Carole on left, Karen on right at JCCFS

Carole Thompson, Netwest Rep for Georgia and Karen Holmes, Netwest News volunteer editor and publisher, kept the audience applauding last Thursday evening at the John C. Campbell Folk School for the monthly reading, Poets and Writers Reading Poems and Stories. Karen, who has been influenced by some of the poets she has seen in Atlanta, showed us an example of  performance poetry which had everyone laughing out loud.


Carole is always appealing to the audience with her casual ease and her variety of serious and light-hearted work.

This reading takes place with two members of NCWN West featured most months on the third Thursday.

FREE POETRY AND FICTION WRITING WORKSHOPS Will Be Held at Blue Ridge Bookfest in Flat Rock, NC this coming Friday and Saturday

The third annual Blue Ridge Bookfest is scheduled for May 20-21, 2011 at Blue Ridge Community College in Flat Rock, NC.  This literary festival brings together over 40 authors and hundreds of readers for a unique opportunity to meet, listen and share ideas.  The Bookfest itself has no admission fee.

A Poetry Writing Workshop taught by Instructor Nancy Simpson, (FREE) will be held on Friday afternoon, 1:30 - 3:00, and a (FREE) fiction writing workshop will follow. 

At 5:30, on May20th, there is a “Meet and Greet” Reception ($25.00/ticket).  This is a wonderful opportunity for the authors and the public to mingle over wine and substantial hors d’oeuvres.    Free activities resume at 6:30 p.m with a program featuring Ann B. Ross, the 2011 Bookfest Honoree and bestselling author.  This event includes an interview with Ms. Ross and a “Miss Julia” dramatization.

 Saturday, May 21, continues with free workshops, book exhibits, conversations with authors, sales and signings from 8:45 through 4:00 PM.  A group of NCWN West Representatives will be featurted on a panel discussion talking about  ECHOES ACROSS THE BLUE RIDGE: Glenda Beall Moderator, Rosemary Royston, Nancy Purcell, Editor Nancy Simpson, Jayne Jaudon Ferrer, Lana Hendershott and JC Walkup.

            

Glenda Beall, Panel Discussion Moderator,  will lead Netwest writers talking about ECHOES ACROSS THE BLUE RIDGE, an anthology of Appalachian poems, stories and essays to be featured and talked about at the Blue Ridge Bookfest.

NCWN West Program Coordinator will speak on the

Echoes Across the Blue Ridge panel. Recently she

presented a scholarly paper about this anthology before

the Southern Appalachian Studies Council in

Kentucky.

Author Jayne Jaudon Ferrer, NCWN West Representative 

from South Carolina and others will speak on the ECHOES 

ACROSS THE BLUE RIDGE  panel.

The complete Bookfest program listing of the activities, authors, area lodging, and directions to the Blue Ridge Community College can be found at www.blueridgebookfest.org.  Questions concerning the Blue Ridge Bookfest may be directed to Tom McCain (828-692-3267) or Bill Ramsey (828-698-1022)

Robert S. King, Poet and Director of FutureCycle

I spent an interesting evening with poet and publisher, Robert S. King and his wife, Diane. I asked questions, and they tried their best to educate me about the world of small press publishing. My head was spinning when I left, trying to keep everything in mind. I am sure I'll be asking them more questions in the future.
Robert is a well-published poet who was featured recently on Living Above the Frost Line. Since retiring in  2010 he has been devoting himself full-time to writing, editing, and publishing. Diane works for the publishing company and has been extremely busy reading manuscripts submitted for their latest contest.She said at one time she was a dedicated writer and poet, but is now engrossed totally in publishing.

Robert is currently the Director of FutureCycle Press,  http://www.futurecycle.org/  and serves as President of the Georgia Poetry Society (http://www.georgiapoetrysociety.org/). Additionally, he is a member of the Georgia Writers Association and the North Carolina Writers Network.

Having recently moved to the mountains of North Georgia, bordering North Carolina and Tennessee, Robert was surprised to find so many writers in the area. We are pleased to see him at the critique groups and readings in Murphy, Hiawassee, and Hayesville.


I am enjoying Robert's poetry book, The Hunted River, and  I am impressed with FutureCycle Press, the website, and the knowledge of writing, editing and publishing shared with me by Robert and Diane -- generous people.

