News News News

Hello, Karen Paul Holmes here. I've been saving up news items, so here is a mishmash:

Give yourself the gift of time to write: Come to my all-genre writing class at the wonderful John C. Campbell Folk School, May 3-9. Locals may qualify for half-price tuition, so get on the list today! Bring a friend for any number of other arts/crafts classes offered that week -- it's like summer camp for adults.   https://classes.folkschool.org/class_details.aspx?pk=17708

Writers' Night Out will resume in April. We may be switching back to Friday nights, so please let me know your preference.

Some of you know that my dog Watson loves watching TV.
Well, he loves looking at my laptop screen as I type too,
and he's pretty good at grammar.

Have you Googled yourself lately? Recently, I was surprised to find that the poem "Rug" from my book, Untying the Knot, was included in a list of the Top 10 "Red" Poems by Tweetspeak Poetry on Oct 14. Go figure! You an read it and the other top poems using the color red here: http://www.tweetspeakpoetry.com/2014/10/16/top-ten-red-poems/

I've been busy doing readings from my book and workshops, including the Georgia Poetry Society meeting in Gainesville, the Decatur Public Library (as part of the Georgia Center for the Book), and an upcoming reading with Michael Diebert (editor of the Chattahoochee Review) at Callanwolde Arts Center in Atlanta on Feb 11 at 8 pm. My book is available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback. If you'd like a personalized copy, please let me know. I'm running out of my supply, which is a happy problem for poets.

A new publication is accepting submissions: Sling Magazine. My poem about my mom and dad meeting in Australia during WWII is in the second issue (page 7) here: http://www.slingmag.com/

My mom and dad in Australia, WWII

As It Ought to Be featured two poems on their Saturday Poetry Series, November 15. You can read "Drawn into Circles" (my most published poem) and "Teaching Mozart in Stone Mountain Prison" here:  http://asitoughttobe.com/2014/11/15/saturday-poetry-series-presents-karen-paul-holmes/

OK, folks, I think that's it for the new news. Hope your writing will flourish in 2015.

New Venue for Coffee with the Poets and Writers - Clay County, NC

Coffee with the Poets and Writers has met at Blue Mountain Restaurant in  Murphy for the past two years. Beginning in March, 2015, this event will meet at Joe's Trading Post and Coffee Shop, 32 Main Street, Hayesville, NC. Joe Powell is owner of the coffee shop. We met at this location when it was  Cafe Touche and run by Liz. The seating is different now and probably will be better for our group. This event is open to  the public and everyone is invited to read a couple of  poems or a prose piece of around 1,000 words,.

The only food sold at Joe's will be his fine varied brands of coffee, soft drinks, tea and a few snack items. He will be open to  the public while we meet. Please pass this change on to anyone who would like to join us on the second Wednesday of each month at 10:30 a.m.

We are pleased that Coffee with the Poets and Writers, sponsored by NCWN West, was founded  in 2007 and has continued with a loyal following ever since.

We will NOT MEET in January or February.
Our featured reader in March will be Bob Grove, well-known man of many talents from Brasstown, NC.
To learn more about reading at Coffee with the Poets and Writers contact Glenda Beall, gcbmountaingirl@gmail.com or call 828-389-4441.

Congratulations to NCWN West member, Pat Davis

We received this email from Pat Davis of Brevard who has published her first mystery novel for teens and young adults. I met Pat in 2008 when she lived in Pennsylvania. We were attending a NCWN Conference and began talking while standing in front of an elevator. That was the beginning of a friendship we still enjoy. A native of Transylvania County, NC, Pat moved back to the mountains and continued with her writing. Give this new writer a try. Order her book on Kindle. That is what I am doing. Glenda Beall

From Pat Davis:
I'm delighted to announce the publication of my Teen and Young Adult mystery novel, THE NIGHT THE DANCING STOPPED.

It is now available on Kindle eBooks for $2.99 or through a variety of other e-sellers for approximately the same price.
The paperback is still in the review process and will go on sale on Amazon and other book retailers in a week or two.

I hope you will consider buying my eBook or paperback. The story has characters of all ages, and adults have reported enjoying reading it too. For those of you familiar with the Blue Ridge/Great Smoky Mountains area, many locations will be familiar, although they are used fictitiously.

If you purchase and enjoy The NIGHT THE DANCING STOPPED, please write a REVIEW. Sales and Reviews are crucial to the success of this novel. Thanks for your continuing encouragement and the purchase and review of my first foray into fiction writing.

