Tuesday, November 1, 2011

MOUNTAIN WOMAN: ALL HALLOWS

MOUNTAIN WOMAN: ALL HALLOWS: These powerful days around the Celtic New Year have always pulled at my soul. Today is All Saints Day or All Hallows. I remember a poem...

Pirene's Fountain Poetry Journal and Scott Owens

Scott Owens who is not a member of Netwest, but is a representative for NCWN, is the subject of an interesting article in Pirene's Fountain. Read it here and learn more about Scott and his poetry.
Scott Owens will be in Hayesville and Hiawassee, GA in May of next year to do a workship at Writers Circle and to read at Writers' Night Out.

December will mark the fourth anniversary of the Netwest Writers blogsite

With some of our members announcing the anniversary of their blog site, I decided to go back and see if I could find the first post I made on the Netwest Writers site.

I had gone to the Fall Conference in November, 2007 in Winston-Salem. There I heard about setting up a free blog instead of a website. Netwest didn't have funds to pay an ongoing service for a website.  I came home and for a few weeks I practiced on setting up the blog hoping I'd not embarrass our members with my amateurish efforts. My hope was that our mountain writers would use this blog to further their opportunities to reach outside the far western part of the state to have their voices heard.
When Nicki Leone set up a new website for NCWN she gave Netwest the chance to be a part of that site. Anyone who goes to http://www.ncwriters.org/ will see where they can click on the Netwest blog.  The following is the first post I made that went out to the public.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007

NCWN announced the new Executive Director

On Saturday at the NCWN Fall Writing and Publishing Conference in Winston-Salem, Ed Southern was introduced as the new Executive Director for NCWN, and he will take office on January 1, 2008. Ed is highly qualified to lead the writers’ network. He presently works with John F. Blair, publisher, as vice president of sales and marketing. He has served on the Board of Trustees of the NCWN since July 2005.

Some of you may know that I “announced” his position prematurely. My mistake. But, even though I haven’t talked with Ed, I feel that he is an excellent choice. We will hear more from him after he takes office. He graduated from Wake Forest University with a Bachelor of Arts, politics, (cum laude) in 1994.

In conversations with Cynthia Barnett, present Executive Director, I learned the network had no particular marketing or public relations personnel. I feel that Ed Southern with his marketing background will increase the visibility of the network and then everyone, not only writers, will know what NCWN can do for them, and he will see that NCWN reaches out to writers and those who need writers anywhere in the state. I look forward to meeting him and making him aware of our NCWN West writers here in the mountains.

Posted by Glenda Council Beall at 6:22 PM

Labels: Cynthia Barnett, Ed Southern, John F. Blair

2 comments:

The Resident Curmudgeon said...

Glenda: Keep up the good work. I am enjoying your postings.



Saturday, December 8, 2007 8:58:00 PM EST

Kay said...

Hi Glenda,

Your blog is great! Your group may enjoy going to this Blogger site, it is extremely helpful!

http://www.problogger.net/archives/2005/12/30/tens-tips-for-writing-a-blog-post/

I liked his ten tips for writing a blog...his whole site is excellent. Kay Lake



Sunday, December 9, 2007 1:53:00 PM EST

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Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel submission deadline

Pauletta Hansel




Folks, this is a literary magazine, not a construction site, though I guess we could call writing "construction", couldn't we. Pauletta Hansel, a fine mountain poet with a new book out from Wind Publications, is editor.  She asked me to help spread the word.  I hope some members will submit work.


SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Volume 15: The Mountains Have Come Closer
In 1980, Jim Wayne Miller’s “The Mountains Have Come Closer,” gave voice to one of Appalachian poetry’s lasting personas, “The Brier,” who pondered and preached and opined, much as Jim did, on the tension inherent in being of and from Appalachia in the late twentieth century. As we mark the 15th anniversary of his passing, we invite you to ponder and preach and offer your literary opinion on the ways in which the mountains have come closer, even as, perhaps, we have moved farther, or further, away. Possible permutations might include reflections on ancestry, migration, mountaintop removal, images of Appalachia in pop culture… You also might take this as an opportunity to read or re-read any of Jim Wayne’s books. But we aren't asking for new Brier poems. We ask only for your own exploration of Jim Wayne’s resonating metaphor: maybe, like the Brier, you'll find something you didn't even know you had lost. (Southern Appalachian Writers' Cooperative ------Visit the SAWC Web Site  www.sawc.us)

What to send:
Send a cover letter with your name, address, phone, email address, a short bio (50 words or less), and a list of the titles submitted. Poets, please limit submissions to 5 poems or 10 pages. Prose writers, limit submissions to 5,000 words. Artists, send any 2D art, including black and white drawings, photos, comics, etc., that can be scaled effectively to a digest-sized page. Series formats are welcome. Submissions will not be returned.

Where to send it:
Send electronic submissions to: pmsg.journal@gmail.com
We prefer electronic submissions, but please only send your work pasted directly into the email message or as a Word or PDF attachment. No funky formats, please.

Send regular submissions (include SASE for reply) to:
Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel
c/o Pauletta Hansel
1266 Avon Drive
Cincinnati, OH 45229

Deadline: November 1, 2011

Monday, October 24, 2011

PAUL GREEN AWARD

Brenda Kay Ledford and Blanche L. Ledford received the 2011 Paul Green Award from North Carolina Society of Historians for their book, SIMPLICITY. The Award's Ceremony was held on Saturday, October 22, 2011, at the Hilton Garden Inn located in Mooresville, NC.