By the way, if you aren't a poet, the press also publishes original flash fiction. Look on the website for their FutureCycle Flash Fiction Book Prize which includes a $500 award plus publication.

**************************************************************************

May Folk School Readings

Mark your calendar now for Thursday, May 19, 7:00 pm, Keith House at the John C. Campbell Folk School. May's readers are Carole Thompson and Karen Paul Holmes. Both Carole and Karen are published poets whose work you will enjoy hearing. The event is open to the public and there is no fee. Hope to see you there!

20TH ANNUAL CLAY COUNTY HISTORICAL AND ARTS POETRY CONTEST Names the Winners

First Place, Brenda Kay Ledford, Second Place Linda M. Smith. Third Place Kim Chastain (not pictured)

Winners of the Clay County Historical and Arts Council Poetry Contest read their poems and received their awards on May 5, 2011 at Hayesville High School Lecture Hall. The contest was judged by poet Nancy Simpson.

Nancy Simpson was presented a painting and plaque from the Clay County Historical Arts Council which read: To Nancy Simpson in appreciation for her years of devotion to the creative and cultural development of student and adults in Clay County.














painting by Reba Beck.

COFFEE WITH THE POETS: NANCY DILLINGHAM & CELIA MILES

THIS MONTH'S SYLVA COFFEE WITH THE POETS (10:30 A.M. , MAY 19, AT CITY LIGHTS BOOKSTORE) WILL WELCOME POET NANCY DILLINGHAM AND FICTION WRITER CELIA MILES. SHE AND CELIA ARE THE EDITORS OF THE ANTHOLOGIES CHRISTMAS PRESENCE, CLOTHESLINES AND A FORTHCOMING ANTHOLOGY FOCUSED ON WOMEN FINDING THEIR "PLACE." NANCY AND CELIA WILL DISCUSS THEIR ADVENTURES AS EDITORS, AND NANCY WILL READ FROM HER NEW BOOK OF POETRY. THIS PROMISES TO BE A FASCINATING PROGRAM, SO PLEASE JOIN US FOR COFFEE AND TREATS, BOTH EDIBLE AND LITERARY.

Celia's novels are A Thyme for Love, ThymeTable Mill, Mattie’s Girl: An Appalachian Childhood, Sarranda, and (in 2010) Journey to Stenness. Two short story collections are On a Slant: A Collection of Stories and Islands One and All: Stories and Otherwise. Nancy's books of poetry include include Home, recently nominated for a SIBA book Award in Poetry. Here's an interesting post from Kaye w. Barley's blog. http://www.meanderingsandmuses.com/2010/09/movin-on-by-nancy-dillingham.html.

COFFEE WITH THE POETS

Glenda Beall presided over "Coffee With the Poets" on Wednesday, May 11. It was held in the new location at Cafe Touche, Main Street, Hayesville, NC. Several writers attended the event.

Wayne Drumheller of Brevard, NC, and NCWN Board Trustee, visited "Coffee With the Poets." He spoke about current happenings with the Network and the upcoming Fall Conference in Asheville and encouraged everyone to attend.

Mary Ricketson was the featured poet this month. She also recently won the gold medal for a poem with the Cherokee County Silver Arts Contest. Congratulations, Mary!

Liz Bleaurer, owner of Cafe Touche, welcomed people to her lovely cafe.

Mary (Mike) Michelle Keller read a poem filled with beautiful imagery.

Clarence and Lorraine Newton, and Blanche L. Ledford attended "Coffee With the Poets." Clarence also read a poem.

Bob Grove chuckles during a light moment at "Coffee With the Poets." He also read a poem during open mic.

Carole Thompson enjoys a snack at "Coffee With the Poets."

EVENING WITH THE ARTS

Nancy Simpson judged this year's Clay County Historical and Arts' Council Poetry Contest. She read from her book, LIVING ABOVE THE FROST LINE, during "Evening With the Arts" at Hayesville High School Lecture Hall on May 5. She and retired art teacher, Reba Beck, formed this annual event 20 years ago to celebrate the arts in our community and schools.

Nancy Simpson's book, LIVING ABOVE THE FROST LINE, was published by Carolina Wren Press.

