Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Janice Holly Booth - author who travels solo
On my last trip to Wildacres Retreat I met an interesting writer, Janice Holly Booth, at dinner. She told me she had written a book titled Only Pack What You Can Carry, and it was going to be published by National Geographic. She was expecting that day, by mail, her business cards with her book website.
“I’ll give you one when I get them,” she said. Janice was pretty cool, I thought, for someone who had a first book coming out from a major publisher.
The next time I saw her, she was a bit more excited about her new success, but I feel that Janice is one who takes most things in stride. After all, she has dined with a Prince.
She insisted I should travel solo, even though I’m a good bit older that she. Janice said you miss so much when you are traveling with others. I am looking forward to reading her book and learning more about her life and her travels. But more than that, I want to read about her four secrets to a fulfilling life.
In the evenings at Wildacres during The Gathering, writers share some of their work in the lobby of the lodge. Janice did not read from her book, but she had written an essay about writing and publishing her book. It was clever and humorous. She caught everyone’s attention. You can read more of this saga on her blog. Go to
http://www.janicehollybooth.com/ and click on Blog at the top of the page.
Janice told me the book was not only about travel, but what she had learned in her travels. Her amazing adventures that took place all over the world intrigued me. I felt a twinge of envy that I had not had that confidence when I was young – that self assurance that I could do whatever I want.
After meeting Janice last fall, I continued to think about her and her book. I even wrote a post about her for my blog, but never published it. Now, I’ve heard from the author again and I look forward to seeing her at Wildacres in May. I plan to ask her to bring a copy of Only Pack What You Can Carry, signed, of course.
An editorial synopsis from the National Geographic Book Division:
“…this unique book about personal growth through solo travel goes a step beyond Eat, Pray, Love, and Under the Tuscan Sun. Where these well-loved bestsellers help women dream, Booth’s book is just this side of Gonzales’s Deep Survival. A book of depth and wisdom, Only Pack What you Can Carry helps readers act and change their lives through solo travel and by addressing four key concepts: solitude, introspection, courage and commitment. In a lively and confidential tone with page-turning personal anecdotes that range from a week galloping across Ireland “jumping everything in sight” to learning how to master the art of the flying trapeze, she shares her secrets to a fuller life through solo travel with every other ‘average person who has a full time job, doesn’t have enough time to get everything done in a day, and has to make sacrifices and save money in order to travel.’ Through more than a decade of incredible self-challenges, observations, and discoveries she shows how crucial it is to find time alone—whether traveling to the park down the street or ziplining through the Costa Rican rain forest—to bring refreshing and vital dimension—and growth potential— to your life.”
“I’ll give you one when I get them,” she said. Janice was pretty cool, I thought, for someone who had a first book coming out from a major publisher.
The next time I saw her, she was a bit more excited about her new success, but I feel that Janice is one who takes most things in stride. After all, she has dined with a Prince.
She insisted I should travel solo, even though I’m a good bit older that she. Janice said you miss so much when you are traveling with others. I am looking forward to reading her book and learning more about her life and her travels. But more than that, I want to read about her four secrets to a fulfilling life.
In the evenings at Wildacres during The Gathering, writers share some of their work in the lobby of the lodge. Janice did not read from her book, but she had written an essay about writing and publishing her book. It was clever and humorous. She caught everyone’s attention. You can read more of this saga on her blog. Go to
http://www.janicehollybooth.com/ and click on Blog at the top of the page.
Janice told me the book was not only about travel, but what she had learned in her travels. Her amazing adventures that took place all over the world intrigued me. I felt a twinge of envy that I had not had that confidence when I was young – that self assurance that I could do whatever I want.
After meeting Janice last fall, I continued to think about her and her book. I even wrote a post about her for my blog, but never published it. Now, I’ve heard from the author again and I look forward to seeing her at Wildacres in May. I plan to ask her to bring a copy of Only Pack What You Can Carry, signed, of course.
An editorial synopsis from the National Geographic Book Division:
“…this unique book about personal growth through solo travel goes a step beyond Eat, Pray, Love, and Under the Tuscan Sun. Where these well-loved bestsellers help women dream, Booth’s book is just this side of Gonzales’s Deep Survival. A book of depth and wisdom, Only Pack What you Can Carry helps readers act and change their lives through solo travel and by addressing four key concepts: solitude, introspection, courage and commitment. In a lively and confidential tone with page-turning personal anecdotes that range from a week galloping across Ireland “jumping everything in sight” to learning how to master the art of the flying trapeze, she shares her secrets to a fuller life through solo travel with every other ‘average person who has a full time job, doesn’t have enough time to get everything done in a day, and has to make sacrifices and save money in order to travel.’ Through more than a decade of incredible self-challenges, observations, and discoveries she shows how crucial it is to find time alone—whether traveling to the park down the street or ziplining through the Costa Rican rain forest—to bring refreshing and vital dimension—and growth potential— to your life.”
