My second novel, historical fiction, will be released on May 31, with a big launch in New Orleans. The book, THE SEAMSTRESS OF NEW ORLEANS, is a mystery set in 1900 in the early efforts toward women’s rights and equality.
Writers and poets in the far western mountain area of North Carolina and bordering counties of South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee post announcements, original work and articles on the craft of writing.
Saturday, May 14, 2022
Congratulations to Diane C. McPhail
My second novel, historical fiction, will be released on May 31, with a big launch in New Orleans. The book, THE SEAMSTRESS OF NEW ORLEANS, is a mystery set in 1900 in the early efforts toward women’s rights and equality.
Thursday, May 12, 2022
Celia Miles has published another Marcy Dehanne Grist Mill Mystery
She attended Brevard and Berea Colleges and has graduate degrees from UNC-Chapel Hill and IUP in Pennsylvania. She taught at Brevard College and retired from Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College as an instructor.
Celia Miles,
Learn more about Celia's books on her website: https://celiamiles.com/
Friday, May 6, 2022
Poet David Graham to be Featured at Writers’ Night Out on Zoom
Poet and editor David Graham will be the featured guest for Writers’ Night Out on Friday evening, May 13, at 7:00 PM.
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DAVID GRAHAM |
This monthly event sponsored by the North Carolina Writers’ Network-West is being held online because of continued COVID precautions. We hope to meet again in person in the near future. However, we are happy that not only local writers but those from other states and distant cities are joining us each month on Zoom.
Graham has seven collections of poetry, and the most recent is The Honey of Earth (Terrapin Books, 2019). He co-edited (with Tom Montag) the anthology Local News: Poetry About Small Towns, and, with Kate Sontag, the essay anthology After Confession: Poetry as Confession. He has been a faculty member several times at The Frost Place in Franconia New Hampshire, where he also served as Poet in Residence in 1996.
In 2016 he retired from teaching at Ripon College, where he also directed the Visiting Writers Series for twenty-eight years. Currently a contributing editor at the online journal Verse-Virtual, he also writes a column, “Poetic License.”
David was educated at Dartmouth College and The University of Massachusetts. He lives in Glens Falls, NY. To read more about Graham, visit his website at www.davidgrahampoet.com.
Everyone is invited to bring a poem or short prose piece to read at Open Mic. Time is limited to 3 – 4 minutes. Only two poems, please. Contact Glenda Beall at glendabeall@msn.com to be placed on the list for Open Mic. To receive the Zoom link, contact Glenda Beall also.
Thursday, May 5, 2022
Brenda Kay Ledford's Essay Published
Brenda Kay Ledford's essay, "Harold, My Big Brother, A Tribute to Honor National Brother's Day," appeared on the website: "Daily Inspired Life."
To view Ledford's story: dailyinspiredlife.com/national-brothers-day-big-brother-harold
Monday, April 25, 2022
Mountain Wordsmiths to Celebrate National Poetry Month
April is National Poetry Month, and Mountain Wordsmiths will celebrate the beauty and significance of poetry on Thursday morning, April 28, at 10:30 AM via Zoom.
Our monthly gathering sponsored by the North Carolina Writers’ Network-West is continuing its online presence because local writers, as well as writers from other states and cities, are joining us each month on Zoom.
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Kathryn Stripling Byer |
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Nancy Simpson |
Byer and Simpson mentored countless poets, both beginners and seasoned poets alike. Beall will read a selection of their poems as a tribute to their lasting legacy. In lieu of Open Mic, during the program, all attendees are encouraged to read a favorite poem or one they have written.
NCWN-West is continuing to stay in touch by using technology to share our writing. We will offer writing events and writing classes online until we can safely meet face-to-face again. Many writers are enjoying the convenience and flexibility of Zoom meetings because of our ability to include poets and writers from other locations.