Linda Smith's poem, "Josie's Sunday," won second place.

Bob Grove's poem about an old house received honorable mention.

Brenda Kay Ledford's poem, "Beckoning," won first place in the Clay County Historical and Arts' Council Poetry Contest. She read her poem during "Evening With the Arts" at Hayesville High School Lecture Hall on May 5.

Other adults who won the poetry contest include: Amber Johnson, honorable mention and Mrs. Lamar Chastain, third place.

Mountain Writers of NC

Jacquelyn Frank, a NY Times best selling author, will speak at the Mountain Writers meeting, Tuesday, May 10 at 1:00 at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville, NC.
A paranormal romance writer, she'll talk about building worlds--creating the worlds in which our characters live. Check out her website, http://www.jacquelynfrank.com/, to see her work.



Contact Merry Elrick for more information

Mountain Writers of NC

http://www.mountainwritersnc.com/

merryelrick@mac.com

May's Writers' Night Out

Friday the 13th of May will be lucky for audiences who come hear poet Robert W. Kimsey at 7 p.m. at Mountain Perk Coffee House in Hiawassee. To celebrate the first anniversary of Writers’ Night Out, one lucky audience member will win a book. Also, those who’d like to share their own poetry or fiction can participate in the
open microphone portion of the program following Kimsey’s reading.

Kimsey is a retired technical writer and illustrator who lives in McCaysville, GA. His poems have appeared in print and online publications including Kudzu, Pegasus, Southern Ocean Review, New Southerner and various anthologies. He is a member of the Georgia Poetry Society and was the judge for their youth contest in 2010. He is also a member of, and has won various awards from, the Kentucky Poetry Society. Robert has taught workshops in Ohio, Kentucky and Georgia, as well as at the Blue Ridge Writer’s Conference. Paths From the Shawnee Spring is the title of his first poetry chapbook. His new chapbook, Air Swimmer, is due out in May.

Writers’ Night Out takes place on the second Friday of each month at Mountain Perk Coffee House, 1390 Highway 76 East in Chatuge Harbor Plaza across from Towns County High School. The evening is free and open to the public. Food, gourmet coffees and other refreshments are available for purchase. Those interested in reading at the open microphone may sign up at the event. Each writer can read for up to
three minutes.

Writers’ Night Out moved to its current location last month when Green To Bean Coffee House closed. The event began a year ago and has steadily grown in popularity. Mountain Perk offers a larger space to accommodate the usual audience of 30 or more people from four counties. It’s a relaxed and fun atmosphere for anyone who loves the written word.

For more information, please contact Karen Holmes at (404) 316-8466 or
kpaulholmes@gmail.com, or call Mountain Perk at (706) 896-0504.

Which Lit Journal Shall You Read?

We all know that to be good writers we must constantly be readers. A colleague of mine recently directed me to this website, Every Writer’s Resource.com. This entity has selected “Top 50 Lit Journals” (see the website for criteria and list). If you are looking to subscribe to a new journal, I recommend this list, along with the website itself. As opposed to my other favorite website (www.newpages.com), Every Writer’s Resource.com takes a more historical approach to the written word, which I like - -it helps fill in any gaps we may have particularly as poets. If you click on the Poets section, you’ll find Thomas Hardy, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Phillis Wheatley, and Matthew Arnold to name just a few.

Back to the lit journals, I have been or am a subscriber to a few of them. My personal favorites include Crazy Horse (nice shape, interesting voices), Black Warrior Review (for its very oddness), Poetry (for the “comment” section as much as for the poetry), the Georgia Review (always something good in its pages), and the Southern Review (always something fresh). If you subscribe to the others on the list, I'd love to know your opinion. I’ve let a lot of my subscriptions slip lately due to the economy, but I’m going to choose a new one for this year…and it’ll be one I haven’t read yet. Here’s to happy reading and happy writing!

MARY RICKETSON READS AT COFFEE WITH THE POETS IN HAYESVILLE

Coffee with the Poets has moved to Cafe Touche,  at 82 Main Street in Hayesville, NC. Liz Bleauer, owner of the shop  serves the best coffee and has an ample menu of other goodies. She has outside seating available, but we will meet inside.The next meeting is on Wednesday, May 11, at 10:30 AM. with Mary Ricketson as the featured reader.