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Macon County Public Library Features WCU Literary Festival Authors
The Franklin Public Library will host three events celebrating the WCU Literary Festival that occurs during the first full week of April. I will be reading and discussing my book Coming to Rest on Sunday afternoon, March 27 at 2:00. Please go to this link to find more information about these events: http://www.fontanalib.org/pdfs/literary-festival-Franklin-2011.pdf.Coming to Rest
1.
The Name
Because she’d not bury
the name with the dead child,
she made her surviving five children
swear they’d pass it on
to the first daughter born to them.
Another name for letting go.
Or holding on.
Another name for home.
2.
Birthday Ghazal
Why this old Persian form for today, of all days?
Why not sonnet or blank verse to help me take hold?
Down to the wire goes the season’s gold,
late this year, so long it took to take hold.
I don’t care that my days tumble down
to the compost pile. I want to look, to take hold.
Seize the day. Carpe Diem, if you like.
Bite down hard on the hook and take hold.
Down the creek float the leavings of what I once was.
Just a girl. Mostly waiting for luck to take hold.
Last night rain kept the roof busy scolding
me, wake up you dumb cluck and take hold.
I’ve already answered my e-mail, my voice
mail, my snail mail. My real work? To take hold.
Kathryn died too young. Age twelve. Now she tolls
in the dust of my name: to come back, to take hold.
3.
Sinking
The aunt I was named after died too young.
She sank at age twelve
into diabetic pneumonia. Then coma,
too pretty a word for her dying. Why cling
to another old form like this no-holds-
barred song for my aunt who died too young
to care about romance? What good is a song
now, to her? Or to me? Maybe I’ve grown too old
for such artifice, as if I’m trapped in a coma
of middle-aged dullness. My tongue
slips on names. But not hers. But why dwell
on her death. So she died, much too young,
not all like an angel who could do no wrong,
not at all blonde & pretty as I had been told.
When she sank into that final coma,
she must have looked ugly. I can’t make this
villanelle sing, no matter what I’ve been told
about Kathryn, who died too young,
years before insulin, of diabetic pneumonia.
4.
Stuck
She smoothes her skirt and squints at me.
I don’t know what to say. Or why she’s come.
The clock’s stopped ticking on the wall. Back home
again, she sees what I see, same old creek
reflecting nothing but a sky where trees
fish with their lines of moss all day. Let’s thumb
a ride to town, she dares. Let’s make the phone lines hum
above these droughty fields. Now that I’m free
I’m getting out of here. She says she wants to hear
the latest gossip, wants to have a little fun.
She tells me everything that hangs around
too long gets stuck. I nod. I don’t dare
ask her why she’s here, this dust I’ve stirred from
sleep. This shell of light. This sullen hologram.
5.
Free
This nameless creek
almost obscured by shade
where she was last seen
by the camera lens
keeps rushing through me
as she hikes her skirt
and stands wanting to be
brave enough to walk
into the current,
sickly girl whose cropped
hair won’t blow
in the summer
wind, too short,
too short, she cries,
coming to rest
in the photograph.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
New Poetry Contest
This year the Byron Herbert Reece Society is having its inaugural poetry contest. The contest is open to those in the following southern Appalachian states: GA, NC, VA, TN, WV, and KY. Byron Herbert Reece Society members, excluding board members, are eligible to participate. There is no theme for the contest, and poets should complete the entry form, send three unpublished poems along with the entry fee of $15 to P.O. Box 811, Young Harris, GA 30582 by May 2, 2011. The final judge is Jim Clark. The winner will receive $300 and will be announced and recognized at the June 4, 2011 annual meeting. For the entry form and details, visit the Society’s website at: http://www.byronherbertreecesociety.org/poetry_contest.htm.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Classes at the Writers Circle
The deadline for registering for Karen Holmes' class on learning techniques to improve your reading before an audience is Tuesday, March 15 midnight - send in your registration fee for one or both classes, or call 828-389-4441 to hold a place. This class is a two parter, but you can take one or both. The first class we learn what we can do to be a better reader or speaker, but the second class is to follow up on what we learned at the first class and see if we have improved. This is a very worth while class for all writers. Even if you feel you are already very good, (and don't we all?) I'm sure you will learn something that improves your reading. I look forward to learning how I can become a better reader and speaker.
One class - $30.00 both classes $50.00 - A big bargain.
Saturday, March 12, we enjoyed a delightful three hours with Estelle Rice, Netwest Member and writer of short stories and poetry, who taught us about the cumulative sentence and how to crack open our sentences to enrich our stories. She is just one of our local writers who is a student of writing, who never stops learning and sharing her knowledge with others.
If you have not been a student at Writers Circle, I hope you will click on www.glendacouncilbeall.blogspot.com and see what is coming up in spring and summer; maybe you will plan to join us in our comfortable and casual atmosphere. We have fun in our classes and hope to see you soon at Writers Circle.