We welcome those who were regulars at Coffee with the Poets and Writers that met at Moss Memorial Library. Those wishing to attend Mountain Wordsmiths may contact Carroll Taylor at vibiaperpetua@gmail.com to receive the Zoom link. We welcome those who would simply like to listen to the beauty of wordsmithing.
Written by Carroll S. Taylor
Thursday, April 14, 2022
Have you visited JCCFS? Now is the time.
My friends, if you have never been to the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC, you must put it on your calendar to spend time there.
The school began in the 1930s as a replica of Folk Schools in Denmark, Sweden, and other countries, but has grown tremendously since its birth when the natives of Clay and Cherokee County gave land and labor to build it.
One of our NCWN members, Dr. Eugene Hirsch, who was from Pennsylvania, but owned a mountain cabin near Murphy, NC, was a poet as well as a renowned doctor. On one of his trips down south, Gene Hirsch spent a week taking a class at the folk school in Brasstown. Like most of us locals, he fell in love with the casual, friendly, and enthusiastic people there and continued to take classes, but he thought this would be a great place for a writing program.
He talked to the director of the school and soon there were writing classes on the schedule. Our own Nancy Simpson served as Resident Writer and she brought some of the best poets, novelists, and nonfiction writers to the little town of Brasstown, a place they might never have heard of if not for the writing program at John Campbell. I am fortunate to have been a student there many times over the years and to have taught writing there. Some of my happiest times were at the John C. Campbell Folk School, and I met people who have become life-long friends.
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This photograph is of one of the first classes I taught at JCCFS in 2008 |
I have never been able to put into words the feelings I had while attending and the feelings I had when I left. Your classmates or your students become like family as you share common interests such as weaving, painting, cooking, dancing, playing instruments, and writing. I am reading a memoir by Betty Brown, a fellow student I met in a writing class at John Campbell a decade ago. She is well known as a visual artist also. I find that she is an excellent writer.
Below is the writing schedule for this year. I know most of these writers and some are long-time friends of mine. Make a pledge to yourself to spend a week or a weekend in a writing class with one of the fantastic writers who will be your instructor. You will stay in a comfortable cabin with other students. You will share meals from the dining room and you will attend gatherings outside now because of COVID. Visit their website and read the catalog. I promise you if you spend time there enjoying a craft of your choosing, making friends, and learning more about yourself, you will make memories that will be with you always.
For those of us who live in counties near the school, we can come home at night. The tuition is half of the price paid by others.
Click on this link to see what is happening in the writing classes.CLASSES WITH MEDIA CODES THAT CONTAIN WRITING
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Writing Rosemary Royston | Creative Writing Across Genres | |||||||||
Writing Annette Clapsaddle | The Body Keeps the Story | |||||||||
Writing Pamela Duncan | Fiction Writing - Focus on Craft | |||||||||
Writing Dana Wildsmith | What's in Your Writing Folder? | |||||||||
Writing Darnell Arnoult | Creative Nonfiction in a Flash | ![]() | ||||||||
Writing Valerie Nieman | The Breath of Life: Discovering and Depicting Characters | |||||||||
Writing Bobbie Pell | Poetry - The Wonders of Nature |
Tuesday, April 12, 2022
Poetry books by Scott Owens Here
Scott Owen's books are available in several places and because he appeared on Writers' Night Out on Zoom, you didn't get to see his books and buy his books that evening.
Scott sent a listing of his new books and where you can purchase them.
Wednesday, April 6, 2022
Poet Scott Owens , a friend of Netwest Writers, is featured at Writers' Night Out April 8
Scott Owens is the author of 16 collections of poetry and recipient of awards from the Academy of American Poets, the Pushcart Prize Anthology, the Next Generation/Indie Lit Awards, the NC Writers Network, the NC Poetry Society, and the Poetry Society of SC.
His newest collection, Sky Full of Stars and Dreaming has been nominated for a National Book Critics Circle Award. His book of poems for children, Worlds Enough, is due out from RedHawk Press later this year, as is a new collection of poetry entitled Prepositional. His poems have been featured on The Writer’s Almanac 7 times, and his articles about writing poetry have been used in Poet’s Market for several years.