Mary Ricketson  has a long career as a Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor in rural western North Carolina. She has a special interest in women’s issues, victims of abuse, and family and couple relationships. Her work is well known locally. She is listed in Who’s Who in American Women.

She lives in a hand made house in the woods where she planted and maintains an organic blueberry farm. Her poems reflect her connections with a wealth of people and her close bond with the earth.
Mary has been writing poetry for twenty years and has completed a chapbook, I Hear the River Call My Name, published in 2007 by Finishing Line Press.
Her poetry has been published in Lights in the Mountains, Freeing Jonah IV, various magazines, and in Disorgananza, a private collection distributed among family and friends in 2000. For fifteen years she has written a monthly column, Woman to Woman, for a weekly newspaper in Murphy, NC, The Cherokee Scout. She is a member of North Carolina Writers Network.

With a new venue, comes a new format for CWP. We will be inviting out of town guests to read along with our local poets in the future. This month we expect a visit from Wayne Drumheller, member of the  NCWN Board of Directors. Wayne didn't indicate that he planned to read, but he would like to meet members in the area, so please come  and enjoy the morning with him and other writers.

This event is open to the community and everyone is urged to bring a poem or a short prose piece to share at Open Mic.

Social Media? Who Needs It?

Ronda Birtha talks about her upcoming class on Social Media and its importance to writers.

A pre-class prep talk to ease the nerves of non-tech-savvy attendees. This is not a technology class!
Overview: 3 hours.
1. Introduction to Social Media for marketing (1 hr)
Why Social Media is Necessary for your Marketing Strategy?
What do you mean, ‘be social’?
2. What you need to Start and Maintain a Blog (1hr)
3. Getting started with Facebook (1hr)
What kind of writer are you? Is your satisfaction complete when you pen your last word, or make your final edit? Are you the kind of writer that is completely satisfied with having friends and family read your manuscript? Or do you want more? Do you want people to talk about your book (favorably, of course)? Word of mouth has always been a powerful tool, but let’s consider how it works today.
When someone has some juicy information, a valuable recommendation, meaningful insight (or, not so meaningful), even a scathing review, it is talked about, not just in someone’s ear, but online, in the powerful and pervasive social media context. If you want people to talk about your book then that is where you have to get the conversation going: in the social media pool.
If you are concerned about getting started because of having limited computer knowledge or experience, rest assured, the most difficult part of engaging in social media is the commitment you will need to stick with it. The first word in Social Media Marketing, is, indeed, Social, and that is where our classroom conversation will begin. What does it mean to be social, how does one become social? The answers to these often-neglected, yet highly important questions, will help fortify your nerve and strengthen your resolve to stick with your social media marketing efforts.
Technologically speaking, what do you need at minimum to start?
Access to a computer that has an internet connection (preferably more than dial-up). Computer access will not be needed for this class, however, so breath easy (at least for now).
I don’t want to oversimplify the process or the methods, especially since many aspects of social media marketing are still very much an art form and not a science (like medicine), and are prone to surprise and confound us. But if we remember that many things in life surprise and confound us, we will not inflate our expectations.

There is no magic button that will set everything up for us. There is no secret preference that we have to click on to make people visit our site, comment on our blog, respond to our Facebook status updates. It takes work, and effort … like most worthwhile things.
So bring a positive attitude and a pen to take notes.

Ronda L. Birtha is a freelance photographer, writer and social media consultant. She can be contacted at rbirtha@rondabirtha.com. Her photography can be viewed at www.rondabirtha.com

The class will be held at Writers Circle, 581 Chatuge Lane, Hayesville, NC
Contact glendabeall@msn.com for registration information or visit www.glendacouncilbeall.blogspot.com

COFFEE WITH THE POETS AT CITY LIGHTS BOOK STORE IN SYLVA,NC

Thurs. 4/21 at 10:30 a.m.

Coffee with the Poet This Thursday at 10:30 a.m.
Coffee with the Poet will meet on Thursday, April 21st at 10:30 a.m. and will feature poet Rosemary Royston from Young-Harris, Georgia. The monthly third-Thursday-of-the-month event features an opportunity to meet a local poet and hear an informal reading. It is co-sponsored by NetWest and City Lights.

