brave pioneers who headed out west to make new starts. She writes about her interesting family history and about her travels.

She was gracious to answer questions for the following interview.

Ellen Schofield

GB: Thank you, Ellen, for this opportunity to ask you some questions that will help our members know you better. You have recently been appointed Program Coordinator for the North Carolina Writers’ Network West, the only chapter of NCWN, state literary organization.

A detailed job description was created for this position. When you read this, did you find it challenging in any way?

ES: Yes, I found it challenging because I want to live up to it while serving the entire Netwest area (nine WNC counties, north GA, TN and SC).

GB: Your resume is impressive but you also have letters from former employers who highly praise your abilities. What do you see as your strengths that will enable you to best serve the writers and members of NCWN West?

ES: I feel that my experience with non-profits, including the legalities of being a 501c3 entity, along with my technical writing experience, analytical abilities and attention to detail will allow the writers and members to create their magic while I take care of the more mundane details.

GB: How have you prepared yourself to take over the leadership of Netwest?

ES: I’ve done this by meeting members and familiarizing myself with the entire organization. However, I am still in the process of preparing, and I do hope that the members will bear with me during my learning curve.

GB: Have you set any goals for NCWN West or for yourself as Program Coordinator?

ES: I believe that education is never wasted. That’s why I would like to continue with the successful programs already in place while adding new ones to meet other needs. I’d also like to institute an enjoyable and instructional annual Writers’ Conference for the Netwest region.  

GB: I understand you plan to travel throughout the region, meet members and talk with the Netwest representatives. Why do you think this is important?

ES: Travel was a specific request from Ed Southern, our Executive Director. I'm in total agreement, because I don’t know how I can best serve the membership if I don’t know them and their unique issues. Also, I enjoy travel and meeting new people, especially writers.

GB: What message do you have for the members of NCWN West?

ES: I believe that I have been placed in a position of responsibility and trust, and I want you all to know that I am very sincere in my desire to help all writers spread their wings and fly. I am convinced that each of our members is a valuable gem, and I am really looking forward to getting to know them better. I appreciate the many welcoming comments and emails that I have received, and I look forward to being a part of this very talented group.

In closing, I would like to quote the NC Writers’ Network statement of belief because it articulates in a wonderful way why we are unified in our quest to express ourselves in writing, no matter our genre:

“We believe that writing is necessary both for self-expression and community spirit, that well-written words can connect people across time and distance, and that the deeply satisfying experiences of writing and reading should be available to everyone."

GB: My thanks to Ellen for her candid response to my questions. Look for Ellen at Netwest gatherings, invite her to your writers’ groups, and take the time to get to know her. I think we will see positive growth for NCWN West as we move forward under the leadership of Ellen Schofield.

(This post was previously posted August 2013 on now defunct Netwest website)

Glenda C. Beall is Clay County Representative for NCWN West and former Program Coordinator. She is Owner/Director of Writers Circle, and teaches writing at Tri-County College in Murphy. Her website is: www.glendacbeall.com

A November Poem

November is here again, cold and cloudy. I want to share a poem that was published on Your Daily Poem by Jayne Jaudon Ferrer    - November Trees
When you visit this site, you will see the variety, quality and quantity of poetry Jayne has published on Your Daily Poem. If you want her thousands of readers to see your poetry, submit it to Jayne. You can subscribe and receive her poetry in your Inbox. 

Below is another November poem, a little more somber this time.
  

  November Evening

Sky cradles a sliver of  moon.

Saturn in the West, the only star.

Humpbacked mountains crouch.

Trees point leafless limbs above me.

Cold stings my cheeks, chills fingers

searching for warmth inside my coat. 

The white dog trots ahead

and pokes his nose into bushes

left bare by last week's freeze. Snow will fall

before dawn, dress firs, pines and oaks,

hills and houses in winter's wrapping.

I stop, savor the closing moments of dusk,

loath to go within and face the truth.

Will my brother see another autumn's gold?

Or does Eternity wait like the glistening

days of December, beckoning light

so bright he is drawn forever away?
               --- Glenda Council Beall

LEDFORD RECEIVES PAUL GREEN AWARD

Brenda Kay Ledford received the Paul Green Multimedia Award from North Carolina Society of Historians for her poetry book, BECKONING.

The NCSH held their annual awards ceremony in Hilton Garden Inn at Mooresville, NC on October 19, 2013.

A distinguished panel of judges selected Ledford's book to win the Paul Green Award.

According to the judge's collective comments:  "A trip down memory lane is what one will take while reading this poet's work.  She writes in a free-verse style, quite popular with modern poets.  Subject matter deals with people, places, animals, daily life in the 1940's to the present, with a concentration toward earlier times in Clay County, NC.

"Ledford's book is beautifully produced and the cover 'beckons' one to pick it up and read.  The poetry, words from the soul recalls many old traditions that are being lost to 'progress,' being lost to generations who will learn about them through poetry such as this."

