Netwest Represented at the Blue Ridge Writers' Conference

Writers filling seats for afternoon session

I am taking a break from working on taxes to post about the Blue Ridge Writers Conference in Blue Ridge, GA last weekend. A number of Netwest members were there and one, Robert S. King, presented two sessions on publishing.


I have attended all fifteen years since this event began and have never come away feeling I didn't get my money's worth. This year I went to the Friday night reception and met some writers from Atlanta. Robert Kimsey and Robert S. King were both there and both were speakers on Saturday. Because I was particularly interested in Jessica Handler, having seen write ups about her online, I attended both her sessions and bought her book, Invisible Sisters. I am reading it now and find it fascinating.

Amy Greene, the keynote speaker, held us all spell bound with excerpts from her novel, Bloodroot, a best seller. She writes with a pure Appalachian voice. Maybe that is because she is from East Tennessee. Her characters will grab you, and you can't put the book down. I heard some say they had read all night because they couldn't stop until they finished. Carol Crawford, who heads up this conference each year, warned me to keep the tissues handy.

Nancy Knight from Atlanta was a founder of BelleBooks, a publishing firm that many of us recognize. Kathryn McGendie has published three novels, I believe, with them. Nancy is also an agent and was chock full of valuable information for writers. I was so happy when she went through a list to tell us the recommended word count for most popular genres such as mystery, thrillers, romance, science fiction, westerns and others. That is a question I hear from my students and I simply have never researched to find the answer.

Linda Ray of Curiosity Books in Murphy, with her assistant, Laurie, did a fine job of managing the book sales. How nice she was to let us local writers keep the full sale price of our books. She took no commission for selling them. Thanks so much Linda.

Echoes sold well at conference

The following is from Carole Thompson, Netwest Representative for the Georgia counties. She said, "Of course, seeing fellow writers and friends again was one of the best things about the Blue Ridge Writers' Conference. Our hosts were gracious, and the food was excellent.
Keynote speaker, Amy Greene's, review of her wonderful book, "Bloodroot" almost made me believe in "Haints". What was outstanding, was the wide variety of subjects covered by the speakers.
Quinlan Lee helped me understand the role an Agent plays in getting your manuscript to large publishing houses, plus hints to make any of your writings more dynamic to the reader, especially as it relates to children's books. I attended both her workshops.
Robert King discussed the advantages /disadvantages of self-publishing, and gave all of us a clearer idea of how the world of online publishing works.



Robert Kimsey

 Once again, Robert Kimsey kept us riveted to our seats as he illustrated through his own poetry why we need to make OUR poetry witnesses to events that burn themselves in our memory.
My final conference hour was spent with Stellasue Lee, a brilliant writer and editor, sharing her knowledge, through her own life-changing experience, of how it is possible to "Say the unsayable" in our poetry. I am sure the other speakers made a good impression, also, and I am sorry I couldn't hear them all."

Like Carole, I wish I had been able to attend every presentation, but was limited to four. I couldn't stay for the last hour, but I know it was just as good as the others. I advise all writers, poets and those who want to write, and who live within driving distance, to make plans now to attend the Blue Ridge Writers' Conference next year. It is usually held in March. Find the Blue Ridge Mountain Arts Association online and check to find the date for next year.

Interview with Celia Miles, Author and Editor.

CELIA MILES, editor, author of nine novels

  Glenda Beall: I am delighted to have the opportunity to share an interview with Celia Miles. Many of us know her novels and the three anthologies she co-edited with Nancy Dillingham. Welcome to Netwest Writers, Celia.


Thank you, Glenda, for inviting me to answer questions about my writing and background.


*You are a native of Canton, NC? Tell us about growing up there. Where did you go to school? I know you are an editor and a writer. What was your major in college?


Actually I’m a native of Jackson County, born back beyond Dillsboro. We moved “to town” (Morganton) after my sixth grade (and had the indoor amenities for the first time) and to Canton in my eighth grade. My father was moved “from the woods” to work at the paper mill and I finished high school there. From there, it was Brevard College, then Berea, UNC-Chapel Hill, and later, to IUP in Pennsylvania. My Mattie’s Girl: An Appalachian Childhood, though not my life, is true to the time and place of my first twelve years, summed up, in someone’s phrase: “too poor to know any better.” I majored in English and taught at Brevard College, then at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College for thirty years.


*When did you know you wanted to be a writer? When did you first say “I am a writer?”


In high school, I wrote a long novel, on Blue Horse notebook paper, set as far away as possible with a hero as handsome as possible (probably modeled on Mark Trail (Anyone remember him? or have I invented him?); thankfully that missile has long since disappeared. For years my writing was academic and I co-authored a textbook for the two-year college market: Writing Technical Reports (Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 1990).


My creative writing began with courses I took in continuing education at AB Tech on “Writing the Natural Way” (that one I had to take twice!), “Writing the Romance Novel,” “Writing the Novel,” all taught by published writers. People often think: oh, an English teacher…writing must be a cinch for you or writing must be easy. Not so. I had to “unlock” the right side of my brain and “unlearn” the censorship of the evaluating grammarian/teacher. Those courses started me on “writing for pleasure, if not profit.”

*How many novels have you written? What was the first one?