Rosemary received her MFA in Writing from Spalding University in Louisville, KY. Her poetry has been published in The Comstock Review, Main Street Rag,Alehouse, Literal Latte, Public Republic, and Dark Sky Magazine. A chapbook,Splitting the Soil, will be published in late 2011 or early 2012. Her essays on writing poetry are forthcoming in Women and Poetry: Tips on Writing, Teaching and Publishing by Successful Women Poets. She was the recipient of the 2010 Literal Latte Food Verse Award, and she was the 2004 recipient of first and third place in poetry, Porter Fleming Literary Awards. She currently serves as the Program Coordinator for the North Carolina Writers Network-West. Her blog can be found at http://theluxuryoftrees.wordpress.com/
 

April Folk School Reading

Come out to the Keith House at the John C. Campbell Folk School on Thursday, April 21st, at 7 pm to hear Nancy Simpson and Peg Russell read their work. The event is free and open to the public. You are guaranteed to enjoy what you hear and also to meet people who are taking classes during the week at the Folk School. In May NCWN-West readers will be Karen Holmes and Carole Thompson. Hope to see you there!

Spring Conference in Greensboro, NC

Have you lived - or found - a fascinating true story, but need help capturing it on paper so that it reads like a great novel? You can find that help at the North Carolina Writers' Network's upcoming Spring Conference, Saturday, April 30, at UNC Greensboro.




Marianne Gingher's all-day workshop will inform you how to analyze a narrative's possibilities and how to mine " forgotten stories." You will also learn how to create suspense and make your story truly distinctive, however weird, wild, or provocative it might be. Gingher is the author of highly acclaimed nonfiction and fiction, and has taught at some of the top writing conferences in the United States. Currently, she is professor of English and comparative literature at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

Award-winning journalist Paul Cuadros's workshop will give you the nuts and bolts of nonfiction memoir and narrative writing: researching the idea, crafting a nonfiction book proposal, and employing narrative journalism techniques of reporting. He will use his book, A Home on the Field, as a template. It has been described as "a parable in the tradition of Stand and Deliver and Hoosiers-a story of one team and their accidental coach who became certain heroes to the whole community." He will also discuss selling your manuscript to a publisher and effectively promoting your book.


For several years I attended the NCWN Spring Conference in Greensboro and enjoyed all the classes, meeting the faculty and other writers from "all over."
Ed Southern and Virginia Freedman are there bright and early on Saturday to get things underway. One year I volunteered to help  give out the folders. It is a fun day and everyone goes home with tons of ideas swirling in their brains. I hope our Netwest members will attend if they aren't planning to be at Writers Circle for a workshop with JoAnn Dropp on April 30. (: )

The website where you can read about the faculty and register online is
http://www.ncwriters.org/

Photos of Netwest Members at CWP on Wednesday

Carolyn Johnson, a long time member of Netwest Linda Smith posts Netwest events in local newspapers and schedules the John C. Campbell Folk School readings Marjorie Hobkirk listens intently to Brenda's reading at Coffee with the Poets.

Coffee with the Poets - Last time at Phillips and Lloyd

Wednesday was our last time to meet at Phillips and Lloyd Books in Hayesville. Elizabeth Rybicki, who has graciously hosted us at the Dessertery in her store, is remodeling and bringing in the Yarn Shop as part of her store now. Our last day was memorable and who better to end our stint at the book store than Brenda Kay Ledford. She not only shared work from Simplicity, her collabration with her mother, Blanche Ledford, but she played harmonica as part of her presentation. Once again, Brenda surprised us with another facet of her various abilities. Bob Grove (above) read a piece from his yet to be published memoir. Karen Holmes (above) read one of her poems. Karen also shared with us the delightful time she had at the Gathering of Poets last weekend.

Brenda Kay played harmonica between poems and stories.

We are all saddened that we won't be meeting at Crumpet's Dessertery with Elizabeth (above) but Coffee with the Poets will continue next month on the second Wednesday of the month, as usual. Check this blog for more information later.

Rosemary Royston, Congratulations!

Congratulations to our Program Coordinator, Rosemary Royston. Her poetry chapbook, Splitting the Soil, will be published by Redneck Press.