One class - $30.00 both classes $50.00 - A big bargain.
Saturday, March 12, we enjoyed a delightful three hours with Estelle Rice, Netwest Member and writer of short stories and poetry, who taught us about the cumulative sentence and how to crack open our sentences to enrich our stories. She is just one of our local writers who is a student of writing, who never stops learning and sharing her knowledge with others.
If you have not been a student at Writers Circle, I hope you will click on www.glendacouncilbeall.blogspot.com and see what is coming up in spring and summer; maybe you will plan to join us in our comfortable and casual atmosphere. We have fun in our classes and hope to see you soon at Writers Circle.
Friday, March 11, 2011
STILL CELEBRATING ECHOES ACROSS THE BLUE RIDGE
A note to authors who contributed their writing to ECHOES ACROSS THE BLUE RIDGE from your editor, Nancy Simpson
ECHOES ACROSS THE BLUE RIDGE, Stories, Essays and Poems by Writers Living in and Inspired by the Southern Appalachian Mountains is almost one year old. Thanks to Glenda Beall and her market team, the first printing quickly sold out. The anthology was reviewed by Scott Owens and Helen Losse. It is now in its second printing and still selling.
Today the anthology will be presented to members of the Appalachian Studies Association meeting at the University of Eastern Kentucky. Rosemary Royston, NCWN West Program Coordinator, a graduate of the Spalding University MFA Writing Program, was invited to read her scholarly essay, “Echoes Across the Blue Ridge, Echoes of Emerson.”
I’ve had the good fortune to read a copy of Royston’s essay. I must tell you, Rosemary Royston celebrates poetry in the anthology, focuses on four specific poets, and compares specific poems to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay published in 1846, “Transcendentalism.”
Two poems by Glenda Barrett are celebrated and discussed: “Echoes” which inspired the anthology title, and “When the Sap Rises.” Eileen Lampe’s poem “Dancer” is said to be “written in the vein of Dylan Thomas.” “I Hear the River Call My Name” by Mary Ricketson and “ Progress” by Brenda Kay Ledford are celebrated and favorably discussed in Royston’s essay.
Fellow authors, today around four o’clock, if your ears begin to burn, it may be because scholars are talking about our anthology. Get your copy out and read along.
Rosemary Royston lives in northeast Georgia. Her poetry has been published in The Comstock Review, Main Street Rag, Mom Writer’s Literary Magazine, Public Republic, and Dark Sky Magazine. Her chapbook was a finalist in the 2009 Jessie Bryce Niles chapbook contest, and she was the 2004 recipient of first and third place in poetry, Porter Fleming Literary Awards. Her poem-- Igneous or "Of Fire" won the 2010 Literal Latte Food Verse Contest. Rosemary Royston holds an MFA in Writing from Spalding University. She is Vice President for Planning and Assessment and Chief of Staff at Young Harris College. She teaches creative writing at Institute for Continuing Learning and will teach in 2011 at John C. Campbell Folk School and in the Writing Program at YHC.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Blue Ridge Writers' Conference - Blue Ridge, Georgia
MARK THIS DATE ON YOUR CALENDAR NOW! April 1 and 2
You don't want to miss the Blue Ridge Writers Conference in its fourteenth year.
The Blue Ridge Writers’ Conference is back for its 14th year, featuring literary agent Sally McMillan as keynote and speakers Robert Brewer, editor of Writers’ Market, Scott Owens, editor of Wild Goose Poetry Review, Jennifer Jabaley, 2010 Georgia Author of the Year in the YA category, and Hope Clark, editor of Funds for Writers website.
April 1 and 2, 2011. Please note a location change – this year the conference will be at the Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Association in downtown Blue Ridge, Georgia.
For more information call 706-632-2144.
If you haven't attended this conference in the past, April 1 is the Friday night reception. Saturday, April 2, is the all day conference with workshops, etc. If you want to learn about publishing, this conference should be on your list of events for 2011.
You don't want to miss the Blue Ridge Writers Conference in its fourteenth year.
The Blue Ridge Writers’ Conference is back for its 14th year, featuring literary agent Sally McMillan as keynote and speakers Robert Brewer, editor of Writers’ Market, Scott Owens, editor of Wild Goose Poetry Review, Jennifer Jabaley, 2010 Georgia Author of the Year in the YA category, and Hope Clark, editor of Funds for Writers website.
April 1 and 2, 2011. Please note a location change – this year the conference will be at the Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Association in downtown Blue Ridge, Georgia.
For more information call 706-632-2144.
If you haven't attended this conference in the past, April 1 is the Friday night reception. Saturday, April 2, is the all day conference with workshops, etc. If you want to learn about publishing, this conference should be on your list of events for 2011.