Finishing Line Press in Georgetown, KY published Ledford's book.  It's available at Clay County Chamber of Commerce, John C. Campbell Folk School Craft Shop, Hayesville Centennial Exhibit, FinishingLinePress.com, Amazon.com, and City Lights Bookstore in Sylva, NC.

For more information:  www.ncsocietyofhistorians.org.

NetWest Open House

A good time was had by all at the NetWest Open House on Sunday, November 10, 2013 at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva, NC.

View Full Album

Those in attendance enjoyed greeting each other during social hour while Paul M. Schofield provided background guitar music by the fireplace.

After social hour, the group moved downstairs for the program. Our featured readers, Brent Martin, Catherine Carter and Pamela Duncan, did not disappoint, moving us both to tears and to laughter.

We were also entertained by Angela Faye Martin, who writes both the music and the lyrics for her songs, then sings and plays her guitar in accompaniment.   

During the Open Mic, we heard from Bill Ramsey, who read an excerpt from his book, Now That I Think About It (Reflections of “Billy the Elder), Buffy Queen, who edited and read from Mary Judith Messer's book, Moonshiner's Daughter, Karen Paul Holmes, who read her poem, "In My Car, Scenic Byway, Blue Ridge Mountains", Nadine Justice, who read a poem from her book, I'm a Coal Miner's Daughter...But I Cain't Sang, Paul M. Schofield, who read an excerpt from his book, TROPHY, Staci Lynn Bell, who read her short story, "White Wolf",  Tom Davis, who read "The Truth about Santa and Sex", and Jessie Swink, a student from nearby Western Carolina University, who read selected poems from her works.

Thank you to Christopher Wilcox, store manager, who stayed all day and helped in many ways, and to Bernadette Peters for the delicious food.

And a special thanks to our Jackson county Representatives, Kathryn Stripling  Byer, who organized the Open House and the drawing for the many fun giveaways, and Newton Smith, who was the enthusiastic and charming emcee for the program. 

Henderson County Open Mic

Martha O. Adams reads her work

Congratulations to our Henderson county NetWest Reps, Lana Hendershott and Pat Vestal, who have recently organized an Open Mic in Hendersonville, NC. This no-cost NetWest sponsored event is held at the Henderson County Library, 301 N Washington St, Hendersonville, NC, 28739 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. on the third Monday of the month.

The library, conveniently located in the center of town, has an auditorium, just to the right of the main entrance, with ample seating. Non-messy snacks and drinks, such as bottled water, are allowed into the auditorium. The time of the event was chosen to allow for those who are at work to come to the Open Mic at the end of their work day, before they go home.

It's working well. Lana and Pat report that the event is well attended, and that writers in their area are happy to have this venue for reading their work.

Full details can be found on the NetWest calendar page here. For more information, or to sign up to read your work, please e-mail Lana or Pat at Henderson County Events, opmiclit1@gmail.com.

"Young at Hearts" Luncheon Meeting on November 12

From Wayne Drumheller in Brevard comes this information: 

The November 12th “Young At Hearts” luncheon meeting will feature readings by participants in the “Faith and Heritage” Book Project Writing Series at First Baptist Church.

The book series covers a wide range of interests and writing styles from conversational prose, poetry and historical memoirs. Book subjects include an active 95 year old senior who still farms and drives a tractor, a mission driven volunteer who has a pristine waterfalls in his backyard, a retired SAC Lt. Colonel who designed a model car at age 15, a former Transylvania school teacher who grew up in a Memphis hotel, a former Latin teacher who see God’s wonders in the mountain landscape and an adventurer who traveled, worked and raised her family before returning to Brevard to live on a mountain.

All are sure to delight the monthly gathering in the fellowship hall of First Baptist Church.

Reading participants are Sarah Julen, JoAnn Bryson, Will Dinkins, Molly Tartt, Marianna and Billy Clarke, Kevin Spears, Dot Brooks and Max Shepherd. Other will be invited to share and questions will be invited from those attending.

The “Faith and Heritage” First Baptist Church book project is a collection of Individual short books, 20-99 pages, written by current and former members of the First Baptist Church community. The stories are written in narrative form using notes, poetry, prose, photographs, art illustrations, ink drawings. The finished collection will a collaborative effort that is representative of one’s faith, heritage and cultural link to the church community. The “first” 10-15 books produced will become the “Faith and Heritage Book Collection” to be donated for permanent display in the church library center.

To confirm participation or for more details, contact Wayne Drumheller at email: wd2999@yahoo.com or 828-877-5133.

Writers' Night Out Nov 8

Our last Writers’ Night Out for 2013

features

Katie Chaple & Travis Denton

Two entertaining readers who are university poetry instructors, editors and husband & wife: You’re in for a treat.

Oh yeah, an Open Mike too!