This excerpt is from the website of Redneck Press:

Rosemary Royston’s chapbook Splitting the Soil will be published in late 2011/early 2012. Rosemary is a poet and writer who has lived in the foothills of the Southern Appalachians for the last sixteen years. A native of north Georgia, she studied at Young Harris College, The University of Georgia, and received her MFA in Writing from Spalding University in Louisville, KY.

Rosemary’s poetry has been published in The Comstock Review, Main Street Rag, Alehouse, Literal Latte, Public Republic, and Dark Sky Magazine. Her essays on writing poetry are forthcoming in Women and Poetry: Tips on Writing, Teaching and Publishing by Successful Women Poets, McFarland.

She was the recipient of the 2010 Literal Latte Food Verse Award, and she was the 2004 recipient of first and third place in poetry, Porter Fleming Literary Awards. She currently serves as the Program Coordinator for the North Carolina Writers Network-West. http://theluxuryoftrees.wordpress.com/

Poetry Contest

Poets living in NC and GA – pay close attention to this blog announcement, as YOU meet the criteria to enter the first ever Byron Herbert Reece Society Poetry Contest. For those unfamiliar with Reece, he was an Appalachian poet, fiction writer, farmer, and teacher. His life was too short, but he lived with great feeling, which is expressed through his poetry and fiction. You may learn more about Reece here: http://www.byronherbertreecesociety.org/bhr_theman.htm. Currently, the Reece property in Blairsville, Georgia, is being developed to house an amphitheatre, Reece’s writing studio, a visitor center, farm equipment of Reece’s, and nature trails. It is the mission on the Byron Herbert Reece Society (of which I’m a member) to preserve, perpetuate, and promote the literary and cultural legacy of Byron Herbert Reece. For the contest, there is no theme, and all judging is blind (as a board member I will NOT be participating). The only requirement is that you live in NC, TN, VA, WV, KY or GA. Jim Clark will select the winning poem, and the poet will receive $300 and the opportunity to read her or his poem at the Society’s annual meeting in summer 2011. To enter, fill out the entry form, send three poems and your $15 entry fee. Details are here: http://www.byronherbertreecesociety.org/poetry_contest.htm. Send your best, postmarked by May 2, 2011.

--Rosemary Royston

COFFEE WITH THE POETS

Brenda Kay Ledford will be featured during Coffee With the Poets at Phillips & Lloyd Book Shop in Hayesville, NC on Wednesday, April 13, 10:30 a.m.

Ledford is a native of Clay County, NC. She earned a MA in education from Western Carolina University and did post-graduate work at the University of Tennessee. Her writing has appeared in many publications including Our State, Pembroke Magazine, Appalachian Heritage, Broad River Review (Gardner-Webb University), Echoes Across the Blue Ridge, The Reach of Song, other journals and anthologies.

She’s listed with A Directory of American Poets and Fiction Writers and Who’s Who in America. Ledford is a member of North Carolina Writers’ Network West, North Carolina Poetry Society, North Carolina Storytelling Guild, and chaplain for the Clay County Eastern Star.

Ledford received the Paul Green Award from North Carolina Society of Historians for her three poetry chapbooks: Patchwork Memories, Shewbird Mountain, and Sacred Fire. She also won the award for collecting oral history on Velma Beam Moore, a prominent citizen of Clay County.

Recently, Ledford co-authored the book, Simplicity, with her mother, Blanche L. Ledford. It’s a collection of poetry and prose about Clay County and coincides with the sesquicentennial celebration of our county. Simplicity is available at: Phillips & Lloyd Book Shop, Hayesville, NC.

Writers' Night Out Moves to Mountain Perk

It’s the place to be once a month in Hiawassee: Writers’ Night Out. The event, which draws 30 or more people from four counties, has a new home at Mountain Perk, across from Towns County High School. This month, writer Ron Salzer will be featured on April 15 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 following Salzer’s reading.

Salzer has entertained audiences with his humor at the Writers’ Night Open Mic for the last year. In addition to writing fiction, he has been a sculptor of iron for over 40 years and builds private property bridges nationwide as president of Bridges to the Other Side, Inc. Salzer lives in Hayesville, NC with his wife Charlotte.