Netwest member published e-book about rescue operation during Viet Nam War

Tom Davis via Old Mountain Press has published an eBook for Amazon Kindle and Nook entitled Operation Ivory Coast AKA The Son Tay Raid: A Short Briefing. This briefing was found over 20 years ago (40 years after the operation) in a classified US portion of the Korean Special Forces Compound near Seoul, Korea. 

In Operation Ivory Coast, a group of 61 Special Forces soldiers conducted a rescue operation to free prisoners-of-war deep inside North Vietnam. Tom has introductory notes followed by the briefing. There are several things in this 1368 word briefing that pique one’s interest. Of particular note are the named Americans who are listed as assets. One in particular you won't believe!http://www.oldmp.com/e-book/#sontay

New NC Poet Laureate named by Governor

Shelby Dean Stephenson, poet, editor and teacher, has been named by Governor McCrory as the new poet laureate of North Carolina. He will be installed in February, 2015.

Earlier this year the governor set off a storm among poets when he appointed a woman, Valerie Macon, without going through proper procedure with the NC Arts Council. This time he chose Stephenson from a field of nominations using a panel of respected poets and writers.

Read more here.

Brenda Kay Ledford Featured on Windstream Communications

Brenda Kay Ledford was interviewed by Jim Geer, host of the "Common Cup," on Windstream Communications regarding her new poetry book, CREPE ROSES.

Kelsay Books printed CREPE ROSES, October, 2014.  Dr. Joseph Bathanti, former Poet Laureate of North Carolina, and Carolyn York, North Carolina Poetry Society President, endorsed Ledford's book.

You may view Brenda Kay Ledford on the "Common Cup," Windstream Communications, Channel 4 cable television, the following dates:

Monday, December 15, 2014 at 9:30 AM, 4:00 PM, 7:30 PM

Wednesday, December 17, 2014 at 9:30 AM, 4:00 PM, 7:30 PM

Friday, December 19, 2014,  at 9:30 AM, 4:00 PM, 7:30 PM

Monday, December 22, 2014 at 9:30 AM, 4:00 PM, 7:30 PM

Wednesday, December 24, 2014 at 9:30 AM, 4:00 PM, 7:30 PM

Friday, December 26, 2014 at 9:30 AM, 4:00 PM, 7:30 PM

Monday, December 29, 2014 at 9:30 AM, 4:00 PM, 7:30 PM

Wednesday, December 31, 2014 at 9:30 AM, 4:00 PM, 7:30 PM

CREPE ROSES is available online at:  www.Amazon.com
                           and locally at the John C. Campbell Folk School Craft Shop,
                           Clay County, NC Chamber of Commerce,
                           Moss Memorial Library, Hayesville, NC

COFFEE WITH THE POETS AND WRITERS

We had an interesting mix of writers and poets gather today at  Blue Mountain Coffee and Grill for our last meeting of the year. We don’t meet in January and February because the weather is questionable in this area during those winter months. We will begin in March on the second Wednesday, at 10:30 a.m. and our featured Netwest member will be Bob Grove, author of several books, including his memoir, Misadventures of an Only Child. Visit him online at bobgrove.org.

We had visitors today from Murphy, NC and from Blue Ridge, GA. I was happy to  see two writers from my classes at Tri-CountyCommunity College in Murphy, Kim Delaney and Larry Weas. I look forward to teaching again in March 2015 at TCCC. The title of the class is Write Your Life Stories. We will meet from 6 – 8 p.m. on Tuesday evenings. See www.glendacouncilbeall.blogspot.com for more description of the class.

We gave away five or six door prizes today – books and writing magazines. We talked about how, as writers, we bond when we share our poems and stories with each other. We get to know each other in a way that non-writers do not. Maren Mitchell said when she first read her work in public her knees were shaking but now she could read before a thousand people and it would not bother her. I hope all our beginning writers and poets hear that and know that one day all their fears will disappear, and they will enjoy sharing their work with others.

The program was all open mic today and we heard stories, poems and essays from those gathered around the table. I read a poem from Christmas Presence, an anthology edited by Celia Miles and Nancy Dillingham. The poem, Southside Diner by Cecily Wells, showed a glimpse of the loneliness of some people at Christmas time and made us all feel grateful.

Some photos of our day:

From left: Kim, Totsie, Maren, Joan, and Bill

Linda, Joan and Jim

Not pictured,  but present: Larry Weas and Louisa, Jim's wife.

Guest Post by Deanna Klingel

Deanna Klingel, author from Sapphire Valley, NC has sent, from her own blog, this post on Trees. 