Owens holds degrees
from Ohio University, UNC Charlotte, and UNC Greensboro. He is a Professor of Poetry at Lenoir Rhyne
University and the former editor of Wild Goose Poetry Review and Southern Poetry
Review. He owns and operates Taste Full Beans Coffeehouse and Gallery and coordinates
Poetry Hickory in Hickory, NC.
As you can see, Scott writes poetry, publishes poetry, and teaches others to write poetry. We are so honored to have him with us for Writers' Night Out.
Contact glendabeall@msn.com to receive the Zoom link and to read at Open Mic.
See you then.
Friday, April 1, 2022
Glass: A Journal of Poetry published Lines Written Under Hartsfield-Jackson Airport
Written in 2019, Karen's poem is even more relatable today. Read it and let us know what you think.
April is poetry month.
Want to share one of your poems here? Send only poems that have been published because most journals will not publish them after they have been published online.
Thursday, March 31, 2022
Tweetspeak Features Ukranian-American Poet Ilya Kaminsky
National Poetry Month: Poetry Matters
As Tweetspeak's "Poet Laura," my latest post honors poetry's place in the world. A poem has a unique way of becoming more than just its words. That's why social media has exploded lately with people sharing poetry expressing thoughts and feelings about Ukraine, and Ukrainian poets are wielding their creative power, even as they lose their homes.
Please visit the Tweetspeak Poetry site to read a sample of Ilya Kaminsky's work and find links to more information about him. You're invited to post (in the comments on the site) your unpublished poem or links to poems that speak to the human spirit in times of war.
And because April is poetry month, you'll also find an ars poetica by Geraldine Connolly, which emphasizes the importance of finding the right words.
Poet Laura, Tweetspeak Poetry, March 31, 2022
Karen Paul Holmes, 2022 Poet Laura, Tweetspeak Poetry |
Friday, March 25, 2022
Congratulations to Maren O. Mitchell
Maren O. Mitchell
Maren O. Mitchell, a County Representative of
NCWN-West for Georgia, has had the following poems published lately: the
November, 2021 issue of POEM: "I'd Like to Forget" and
"I See the Sounds of Time" - the December, 2021 issue of The
Orchards Poetry Journal: "February 6, second." - the #102
issue, The Optimist, of Poetry East: "Hope, you
stay with me when I have nothing else" - and the January 2022, issue
of The Lake: "Green" and "Orange, my-favorite-color."
Her chapbook, In my next life I plan... is forthcoming in 2022 from dancinggirl press.
Maren's poems appear in The Antigonish Review (Canada), Cider Press Review, Chiron Review, The Cortland Review, POEM, The Comstock Review, Tar River Poetry, Poetry East, Hotel Amerika, Appalachian Heritage, The South Carolina Review, Southern Humanities Review, Appalachian Journal and elsewhere.
Three poems, “X Is a Kiss on Paper," “T, Totally Balanced,” and "Bears, Ants and Avocados" have been nominated for Pushcart Prizes.
A North Carolina native, in her childhood, Maren O. Mitchell lived in Bordeaux, France, and Kaiserslautern, Germany. After moving throughout the southeast U.S., she now lives with her husband on the edge of a national forest in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia.
Monday, March 21, 2022
Writer Pat Zick to be Featured Reader for Mountain Wordsmiths
Pat Zick, who writes under the pseudonym of P.C. Zick, will be the featured guest reader for Mountain Wordsmiths on Thursday morning, March 24, at 10:30 via Zoom. This monthly event sponsored by the North Carolina Writers’ Network-West is continuing its online presence because local writers, as well as writers from other states and cities, are joining us each month on Zoom.
Zick writes in a variety of genres, including romance and contemporary fiction, as well as nonfiction. She's won various awards for her essays, columns, editorials, articles, and novels. Sharing her stories with others and helping aspiring writers realize their dreams motivate all her projects whether serving as an editor to others or creating books that entertain and inform her readers.