Writers’ Night Out was formerly at Green To Bean Coffee House, which recently closed. The event now takes place at the larger Mountain Perk, located at 1390 Highway 76 East in Chatuge Harbor plaza in Hiawassee. The evening is free and open to the public. Food, gourmet coffees and other refreshments are available for purchase. Those interested in reading at the open microphone may sign up at the event. Each writer will have three minutes to read.

In addition, music will be performed by award-winning songwriter, Wyatt Espalin, who recently moved back to his native Hiawassee after a stint in Nashville. He delighted the audience at last month’s Writers’ Night Out.

Usually on the second Friday of the month at 7 p.m., Writers’ Night Out has been changed to the third Friday for April. Beginning on May 13, the event will resume its normal schedule on second Fridays.

For more information, please contact Karen Holmes at (404) 316-8466 or kpaulholmes@gmail.com, or call Mountain Perk at (706) 896-0504.

BLUE RIDGE WRITER'S CONFERENCE

Glenda Beall, Brenda Kay Ledford, Bob Grove, and Carol Smucker attended the 14th annual Blue Ridge Writer's Conference at the Arts Center in downtown Blue Ridge, Georgia on April 2.

Robert Lee Brewer, senior editor of WRITER'S MARKET and POET'S MARKET, spoke about marketing your work and launching your career.

Scott Owens, editor of "Wild Goose Poetry Review," spoke about writing prompts and online journals.

C. Hope Clark, editor of the website, "Funds for Writers," was one of the speakers.

Celia Miles, co-editor of CHRISTMAS PRESENCE and CLOTHES LINES, attended the conference.

Diana Smith and Jo Carolyn Beebe

Cowan's Book Nook of Blue Ridge, GA sold books for the authors.

WORDS ANTHOLOGY

Tom Davis, editor and publisher of Old Mountain Press, recently released WORDS, a Poetry and Prose Anthology. Brenda Kay Ledford's poem, "Reach of Words," appeared in this collection. Her works have been included in all 15 Old Mountain Press anthologies. Blanche L. Ledford' short story, "Fainting Words," was included in WORDS. Barbara Ledford Wright' essay, "Fruit of Our Words," also appeared in this collection. Only writers previously published in Old Mountain Press were eligible to submit to WORDS, or persons recommended by these contributors. Writers with works in this anthology include: Jim Clark, Celia Miles, Nancy Dillingham, Al Manning, Debra Elramey, C. Pleasants York, Ed Cockrell, Tom Davis, Jo Barbara Taylor, Dr. Lynn Veach Sadler, Mark Harden, and others. Marian Kaplun Shapiro, thrice Senior Poet Laureate of Massachusetts, volunteered to judge the contest for this anthology. Mark E. Harden's poem, "Gun Line," won the Best of the Best Award. Honorable mentions included: Michael Colonnese, David Treadway Manning, and Jerome Norris. For more information about WORDS, go to: www.OldMountainPress.com.

Another Review for Living Above the Frost Line Forthcoming

I am very pleased to share that my review of Living Above the Frost Line was just accepted by Prairie Schooner! Let's hear it for Nancy's great work, which will be recognized in this wonderful journal. If you are not familiar with Prairie Schooner, check them out here: http://prairieschooner.unl.edu/index.html. As soon as I know the actual publication date, I will share. Join me in congratulating Nancy on her great work being reviewed by such a great journal.

WHAT DAVID CHORLTON SAYS ABOUT NANCY SIMPSON'S POETRY COLLECTION

Living Above the Frost Line: New and Selected Poems

By Nancy Simpson. Reviewed by David Chorlton.

Living Above the Frost Line: New and Selected Poems, by Nancy Simpson, 2010, Carolina Wren Press, 108 pp., paper, ISBN 978-0-932112-61-3, $15.95. Reviewed by David Chorlton.

This is not a book of poetry which grabs its reader’s attention with spectacular lines and extroverted virtuosity, rather a more contemplative one. While the language is generally uncomplicated, it has momentum and holds interest with a grasp of concrete imagery. The virtues in Nancy Simpson’s works include restraint and humility, as well as being firmly set in natural surroundings; for example, "On a Mountain in an Unfinished Cabin" (in the opening section with poems from 1977-81) ends with this stanza:

I am among the living.

So many trees,

I make an agreement with leaves,

acting silly, singing-

Give me all your oxygen,

I’ll give you CO2.