Tree of the Month          

When I’m driving along on my book selling trips and suddenly burst out singing “How Great Thou Art,” it’s usually in response to a tree. Trees are the most amazing things! In early spring driving through middle Georgia there are more shades of green than one can imagine. Shortly after, Tennessee highways are lined with red buds blooming their little hearts out. When summer comes I hate to leave my street where the rhododenrons and laurel are so heavy with blooms the branches bend. And of course, there’s the autumn trees. The Blue Ridge all the way to New England is breathtaking. But this month, ladies and gentlemen, it’s all about the tree of the month, the North Carolina Fraser Fir.

Here in the mountains of western North Carolina we begin to see “our” trees coming down the mountain on big trucks in November heading for the Northeast, the southern coasts, south as far as Miami and as far west as Texas. Thanksgiving weekend tree lots pop up in cities everywhere with 2 X 4s stobbed into the ground to support the trees that will stand under overhead lines of light bulbs. Most of these lots will announce the arrival of the North Carolina Fraser, America’s ideal Christmas tree.

Named for John Fraser, a Scottish botanist, the trees were discovered in the 1700s growing only in five places in the world:  Richland Balsam, Grandfather Mountain, Clingmans Dome, Mt. Mitchell, and Mt. Rogers; indigenous here in western NC. The tree is now widely cultivated above 3000 feet where the cool temperatures and high rainfall allow the tree to retain its needles throughout the season. Because of the glossy needles, intense fragrance, and the natural “Christmas tree” shape, the tree is the number one choice in America.

 At any time there are 50 million of these trees in the ground here in NC, on about 33,300 acres of Christmas tree farms, 1500 trees to an acre. Every tree farm has seven stands of trees, as it takes seven years before the tree is ready to harvest. I visited with one of our local growers, Jerry McAbee, at Hutch’s Mountain Trees, not far from my home. He has a website www.hutchsmoutaintrees.com where we can see beautiful pictures of his trees from planting to harvesting. Share it with your kids; they’ll find it interesting.

I learned that both Jerry and his employee Sherry are writers and are considering joining our local writers’ group. They understand patience and waiting, and appreciate how long it takes to nurture a book-or a tree-to harvest. We laughed about how a Christmas tree farmer and an author are alike in that it takes passion, hard work, patience and determination.

Thanks Jerry, and our other Tar Heel Tree Farmers whose trees make Christmas special.

Visit Deanna's mini blog: http://www.booksbydeanna.com/12/post/2014/12/welcome-to-my-mini-blog-selling-books36.html

Shirley Cole's company appreciated by Reece Farm in North Georgia

Shirley Cole, Netwest member from Jackson County, was recently applauded in the Byron Herbert Reece Society newsletter. Shirley served as a representative for NCWN in Jackson County recently, but is now busy writing a novel. 

Changes in the Landscape 
Thanks to the ongoing contributions of Shirley Cole and her son Shannon of COLE  AND  COMPANY, MASTER LANDSCAPE GARDENERS, INC., visitors to the Reece Farm will notice another landscape change in and around the light pole in the parking area.  Three golden Hinoke Cypress trees have been planted there along with the placement of small boulders from other Farm locations.  Other plantings in this area are underway.  

Also, Shirley and Shannon found an ancient “cemetery rose” growing along the railroad tracks in Marietta.  The rose is pale pink and very hardy and has been planted behind the split rail fence at the end of the parking lot.  It should bloom in the spring and hopefully will help replace the lost rose so treasured by Reece’s mother Emma.   

Brent Martin will read at Malaprops this Sunday, December 7

Brent Martin has news for us.

If you are in the area of Asheville, NC on Sunday between 3 p.m. and 4, stop by the book store that we all know and love, Malaprops, for their Poetrio series. Brent will be reading from his new collection of poems, Staring the Red Earth Down (Red Bird Press).

Support the writers and the bookstores by attending the literary events. 
Contact Malaprops at http://www.malaprops.com/

Jack Prather's news

It is good to hear from Jack Prather who lives in Henderson County NC. He is an author we are proud to have as a member. I have read some of his forthcoming book about notable women of NC and I recommend it highly. See his news below:


Despite a tough personal and health year punctuated by a lengthy recuperative sabbatical, I'm now in very good condition and spirits, thanks to turning lemons into a pitcher of lemonade.

My latest (seventh) book and the second in a series about 'Notable' North Carolinians will be out in January (yippee!). My editor Rick Rickerson, author of The Five-Minute Linguist and former chair of the Linguistics Department at the College of Charleston, completed his work on the manuscript yesterday; and it's now in the hands of my designer, Chris Condrey.

More on Six Notable Women of North Carolina will be forthcoming following publication.