She will be reading several pieces of creative nonfiction and sharing an excerpt from her latest novel, which will be released later this year.
She and her husband split their time between Tallahassee, Florida, and the Smoky Mountains near Murphy, North Carolina, where they enjoy gardening, kayaking, golfing, and hiking. She has recently taken the position of Cherokee County, NC Representative for NCWN West. To learn more about the author, visit www.pczick.com.
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Pat Zick |
NC Writers’ Network-West is continuing to stay in touch by using technology to share our writing. We will offer writing events and writing classes online until we can safely meet face-to-face again. Many writers are enjoying the convenience and flexibility of Zoom meetings because we are able to include poets and writers from other locations.
We welcome those who were regulars at Coffee with the Poets and Writers who met at Moss Memorial Library. Those wishing to attend Mountain Wordsmiths may contact Carroll Taylor at vibiaperpetua@gmail.com to receive the Zoom link. Also, those who wish to participate in Open Mic may sign up upon entering the meeting. We welcome those who would simply like to listen to the beauty of wordsmithing.
Friday, March 11, 2022
Kenneth Chamlee, Distinguished Poet, Featured
NCPS News
Gilbert-Chappell Reading on March 14
Monday, February 28, 2022
Writers' Conference, Blue Ridge, GA, April 8-9
Poetry That Pops: Unexpected Word Pairings
Publishing in Journals & Anthologies:
Writers' Night Returns March 11 with Rosemary Royston on Zoom
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Thursday, February 24, 2022
20th Annual Spring Literary Festival at Western Carolina University, March 14-17
The 20th Annual Spring Literary Festival is happening soon at Western Carolina University! The festival spans March 14-17. All readings will be free and open to the public.
This year's visiting writers include Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Deesha Philyaw, Wiley Cash, Ashley M. Jones, Eduardo
Corral, Torrey Peters, Rachel Yoder, Kerry Howley, James Tate Hill, Ed Southern, Karen
Salyer McElmurray, Steve Scafidi, Brian Brodeur, Meagan Lucas, and Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet Kenneth Chamlee and the younger poets whom he's mentored this year. The Festival is a wonderful opportunity to hear so many acclaimed and talented writers in one place in WNC.
Readings take place at 12:00, 4:00, and 7:00 on all four days. Most are
held in the U.C. Theater in the A. K. Hinds University Center, 245 Memorial Dr, Cullowhee, NC 28723.
Wednesday, February 23, 2022
New Cherokee County Rep, Pat Zick
We are happy to welcome Pat Zick, author and editor, as the new Cherokee County Representative for NCWN-West. Soon members in that county will be receiving emails as Pat reaches out to meet you all and have you get to know her. Our county reps are a very important part of NCWN-West leadership.
Pat is a highly published writer and manuscript doctor. Visit her website to learn more about her.
Wow, she has been a busy writer. Check out her fiction titles and where you can find them.
During the past couple of years of the pandemic, Pat has worked with narrators to produce her romance novels as audible books.
We will post more about Pat and her plans for writers in Cherokee County North Carolina in the coming weeks.
Congratulations, Pat, and I look forward to working with you.
Sunday, February 13, 2022
Virtual Memoir Writing at Carl Sandburg Home Historic Site
Glenda Beall will lead a virtual writing workshop titled, "Inform, Enlighten and Entertain with Your True Life Stories" on Tuesday, March 22, from 7:00-9:00 pm ET.
There is no fee for this class so it is a great way to discover where to begin, how to organize, who to write about, and how much to include when you write your true stories.
And as important is knowing what to leave out. A memoir is about the interesting parts of your life, not every detail from birth to where you happen to be when you want to end the manuscript.
This workshop is open to writers of all skill levels and is a fun way to find inspiration from a new prompt or revise current work. It is hosted by the Friends of Carl Sandburg at Connemara and will use Zoom for the virtual connection. Click on this link to register for the FREE workship.