Wegia is pleased. It rains.

We watch the sun set as if visible.

While many of these poems grow from the details of daily life, such as waiting at the mailbox or watching for "Carolina Bluebirds" and noting the date they arrive (December 3rd), there is frequently an underlying drama not far away. "The Wreck" is short and well paced in providing the information that leads from:

Witnesses saw it all, heard the crash,

the speeding blue Camaro stopped dead

at Pinelog Bridge. Sam Beck insists

he saw a man fly through the windshield,

to:

Something in me moving fast

wants to fly out through my eyes

like a body thrown free of the wreck.

One of the later poems, describing a walk around Knowles Lake with a granddaughter, highlights the balance of an everyday life within its radius of personal concern and the natural world. In this case, the walkers see a turtle heading into traffic and are able to steer it to safety. We care for what we can, while greater forces often conspire to leave a feeling of despair.

"Voices from the Fringe" is the most ambitious poem in the book, interweaving public and personal aspects of the Gulf War. The way war slips into our lives far from the battleground itself is first expressed when news of hostilities beginning is announced on the radio between music by Mozart and Haydn. "Who wants war?/I’ve only just started to stop/grieving over the last one." The poem reads meaningfully as a journal of the war and voices raised against it domestically. For all the implicit horror, the author remains steady and focused as she quotes Norman Schwarzkopf ("We are softening the battlefield") and notes that "Today President Bush wants us to pray." A daughter tells her mother not worry, and after a message from her son a mother says "That was/the last I heard from him." Then confetti, not bombs, falls amid the fervent cheering in Manhattan.

So much of this book hinges on considering what is happening on a vast scale as opposed to the scale of an individual’s life. "Small Scope" is a gentle enough poem, layering observations from the spreading asphalt to a skunk’s carcass on the road to a walk along the beach, and concluding with "I see myself/and all of us, minute." It is interesting to find one of the more dramatic beginnings to "This Night": "Insomnia is a mountain and grief/is a lion gripping my throat." This time it is mourning that occupies the subconscious without letting go. Throughout, each small gesture points to a more universal one, and more than a tree is lost when an oak dies and something more is gained when the cicadas arrive.

Nancy Simpson is very good at showing her readers that looking around them will reveal more pleasures than expected, and yet she never leaves the mistaken impression that they live in an untainted or unthreatened world. Here is the ending of her reflection on "Network News," a poem with more than a dash of her folksy wisdom:

Would it be better to turn off

the set, refuse to hear, maybe

make up a lie or two of my own?

I have to make myself laugh

sometimes or go mad

and my gods help me do that.

It is satisfying to find a deserving poet well represented by this selection from more than thirty years of looking at her world and writing about it with heart.

Want to buy a copy from Carolina Wren Press?


http://carolinawrenpress.org/books-and-merchandise/poetry/living-above-the-frost-line


or on line at Amazon.com

Basic Blogging Terms

Not everyone is familiar with blogging terms, even some of us who have blogs.

Below are a few basic words used in the blogging world that might prove helpful.

BLOGGING

• Weblog- An online dated diary listing your periodic thoughts on a specific topic, often in reverse chronological order.

• Blog - short form for weblog

• Blogging - the act of posting on blogs

• Blogger - a person who blogs

• Blogosphere - The internet blogging community



BLOG COMPONENTS AND FUNCTIONS

• Index page - the front page fo the blog

• Header - the topmost part of the blog usually listing the blog title.

• Footer - the most bottom part of the blog usually listing navigation and copyright statements

• Sidebar - One or more columns along one or both sides of most blogs main page

• Categories - A collection of topic specific posts

• Post, Entry- individual articles that make up a blog

• Comments - enabling readers to leave their remarks

Spring/Summer Folk School Readings

Thanks to Linda Smith who organizes our readings at the John C Campbell Folk School. Mark your calendars now for upcoming spring/summer readings, which are the third Thursday of each month at 7 pm, Keith House.

April 21 - Nancy Simpson and Peg Russell
May 19 - Karen Holmes and Carole Thompson
June 16 - Brenda Kay Ledford and Glenda Beall
August 18-Bob Grove and Glenda Barrett

OOPS, Corrected Janice's website below. Try again

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.”

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.

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.

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.