Jack J. Prather
prathergroup@aol.com
828-808-0660
www.futurenowpublishing.com

Kind of a Hurricane Press accepts Poem by Nancy Purcell

Nancy Purcell, writer and former Netwest Rep from Transylvania County in North Carolina sent her news.

I have always dabbled in Poetry but worked mainly on the Short Story. I recently submitted a poem to Kind of a Hurricane Press, kindofahurricanepress@yahoo.com, and my poem, Hard Frost, was accepted. It will be included the their anthology, Life is a Roller Coaster.

Sometimes you just get brave and send out work and get an acceptance! They're hard to come by but worth the effort.

Nancy is right. They won't be published if no one sees them. Congratulations to Nancy. 

Bob Grove, author of several books and Netwest member from Clay County, will perform his annual reading of Dickens' A Christmas Carol on Wednesday, December 10 at 7:00 p.m. This takes place at the John C. Campbell Folk School which will be decorated for Christmas. Bob dresses in period costume. Put this date on your calendar and plan to stay for the Folk School dance teams that perform after the reading.

Representatives for Netwest do a great job

The goal of the NC Writers Network West is to have at least one representative in each county of our region which includes nine counties south and west of Asheville. That person is given free membership in NCWN as long as they hold an event in their county – an open mic, critique, Writers Night Out, or some kind of gathering for writers and poets that is open to the public. 

Janice Moore and I (Glenda Beall) are reps for Clay County. Janice facilitates the monthly poetry critique group. I facilitate Coffee with the Poets and Writers which meets once each month on Wednesday morning. We have featured readers and open mic followed by a social time.

LUCY COLE GRATTON

KAREN HOLMES

Karen Holmes and Rosemary Royston are reps for the Georgia counties that border North Carolina. Writers Night Out, a monthly reading, has been a successful venture for several years hosted by Karen Holmes. 

Lucy Cole Gratton and Mary Ricketson are representatives for Cherokee County. Lucy does an excellent job of hosting monthly readings at the John C. Campbell Folk School. The monthly Netwest prose critique group is also held in Cherokee County at the Tri-County Community College.

NEWT SMITH

In Jackson County, Newt Smith and Kathryn Byer share the rep duties

and hold Coffee with a Poet each month at City Lights Book Store.

PATRICIA VESTAL

Henderson County representatives, Lana Hendershott and Patricia Vestal, hold a monthly open mic night that has become very popular with writers there. Having two reps work together and share the responsibility of the event eliminates pressure to always be present. Of course our members are usually happy to be the emcee if the representatives cannot attend. Staci Lynn Bell has volunteered to help with hosting Coffee with the Poets and Writers. She does a great job.

STACI LYNN BELL

It is not difficult to begin an open mic or other event for writers in your area. Find a coffee shop, restaurant, book store, or any place that will open their doors to the group for an hour. Send out word to all the writers in your area either by contacting NCWN or other writers you know in your county. Post a few flyers at the local library or other writerly places in the area.

LANA HENDERSHOTT

Those of us who have been doing this for many years will be very happy to help you get the event off the ground and going strong. An NCWN or Netwest sponsored group has the advantage of being a non-profit and that often eliminates having to pay for a venue.

If a group meets in a coffee house or restaurant, they should all purchase something to eat or drink. That is the courteous thing to do and builds a good relationship with the owner of the shop. Also, tipping the waitress goes a long way in making your group welcome at the restaurant.

We sit and write alone but we need community. We need to be with like-minded people to talk about our craft, to discuss our work and learn from each other. An open mic event might be the first time a budding writer gets up enough nerve to read his/her work out loud to an audience.

There are rules for open mic events and for critique groups that will ensure success. The representative in charge sets these rules and makes them known to anyone who participates. A time limit or word limit has to be set to give all those who sign up an opportunity to read.

A good critique group adheres to certain rules to keep writers from becoming defensive or from being too critical and losing members. We have a set of rules for critique that has worked for twenty years and has enabled local poets to help each other and become published.

Our representatives have done a great job for years. We need more people who will take a lead in their counties and promote the literary arts with an event for poets or writers or both.

We invite our representatives to leave a comment here and tell us what you do and why your events are successful.

KATHRYN BYER

Email www.gcbmountaingirl@gmail.com if you are interested in becoming a rep in a mountain county that doesn't presently have one. We will be happy to help you get started. 