Writers' Night Out and Janice Moore
WRITERS’ NIGHT OUT FEATURES JANICE MOORE, MARCH 18
--Karen Paul Holmes
Come, be part of Writers’ Night Out. This month, award-winning poet and Young Harris College associate professor of English, Janice Townley Moore, will read her poetry. The March 18 event at Green To Bean Coffee House in Hiawassee begins at 7 p.m. Those who’d like to share their own poetry or fiction can participate in the Open Microphone portion of the program, which follows the featured reader.
A native of Atlanta, Janice Townley Moore has lived in Hayesville, North Carolina, for many years. Her poems have appeared in such journals as The Georgia Review, Prairie Schooner, Shenandoah, Connecticut Review, Southern Poetry Review, The Journal of the American Medical Association, and numerous others. Among the anthologies that include her poetry are The Bedford Introduction to Literature, Echoes Across the Blue Ridge, and The Southern Poetry Anthology: Contemporary Appalachia. In 2009 she won first place in poetry in the Press 53 Open Awards, an international contest. Last year she won first place in the Georgia Poetry Society competition.
Moore serves as the facilitator of a poetry critique group, meeting monthly at Tri-County Community College and sponsored by the North Carolina Writers’ Network.
Writers’ Night Out, usually on the second Friday of the month at 7 p.m., has been changed to the third Fridays in March and April. Beginning on May 13, Writers’ Night Out will resume its normal schedule on the second Friday of each month. Green To Bean Coffee House is located at 538 Bell Creek Road in Hiawassee, next to the Humane Society Thrift Shop and across from McDonald’s. Come early to get a seat: The February event had standing-room only. The evening is free and open to the public. Light snacks and refreshments, including coffees from freshly roasted beans, are available for purchase. Those interested in reading at the Open Mic may sign up at the event. Each writer will have three minutes to read.
For more information, please contact Karen Holmes at (404) 316-8466 or kpaulholmes@gmail.com, or call Green To Bean at (706) 896-4524.
--Karen Paul Holmes
Come, be part of Writers’ Night Out. This month, award-winning poet and Young Harris College associate professor of English, Janice Townley Moore, will read her poetry. The March 18 event at Green To Bean Coffee House in Hiawassee begins at 7 p.m. Those who’d like to share their own poetry or fiction can participate in the Open Microphone portion of the program, which follows the featured reader.
A native of Atlanta, Janice Townley Moore has lived in Hayesville, North Carolina, for many years. Her poems have appeared in such journals as The Georgia Review, Prairie Schooner, Shenandoah, Connecticut Review, Southern Poetry Review, The Journal of the American Medical Association, and numerous others. Among the anthologies that include her poetry are The Bedford Introduction to Literature, Echoes Across the Blue Ridge, and The Southern Poetry Anthology: Contemporary Appalachia. In 2009 she won first place in poetry in the Press 53 Open Awards, an international contest. Last year she won first place in the Georgia Poetry Society competition.
Moore serves as the facilitator of a poetry critique group, meeting monthly at Tri-County Community College and sponsored by the North Carolina Writers’ Network.
Writers’ Night Out, usually on the second Friday of the month at 7 p.m., has been changed to the third Fridays in March and April. Beginning on May 13, Writers’ Night Out will resume its normal schedule on the second Friday of each month. Green To Bean Coffee House is located at 538 Bell Creek Road in Hiawassee, next to the Humane Society Thrift Shop and across from McDonald’s. Come early to get a seat: The February event had standing-room only. The evening is free and open to the public. Light snacks and refreshments, including coffees from freshly roasted beans, are available for purchase. Those interested in reading at the Open Mic may sign up at the event. Each writer will have three minutes to read.
For more information, please contact Karen Holmes at (404) 316-8466 or kpaulholmes@gmail.com, or call Green To Bean at (706) 896-4524.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
NCWN-West to be Represented at Appalachian Studies Association Conference
-Rosemary Royston
Greetings! I'm pleased to say that the NCWN-West will have a presence at the Appalachian Studies Association Conference which is being held at Eastern Kentucky University (March 11-13, 2011). Your program director (myself) will be presenting a paper entitled, Echoes Across the Blue Ridge, Echoes of Emerson. My paper examines the poetry of the following included in our anthology: Glenda Barrett, Mary Ricketson, Eileen Lampe, and Brenda Kay Ledford. The works of these poets echo the Transcendentalist, Ralph Waldo Emerson -- especially in regard to his 1846 essay, "Nature." In short, these poets and Emerson see nature as not a separate entity, but as part of the self. Nature heals, nature informs, and nature is to be revered, not destroyed. If you would like to read my paper, shoot me an email at rosemary28rr@gmail.com and I will send you a copy. I will be taking copies of the anthology with me.
In the meantime, happy writing!