 

Last month, we had a small group of 10 in attendance, so please come this Friday to give these wonderful poets a large and enthusiastic audience as we usually do for Writers' Night Out. November is our last meeting of the year -- we'll resume in March 2014.

Writers’ Night Out
Friday, Nov 8

Brothers Willow Ranch Restaurant, Young Harris, GA
Private Room upstairs (can access by ramp from upper parking lot)

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 Poets' Bios:

Katie Chaple is the author of Pretty Little Rooms (Press 53, August 2011), winner of the 2012 Devil’s Kitchen Reading Award in Poetry through Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. She teaches poetry and writing at the University of West Georgia and edits Terminus Magazine. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in such journals as Antioch Review, Crab Orchard Review, Mead, New South, Passages North, StorySouth, The Rumpus, Washington Square, and others.

Travis Denton is the Associate Director of Poetry @ TECH as well as a McEver Chair in Poetry at Georgia Tech. He is also founding editor of the literary arts publication, Terminus Magazine. His poems have appeared in numerous journals, magazines and anthologies, such as Mead, The Atlanta Review, The Greensboro Review, Washington Square, Forklift, Rattle, Tygerburning, Birmingham Poetry Review, and the Cortland Review. His second collection of poems, When Pianos Fall from the Sky, was published in October 2012 by Marick Press.

Netwest Open House plans completed. Good time is promised.

http://www.kathrynstriplingbyer.com/events.html

Visit the link above to read all about the plans for the Netwest Open House to be held at City Lights Books in Sylva on November 10.

See if you know the people in the photo Kathryn posted.  I look forward to seeing all the writers north of us that I seldom get to see.'

Hope to see you there.

Thanks to the writers in Henderson County for the 2014 Netwest Picnic

It was a good day and lots of fun when we gathered for the Netwest picnic in Hendersonville recently.

photo by Ellen Schofield

 In spite of a slight drizzle most of the afternoon, under the cover of a large pavilion at Jackson Park, the writers, including Jack Prather, Emilee Hines, Susan Snowden, Lana Hendershott, Pat Vestal, Betty Reed, Paul M. Schofield, Susan Lefler, Martha O. Adams, Karen Luke and others enjoyed the array of sandwich fixings purchased from Ingles, which included their cold cuts, artisan breads and condiments, along with chips, fruit and cookies.

When Lana gave a quiz on NCWN and NCWN West, long time members knew most of the answers, but Ellen Schofield, Program Coordinator for NCWN West, and I had the highest scores. Surprised?

A number of books had been donated as prizes and I was delighted to win a copy of Jack Prather's book, Twelve Notables of Western North Carolina. I learned that we can expect another book on notable women. I look forward to reading that one.

My thanks to Lana, Pat, Martha and all the writers who helped with the picnic, and who made me and my guest, Rebecca Gallo, feel so welcome. Once again I was reminded that the writers of NCWN West (Netwest) are some of the nicest and most supportive people I've ever met.

LEDFORD PUBLISHED IN BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY BOOK

Brenda Kay Ledford's poetry, "Holy Ground," and "Full Wolf Moon," were published in the BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY coffee table book.

Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway sponsored this book project to celebrate 25 years of service to the Parkway.  The silver anniversary commemorative edition included photographs, poetry, and prose by 47 writers.

The photography of Dr. Nye Simmons, a physician from Knoxville, TN, was featured.  He photographed the Parkway for 10 years.  This book brought the best images of his portfolio to the pages, paired with selection of the region's leading authors.

According to John Muir, "Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play and pray in, where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul."

For millions of people, the Blue Ridge Parkway is such a place.  The 469-miles, carved across the Blue Ridge Mountains between 1935 and 1987, connects two national parks-Shenandoah in western Virginia and Great Smoky Mountains in western North Carolina.

Today there are 10,000 members of Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway and over 2,000 volunteers.  For more information about Friends, contact:  800-228-PARK (7275), www.BlueRidgeFRIENDS.org.

Netwest Needs Your Pageviews

Dear Netwest Members and Friends of Writers,
Ellen Schofield and I have obtained some advertising on the Netwest website. We need you all to click on www.ncwriters-west.org and view some of our pages such as the News and the Netwest blog, www.netwestwriters.blogspot.com
The more hits we have on our sites, the more our advertiser will want to support us.

I find it quite easy. Just subscribe to our website and our Netwest blog.
Look on the right side of the posts, in the sidebar, and find where you can subscribe by writing in your yahoo or google e-mail. Your e-mail is not given out. It is simply used to mail you any new posts that are entered – one or two a week.

Click on the website, check our membership page and see who is new, click on the news page and the blog page.

NCWN West is your organization and the Program Coordinator and all the Representatives and group facilitators are here to do what we can to improve your writing life.

We have readers from many countries in this world and our sites will translate English into their language so they can read about you and your work. Become an author for the blog and post your own news, your own work that you want to share, your thoughts on writing in general.
Just let Ellen or Glenda Beall know you want to be one of the authors for the blog.