Laurence Holden wins Honorable Mention for his poem

Congratulations to Netwest member, Laurence Holden who received an Honorable Mention for his illustrated poem "This Line Drawn" from the C.J. Jung Society of St. Louis, “The Altar of the Earth: Essays Exploring the Intersection of Jungian Thought and Ecology."  To read more visit here. Whole Terrain Journal: "Trust the Process: a conversation with artist & poet Laurence Holden" Whole Terrain Journal, a nationally acclaimed journal of reflective environmental practice, features an interview with Laurence Holden on their blog November 25, 2014:

Maren Mitchell's poem in Town Creek Poetry

Visit Town Creek Poetry  and read a poem by Netwest member, Maren O. Mitchell.
Maren is a well-published poet and author of Beat Chronic Pain, An Insider's Guide.

                                                                Kudos to Maren. 

Click on the title of the poem and take time to read all the poets in the new issue of Town Creek Poetry, an online journal, edited by William Wright.

Maren O. Mitchell, poet and author of Beat Chronic Pain, An Insider's Guide

 http://www.lineofsightpress.com/

 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Line-of-Sight-Press/372089309551417

The North Carolina Writers' Network 2014 Fall Conference

The North Carolina Writers' Network 2014 Fall Conference will be held November 21-23 at the Sheraton Charlotte Hotel, in Uptown Charlotte. If you've already registered: thank you! If not, can you really miss an opportunity like this, happening in your own backyard?

The North Carolina Writers' Network 2014 Fall Conference offers something for almost every writer, at any level of skill or experience. Your best route to getting the most out of the weekend depends on where you are right now as a writer, where you want to go as a writer, and how you want to get from here to there.

Are you a NOVICE writer? Good workshop options for newbies include Chantel Acevedo’s “All Shapes and Sizes: A Workshop on Novel Structure”; “Poetry 101” with Anthony S. Abbott; and “First Impressions in the First Few Pages” with Sarah Creech.

Are you an EMERGING writer? You may want to mix some of the craft workshops—maybe “Poetry and Time” with Julie Funderburk; “Making Their Stories Your Own” with Rebecca McClanahan; or Zelda Lockhart’s “The Mirror Exercise: Producing a Whole Short Work in Less Than an Hour”—with some of the appropriate business-of-writing workshops like Sunday’s panel discussion on “The Many Paths to Publication” with Kim Boykin, John Hartness, and Karon Luddy.

Are you an EXPERIENCED writer? You may be ready to concentrate on the “business of writing” workshops: “The Art of the Pitch” with Betsy Thorpe and Carin Siegfried; “Crafting Your Message: Beginning an Interactive Publicity Campaign” with Priscilla Goudreau-Santos; “The Many Paths to Publication” panel discussion; maybe even “Creating a Poetry Community” with Scott Owens and Jonathan K. Rice.

And if you're an AUTHOR, well, why not register for the conference just to brag? And of course to enjoy the keynote address by Allan Gurganus; Saturday's luncheon featuring North Carolina's seventh poet laureate, Joseph Bathanti; and Saturday night's annual banquet featuring the inimitable Wilton Barnhardt.

The North Carolina Writers' Network Fall Conference changes locations each year, in order to better serve the writers of this state. We won't be back in Charlotte until 2018, at the earliest. We don't want to wait that long to see you.

Register now.

Who are the writers you need to see read live?

http://flavorwire.com/487668/50-writers-you-need-to-see-read-live

I read an article on 50 Writers You Need to See Read Live and it made me think about all our Netwest writers. How many of us take time to work on our readings so they will entertain our audience and keep them wanting to hear more? How many of us say the work must stand on its on and we don't worry about the presentation?

I noticed in the article that almost every single person listed used humor in his/her presentation. Does that mean we can't read about serious subjects? I don't think so.

Read the original article and see what the author thinks makes a good reader.

Netwest holds open mic and featured reader events in our region. Send us the names of those
you think do a very good job of reading their work.
We can help each other by telling what we enjoy from our writers and poets when they read.
Send your thoughts to me by Email: glendabeall@msn.com

Judy Pierce Will be Signing her New Book on November 22

Judy Pierce will be signing copies of the second book in the Tales from Farlandia series, Ozette's HeartStone, on November 22 from 1-3pm at the White Squirrel Shoppe at 2 West Main in Brevard, NC. during their 26th annual Christmas Open House. Copies of her first book, Ozette's Destiny, will also be available.

More about Judy and her books can be found on her website, or on her Amazon page.

Interview on You Tube with award-winning Netwest Poet

Brenda Kay Ledford, award-winning poet from Hayesville, NC was interviewed by Pam Roman of  the Clay County Chamber of Commerce regarding her new book, Crepe Roses.

See the complete interview here.

Congratulations, Brenda Kay.