Greetings! I'm pleased to say that the NCWN-West will have a presence at the Appalachian Studies Association Conference which is being held at Eastern Kentucky University (March 11-13, 2011). Your program director (myself) will be presenting a paper entitled, Echoes Across the Blue Ridge, Echoes of Emerson. My paper examines the poetry of the following included in our anthology: Glenda Barrett, Mary Ricketson, Eileen Lampe, and Brenda Kay Ledford. The works of these poets echo the Transcendentalist, Ralph Waldo Emerson -- especially in regard to his 1846 essay, "Nature." In short, these poets and Emerson see nature as not a separate entity, but as part of the self. Nature heals, nature informs, and nature is to be revered, not destroyed. If you would like to read my paper, shoot me an email at rosemary28rr@gmail.com and I will send you a copy. I will be taking copies of the anthology with me.
In the meantime, happy writing!
A MESSAGE FROM NC POET AND WRITING INSTRUCTOR NANCY SIMPSON
Hello Fellow Writers and Students of Poetry Writing,
It’s becoming one of my busiest teaching years for me after all. Choose a class, or at least please pass the info on to others who may be interested.
Thank you, Nancy Simpson
(1) Write Poems Your Reader Can "See"
at John C. Campbell Folk School. This probably will be my last week long poetry class at the folk school. It is intense for sure. If you can afford to give yourself a week for writing and organizing your poetry, this is the class most likely to change your writing life.
Tuition: $546.00 (half price for local students)
Pre register now. (828)837-2775 or 1-800 FOLK-SCH
(Class description)
Write Poems Your Reader Can "See"
Time to stop asking your reader to play a guessing game. Learn to put your poem on the page so that the reader gets the picture and says, "Yes, I see." Instruction covers how to encapsulate truth, emotion, and music in poems. Learn the two rules of poetry that cannot be omitted - not even in writing free-verse. Share your work and get helpful feedback; we'll also discuss publication. All levels welcome.
(Nancy Simpson with former student Monica Henson)
Note: This class only. TO MY FORMER POETRY STUDENTS, I’m OFFERING YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH MY GUIDENCE DURING THE WEEK ASSEMBLING YOUR POETRY MANUSCRIPT.
Note: This class only. TO MY FORMER POETRY STUDENTS, I’m OFFERING YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH MY GUIDENCE DURING THE WEEK ASSEMBLING YOUR POETRY MANUSCRIPT.
(2) POETRY WRITING WORKSHOP
Beginning May 9th, 2011.
Beginning May 9th, 2011.
INSTITUTE FOR CONTINUING LEARNING AT YOUNG HARRIS COLLEGE
(Description) Workshop method
The focus will be on your poems. If you are a practicing poet and want to share your writing with other poets and get constructive comments, sign up. Each week you will bring copies of one of your poems to be read and discussed. There will be instruction as we discuss your writing but no lecture. We will talk about the publication process. A list of markets will be given. Poetry Writing Workshop will meet at Young Harris College, Institute for Continuing Learning 1:00-3:00 four weeks, for two hours each meeting. May 9, May 16, May 23, June 6 (no class on Memorial Day.) Fee. $13.00
(3) A FREE POETRY WRITING WORKSHOP
You are Invited to the second annual Blue Ridge Bookfest featuring forty authors. When is the event? Friday May 20 and Saturday June 21 , 2011.
POETRY WRITING WORKSHOP WILL BE TAUGHT BY POET NANCY SIMPSON
at 1:00 - 3:00 Friday May 20, 2011.
Other workshops and events will be held also.
Where is it held in East Flat Rock near Hendersonville, NC just off I-26 on the campus of our hosts, Blue Ridge Community College. The space is abundant as is the parking. Map-It on website. www.BlueRidgeBookfest.org WS(see
More info on classes taught by Nancy Simpson in fall, 2011 will be announced. One to one coaching will be available. Stay tuned.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Coffee with the Poets and Estelle Rice
Coffee with the Poets
--Glenda Beall
As spring begins, so does our new season for Coffee with the Poets at Phillips and Lloyd Bookstore on the square in historical Hayesville, NC. Come and enjoy a couple of hours with writers and poets, eat some goodies and have coffee or tea, and read your own original poem at open mic.
Members of Netwest will want to come and hear our dear friend and long time member, Estelle Rice, read her poetry. Estelle has been home-bound for a long time with an ailing husband, so we don't have the opportunity to hear her beautiful work very often. Hope to see you all there on Wednesday.
Estelle Darrow Rice, writer and poet from Marble, NC is the featured reader at Coffee with the Poets at Phillips and Lloyd Books in Hayesville, NC Wednesday, March 9, 10:30 AM. Rice is the author of a book of spiritual poetry, Quiet Times, available at Phillips and Lloyd books and from the author. The book is in its second printing.
The anthologies, Lights in the Mountains and Echoes across the Blue Ridge included work by Estelle Rice. Her short stories have been published in a number of magazines and journals. She says she writes light and often humorous fiction, but her poems contain more serious insight and meditations on life.