This is the fifth time Brenda Kay Ledford has received the Paul Green Award for her work. She won it for her poetry books: PATCHWORK MEMORIES, SHEWBIRD MOUNTAIN, SACRED FIRE, and for collecting oral history on Velma Beam Moore. www.brendakayledford.com and http://blueridgepoet.blogspot.com.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

City Lights Coffee with the Poet, October 20th

City Lights Bookstore's ColorFest Artist is Terry Michelsen. Hear her read her poetry at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, October 20th when she'll be featured at our monthly Coffee with the Poet. See her (along with many other visual artists, throughout downtown Sylva) demonstrate her pastel technique on Saturday, Oct. 22nd, 2011, the third annual ColorFest.

The monthly event gathers every third Thursday and is co-sponsored by NetWest.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

NCWN-W PICNIC

North Carolina Writers' Network-West held an annual picnic and celebrated their 20th anniversary on Sunday afternoon, October 16, at the Clay County Recreational Park on the banks of beautiful Lake Chatuge in Hayesville, North Carolina. It was indeed a splendid fall day.

Scott Owens signs a copy of his poetry book. He was the featured poet this year at the picnic. Everyone enjoyed his outstanding poetry reading.


Rosemary Royston, program coordinator for NCWN-W, did a great job organizing the picnic. She also introduced the writers who read their work.


Susan Anderson looked super wearing her lovely scarf to the picnic. She shared her excellent poem with those who attended the picnic.


Shirley Uphouse read a heart-warming story about a dog.


Paul Donovan listens to the poetry readings at the picnic.


Nancy Simpson purchased a copy of Scott Owens's poetry book.


Maren Mitchell and her husband attended the picnic. She shared her wonderful work with us.


Linda Smith dressed in fall colors read a great poem at the picnic.


Karen Paul Holmes looked lovely wearing her hat to the picnic. She shared a poem about being in the moment when she attended college.


Judy and Bob Grove. He read a humorous story about his high school teacher.


Janice Moore, English professor at Young Harris College, read an image-filled poem about snow.


Carole Thompson and her husband, Norm. She read a beautiful poem about fall.


Brenda Kay Ledford read her poem, "Art Quilting," at the NCWN-W picnic. She wrote the poem after taking Scott Owens's workshop at the Writers' Circle on October 15.

Dedication of Bay Leaves now online

The Poetry Council of North Carolina dedicated its annual anthology Bay Leaves to Nancy Simpson, co-founder of NCWN West and editor of Echoes Across the Blue Ridge. Read the dedication on the site of the Poetry Council.
http://poetrycouncilofnc.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/bay-leaves-2011-p_1_15.pdf

Congratulations, Nancy, for an honor well-deserved.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Coffee with the Poets October Photos

On October 12th, Coffee with the Poets at Cafe Touche in Hayesville featured Carole Richard Thompson. She offered a selection of poems filled with humor, insight and beauty. At open mic we heard several newcomers, Dot James and Ralph Wethli, along with regular readers. A sizeable group of fifteen thoroughly enjoyed the morning.

Carole Thompson, poet and writer with her ever-loving Norm


Part of the group at Coffee with the Poets on Wednesday 10/12/11
Text and photo by Maren Mitchell who hosted this month's reading

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

MOUNTAIN WOMAN: GUEST BLOGGER: BARBARA BATES SMITH

MOUNTAIN WOMAN: GUEST BLOGGER: BARBARA BATES SMITH: When I first saw Barbara Bates Smith do her one woman show based on Lee Smith's Fair and Tender Ladies , I was so overcome that by the end...

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Netwest Celebrates 20 Years!

On Sunday, October 16, 2011, 2 pm, NC Writers Network-West or Netwest will celebrate its 20th anniversary! All members and anyone interested in learning more about Netwest are invited. The picnic will be in Hayesville, NC, at the Clay County Park (pavilion by the water). The featured reader/speaker is NC poet, Scott Owens. All those attending should bring a covered dish, chair, and drink (plates, napkins, and silverware will be provided). The meal will be followed by brief remarks from Program Coordinator Rosemary Royston, a reading from Scott Owens, and then open mike. Readings for the open mike session should consist of ONE PAGE of prose or two short poems per person. Time limit is 2.5 minutes. In order to accommodate as many readers as possible, please time your piece before reading. Please join us -- and encourage anyone you know that may be interested in Netwest to attend, also.

Award Winning Poet at Writers' Night Out


Scott Owens of Hickory, NC, will be the featured reader on October 14 at Mountain Perk Coffee House in Hiawassee. The free event begins at 7 p.m. and also includes an open microphone for those who’d like to share their own poetry or prose.

Owens is the recipient of awards from the Academy of American Poets and the Pushcart Prize Anthology. He has authored eight collections of poetry and over 900 poems published in journals including Georgia Review, North American Review, Chattahoochee Review, Southern Poetry Review, and Poetry East among others. He is the founder of Poetry Hickory, editor of Wild Goose Poetry Review and 234, and vice president of the Poetry Council of NC. Born and raised in Greenwood, SC, Owens teaches at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, NC.

Each open microphone reader has two minutes and can sign up at the door to read. The evening also includes music provided by a local musician.

Writers’ Night Out takes place on the second Friday of each month and is open to the public. The event draws approximately 30 people from four counties. Mountain Perk Coffee House is located at 1390 Highway 76 East in Chatuge Harbor Plaza across from Towns County High School. Food, gourmet coffees and other refreshments are available for purchase.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Photo from Indian Summer Festival

Joan Howard, right, sent this photo taken at the Indian Summer Festival in Suches recently. You can tell the weather was cold and windy. See a brochure on the ground.
Others in photo are Glenda Beall standing left behind Robert S. King.