The public is welcome to this reading and there is no charge except for coffee and delicacies from Crumpett’s Dessertery offered at each gathering. Anyone who wants to bring an original poem is invited to sign up and read during the open microphone period.
The purpose of this event is to support poets and writers, to give them a forum to express themselves in verse, and to provide a pleasant and comfortable place to meet and share with others. It is also for anyone who enjoys poetry and wants to come and listen.
Coffee with the Poets is sponsored by NC Writers Network West. www.netwestwriters.blogspot.com.
Contact Glenda Beall, glendabeall@msn.com for more information.
--Glenda Beall
As spring begins, so does our new season for Coffee with the Poets at Phillips and Lloyd Bookstore on the square in historical Hayesville, NC. Come and enjoy a couple of hours with writers and poets, eat some goodies and have coffee or tea, and read your own original poem at open mic.
Members of Netwest will want to come and hear our dear friend and long time member, Estelle Rice, read her poetry. Estelle has been home-bound for a long time with an ailing husband, so we don't have the opportunity to hear her beautiful work very often. Hope to see you all there on Wednesday.
Estelle Darrow Rice, writer and poet from Marble, NC is the featured reader at Coffee with the Poets at Phillips and Lloyd Books in Hayesville, NC Wednesday, March 9, 10:30 AM. Rice is the author of a book of spiritual poetry, Quiet Times, available at Phillips and Lloyd books and from the author. The book is in its second printing.
The anthologies, Lights in the Mountains and Echoes across the Blue Ridge included work by Estelle Rice. Her short stories have been published in a number of magazines and journals. She says she writes light and often humorous fiction, but her poems contain more serious insight and meditations on life.
The public is welcome to this reading and there is no charge except for coffee and delicacies from Crumpett’s Dessertery offered at each gathering. Anyone who wants to bring an original poem is invited to sign up and read during the open microphone period.
The purpose of this event is to support poets and writers, to give them a forum to express themselves in verse, and to provide a pleasant and comfortable place to meet and share with others. It is also for anyone who enjoys poetry and wants to come and listen.
Coffee with the Poets is sponsored by NC Writers Network West. www.netwestwriters.blogspot.com.
Contact Glenda Beall, glendabeall@msn.com for more information.
Writers' Night Out
NEW DATES FOR WRITERS’ NIGHT OUT: March 18 and April 15--Karen Holmes
March 1, 2011 – Writers’ Night Out is becoming the place to be on a Friday night in Hiawassee! In February, 31 people filled Green To Bean Coffee House for fun, literature and music. Normally on the second Friday of the month, Writers’ Night Out will take place on the third Fridays in March and April at 7 p.m.
On March 18, the program features Janice Townley Moore, award-winning poet and Young Harris College professor. The April 15 event features prose writer, Ron Salzer of Hayesville, NC. Beginning on May 13, Writers’ Night Out will resume on the second Friday of each month.
Those who’d like to share their own poetry or fiction can participate in the Open Microphone portion of the program, which follows the featured writer’s presentation. Those interested in reading at the Open Mic may sign up at the event. Each writer will have three minutes to read.
Writers’ Night Out takes place at Green To Bean Coffee House at 538 Bell Creek Road in Hiawassee, next to the Humane Society Thrift Shop and across from McDonald’s. Come early to get a seat: The February event had standing-room only. The evening is free and open to the public. Light snacks and refreshments, including coffees from freshly roasted beans, are available for purchase.
For more information, please contact Karen Holmes at (404) 316-8466 or kpaulholmes@gmail.com, or call Green To Bean at (706) 896-4524.
# # #
March 1, 2011 – Writers’ Night Out is becoming the place to be on a Friday night in Hiawassee! In February, 31 people filled Green To Bean Coffee House for fun, literature and music. Normally on the second Friday of the month, Writers’ Night Out will take place on the third Fridays in March and April at 7 p.m.
On March 18, the program features Janice Townley Moore, award-winning poet and Young Harris College professor. The April 15 event features prose writer, Ron Salzer of Hayesville, NC. Beginning on May 13, Writers’ Night Out will resume on the second Friday of each month.
Those who’d like to share their own poetry or fiction can participate in the Open Microphone portion of the program, which follows the featured writer’s presentation. Those interested in reading at the Open Mic may sign up at the event. Each writer will have three minutes to read.
Writers’ Night Out takes place at Green To Bean Coffee House at 538 Bell Creek Road in Hiawassee, next to the Humane Society Thrift Shop and across from McDonald’s. Come early to get a seat: The February event had standing-room only. The evening is free and open to the public. Light snacks and refreshments, including coffees from freshly roasted beans, are available for purchase.
For more information, please contact Karen Holmes at (404) 316-8466 or kpaulholmes@gmail.com, or call Green To Bean at (706) 896-4524.
# # #
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Contest from Poetry Council of North Carolina
The annual Poetry Council of North Carolina contest is now open through May 31, 2011, for adult and student poets with a North Carolina connection. Rules for the 2011 competition are posted at http://www.poetrycouncilofnc.wordpress.com/.
Adult and student poets, as age appropriate, may enter the following categories: 1) Oscar Arnold Young Contest for a Book of Poetry;
2) Charles Shull Traditional Poetry;
3) James Larkin Pearson for Free Verse;
4) Ellen T. Johnson-Hale Light Verse;
5) Performance Poem to be judged during a live performance on Poetry Day, October 1st , at Catawba College;
6) Charlotte Young for Elementary School Students;
7) Carol Bessent Hayman for Middle School Students; and
8) Sam Ragan North Carolina Connection for High School Students; and Gladys Owings Hughes Family Heritage Contest for Free Verse. Questions about the contest and PCNC may be e-mailed to edcockrell@hotmail.com, or call Ed Cockrell, president of PCNC, at 919.967.5834.
Adult and student poets, as age appropriate, may enter the following categories: 1) Oscar Arnold Young Contest for a Book of Poetry;
2) Charles Shull Traditional Poetry;
3) James Larkin Pearson for Free Verse;
4) Ellen T. Johnson-Hale Light Verse;
5) Performance Poem to be judged during a live performance on Poetry Day, October 1st , at Catawba College;
6) Charlotte Young for Elementary School Students;
7) Carol Bessent Hayman for Middle School Students; and
8) Sam Ragan North Carolina Connection for High School Students; and Gladys Owings Hughes Family Heritage Contest for Free Verse. Questions about the contest and PCNC may be e-mailed to edcockrell@hotmail.com, or call Ed Cockrell, president of PCNC, at 919.967.5834.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Writers Night Out Reminder
For the Hiawassee/Blairsville/Hayesville area: A reminder that our next Writers' Night Out will NOT be the second Friday in March, but will be the THIRD Friday, March 18. Featured reader is Janice Moore, award-winning poet and a professor at Young Harris College.
We had standing room only in February, so plan to arrive early to get your seats and drinks before we start. We will have more chairs due to our great turnout last month!
April's event will also be the third Friday, April 15, featuring Ron Salzer. In May, we'll be back to our usual second Friday -- May 13 with Robert Kimsey.
Thanks for your enthusiasm and support. This is becoming the "happening" place to be on Friday night in the mountains.
We had standing room only in February, so plan to arrive early to get your seats and drinks before we start. We will have more chairs due to our great turnout last month!
April's event will also be the third Friday, April 15, featuring Ron Salzer. In May, we'll be back to our usual second Friday -- May 13 with Robert Kimsey.
Thanks for your enthusiasm and support. This is becoming the "happening" place to be on Friday night in the mountains.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Writing Advice from Stephen King
--Rosemary Royston, Program Coordinator
A Netwest member recently loaned me her copy of Stephen King’s On Writing. Even though I’m not a fiction writer, I’m always ready to learn, and I’m also a huge Stephen King fan. In a nutshell, the book blew me away. It is a “memoir” of the craft of writing, and King makes no bones about how he feels about anything. Not only does the reader learn about King’s life as a child and what shaped him as a writer, but she also learns specifics on what makes a good sentence, good dialogue, and a strong character. The advice in this book is simply excellent, and because of King’s tone, I found myself laughing quite a bit. He is brutal, honest, and wastes no words (in fact, he detests adverbs). One tidbit I found most interesting, not being a fiction writer, is that King is not a fan of “plot.” In fact, he warns writers against having a plot from the beginning and instead encourages them to have a situation, and then let the characters take the situation to its next level. For me, this was quite surprising, as I had the idea that most fiction writers thought of a plot first, and then shaped the characters around it. Not so, at least for King. Whether you are a poet, memoirist, or fiction writer, you will learn invaluable advice from this book. Borrow it, beg for it, check it out of your local library. You will not regret it.
A Netwest member recently loaned me her copy of Stephen King’s On Writing. Even though I’m not a fiction writer, I’m always ready to learn, and I’m also a huge Stephen King fan. In a nutshell, the book blew me away. It is a “memoir” of the craft of writing, and King makes no bones about how he feels about anything. Not only does the reader learn about King’s life as a child and what shaped him as a writer, but she also learns specifics on what makes a good sentence, good dialogue, and a strong character. The advice in this book is simply excellent, and because of King’s tone, I found myself laughing quite a bit. He is brutal, honest, and wastes no words (in fact, he detests adverbs). One tidbit I found most interesting, not being a fiction writer, is that King is not a fan of “plot.” In fact, he warns writers against having a plot from the beginning and instead encourages them to have a situation, and then let the characters take the situation to its next level. For me, this was quite surprising, as I had the idea that most fiction writers thought of a plot first, and then shaped the characters around it. Not so, at least for King. Whether you are a poet, memoirist, or fiction writer, you will learn invaluable advice from this book. Borrow it, beg for it, check it out of your local library. You will not regret it.
Friday, February 18, 2011
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Guidelines for submitting articles and photos for CLAY COUNTY PROGRESS "Sesquicentennial Souvenir Edition:
Use word document program.
E-mail: publisher@claycountyprogress.com
If you submit a photo, note at top of the article: "Photo attached." Also identify the photo with a cutline.
Include your name at the top of the article.
If the article has been published before, include the title of the publication in italics at the end of the story.
Length of article: 500 to 1,000 words.
Do not submit fictional stories. Articles should reflect on the county's history anytime throughtout the 15 decades.
A page will be devoted to poems about Clay County depending upon the number received.
Note in the subject line: 150th anniversary edition.
Photos should be sent in jpegs.
Stories will cover the following subjects: medical history, business community, railroad and transportation, agriculture, faith community, education/athletics, family life, government, organizations and service clubs, culture of Clay County such as the Peacock Playhouse and the John C. Campbell Folk School.
The Clay County Progress Sesquicentennial Sovenir Edition will be printed in August, 2011.
For more information, contact Becky Long, publisher, CLAY COUNTY PROGRESS at: 828-389-8431,
Use word document program.
E-mail: publisher@claycountyprogress.com
If you submit a photo, note at top of the article: "Photo attached." Also identify the photo with a cutline.
Include your name at the top of the article.
If the article has been published before, include the title of the publication in italics at the end of the story.
Length of article: 500 to 1,000 words.
Do not submit fictional stories. Articles should reflect on the county's history anytime throughtout the 15 decades.
A page will be devoted to poems about Clay County depending upon the number received.
Note in the subject line: 150th anniversary edition.
Photos should be sent in jpegs.
Stories will cover the following subjects: medical history, business community, railroad and transportation, agriculture, faith community, education/athletics, family life, government, organizations and service clubs, culture of Clay County such as the Peacock Playhouse and the John C. Campbell Folk School.
The Clay County Progress Sesquicentennial Sovenir Edition will be printed in August, 2011.
For more information, contact Becky Long, publisher, CLAY COUNTY PROGRESS at: 828-389-8431,
Monday, February 14, 2011
Mark Your Calendar Now
Quick Update-- Mark your calendar for NCWN's Spring Conference, Saturday, April 30, at UNC Greensboro. The fall 2011 conference date has not yet been set, but will be held in the Asheville area. As Program Coordinator, I plan on attending both events, and will put out a call for anyone who'd like to travel together to do so. Happy spring and may your pens fly across the page!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Submissions for Anthology of Love (in all its shapes and sizes)
(Photo by Catherine Beyler)Jacar Press is calling for submissions for its poetry anthology on LOVE. What a large focus! Surely Netwest members can help Richard Krawiec out by submitting some poems. Go to the Jacar site, http://jacarpress.com/submit.html, to find out more about the submissions guideline.
At this very moment I love looking out
my window and seeing sunlight
on winterized rhododendron leaves.
Snow melting on brown grass,
weary winter trees readying themselves
for the bustin' out, the bursting forth,
the flourishing, the glorious full
in your face SPRING!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Meet Janice Moore, teacher and poet
by Paula Canup
The area in which we live is blessed, not only with natural beauty, but with a wealth of literary, musical, and artistic talent. Music has always been a part of these mountains. Now writers and artists come here to find inspiration and solitude for their work.
Janice Moore is one of those writers who moved here from Atlanta many years ago. She is now a full-time English professor at Young Harris College. In her spare time, she writes poems inspired by family, childhood, and life in the mountains. Her work has appeared in such prestigious publications as The Georgia Review, Shenandoah, and The Prairie Schooner. Her poetry chapbook, Teaching the Robins, was published by Finishing Line Press in 2005.
Janice began writing poetry as an English major in college. Friends and fellow writers offered support for her work. She also attended workshops at the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center in Atlanta where guest poets offered helpful advice.
Her greatest challenge as a writer is finding time to write! Her job at YHC keeps her busy, but she often finds inspiration for a poem in the classroom.
What is Janice’s best advice for aspiring writers? “Do not get discouraged by rejection slips!” Every writer experiences them. She says that writers should just keep sending and sending to various publications, and eventually they will find one that will publish their work.
Today, Janice finds encouragement as a member of the North Carolina Writers Network west, better known as Netwest. This group sponsors monthly critique groups for both poetry and prose. Janice finds that the critique group, which she facilitates, motivates her to have at least one new poem ready each month to share with the group.
Recently, Janice’s poetry was included in a Netwest anthology, Echoes Across the Blue Ridge, Stories, Essays and Poems by Writers Living in and Inspired by the Southern Appalachian Mountains, edited by Nancy Simpson and published by Winding Path Publishing.
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