I have five novels. The first, Mattie’s Girl, was a collection of vignettes, individual episodes, until a class with Bill Brooks got it moving toward the novel form (“create a hook,” “introduce conflict immediately,” etc.). I smile when I count the two “sweet” (as opposed to “steamy”) romances; A Thyme for Love grew out of the romance novel class—and in it I included my interest in photography and herbs. (a friend commented on seeing the book, “I can’t believe Celia misspelled a word in the title!”) Then came its sequel: ThymeTable Mill in which I incorporated my love of old grist mills, along with another love story of older people. Both set around Asheville. Sarranda is a historical novel set before, during, after the Civil War, a story of survival in brutal times. Surprising me, Sarranda appeared to the heroine of ThymeTable Mill who is restoring an old mill, saying essentially “this was my grandfather’s mill…I can rest now that I know it’s in good hands.” She demanded a novel of her own and I finished it in six weeks. Its sequel is taking much longer!


*ThymeTable Mill and Sarranda, describe them.


ThymeTable Mill is contemporary but the heroine goes around to various old grist mills in this area, interviewing and photographing, with emphasis on the Francis Mill in Haywood County. Sarranda—definitely historical—is the story of a strong woman, born around 1840, coping in the worst of times, during and following the Civil War.

Research

*Do you enjoy researching your books?


I don’t particularly enjoy research, but I do enjoy having the internet to make it easy: finding NC regiments in the Civil War, prison camps, etc. For Sarranda’s Heart, the sequel, I had to find, among other things, if home canning and cook stoves would have been likely in western NC in 1881. And I love learning of old mills, finding, and photographing them and invite anyone with information about them to let me know.


*You have an abiding interest in stone circles such as Stonehenge, but you seem to like the smaller ones in rural areas. They can be found in several countries, I think. How many countries have you visited to see the stone circles and what intrigues you about them?


I first saw Stonehenge and the smaller stones but larger circle of Avebury in1969; since then we’ve found dozens of stone circles and burial sites, mostly in England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, but also in Portugal and Malta—and even (so says the tourist literature) in New Hampshire! Without claiming much knowledge or understanding of how and why these sites were constructed, I simply know there is a mystique about them, unconnected (for me) to the mechanics and mathematics of their existence. Partly, I appreciate that scientific certainty is not possible, that they embody a community/cultural belief system that, like the great cathedrals, created them. Tourism and commercialism do not ultimately detract from or destroy the “feeling” that surrounds them.


Since I’m not a “city person,” there is great satisfaction in tramping over moors, through sheep, through peat bogs to come upon a lesser-known circle—finally locating it from that tiny dot on a map. I find it hard to articulate what draws me to the circles time and time again. In Journey to Stenness a contemporary woman is caught in and surrenders to the allure of the two major circles on the island of Orkney. The emotions engendered by her visits to them must speak for me. We will be returning to many of the circles in the Scottish islands this spring…I can only hope for a creative time.

Women Writers

*Women writers complain about their lack of time to write. Between family needs, and other things in life, many women feel guilty taking time to write. Did you wait until you retired to begin your writing career?


I confess to having plenty of time to write now (retired and no children) and wish I made use of it every day, but I don’t. I feel guilty if I’m not writing but not guilty enough to set a schedule and keep to it. I started writing in the 1990s, but all my books have been published since I retired and all are “self published”/“print on demand.” In a very short time with Mattie’s Girl, I found I had not the patience to jump through the hoops to get an agent and a traditional publisher. I’ve never regretted my decision and encourage others who have a well-written story or collection of poetry or short stories to go that route…and e-publishing, too.


*I’ve heard that fiction writers often draw from their own lives and experiences to create characters and plots. Is that true for you?


A writer cannot totally separate self from what is created; whether it’s an idea, an image, a belief, something of the writer is reflected—precisely what and to what degree don’t really matter. The work should stand on its own, without biographical reference; knowing the writer may make the work “more interesting” to a reader who knows the author, but actually the reader brings herself to the work as does the writer. My fiction certainly illustrates my interests and travels, but I don’t consciously base my characters on real people or any one real person; and my plots just develop from the characters—thank goodness.

 *Do you have a special place and time for your writing?


I write at my computer, now feeling uncomfortable with a pen and paper, and have “a room of my own” surrounded by clutter and books, mostly by regional and self-published writers. No special time of day, but typically not morning (though I’ve done the “morning pages” advocated by Julie Cameron). Sometimes I listen to Celtic or Appalachian music, nothing raucous or pounding. Writing Sarranda I played “Hard Times Come Again No More” (Gayle and Phil Johnson’s version) over and over; its sequel calls for “How Can I Keep from Singing (Betty Smith’s CD).”

*Do you keep a writing journal or a journal of any kind?

I have but I don’t. Times of stress or trauma have been when I’ve felt the need to journal; I try to keep a list of books I’m reading, but now I forget that. In general, though, I think writing daily in a journal or otherwise, is a great habit and that something worthy comes out of it.

*Some of the south’s best writers have had dysfunctional families, mental issues, or other problems. You seem perfectly normal, Celia; do you think a writer has to have lived a tumultuous life?

Wonderful question—can a southern woman writer be from a “normal” family (however defined)? Absolutely. A family member calls me “sensible Celia” (at which I cringe but can’t deny). Surely suffering, whether mental, emotional, or physical, can precipitate the urge to write, but it isn’t necessary to set yourself on fire in order to describe the experience or to have children in order to create a fictional mother. The question deserves (and has received in other places, I’m sure) an entire essay.


*You and Nancy Dillingham have published three anthologies for women writers. Why did you do the first one? Do you plan to do any more anthologies?


Nancy and I worked together for a decade (more or less) at AB Tech on the faculty/staff literary magazine, Victoria Press, and after we left, we often met to discuss writing and reading. Exactly why and how the idea came about is not clear to me now (we sometimes laugh and wonder the same thing). We knew some women writers, knew they deserved to be read, and, I suppose, just set ourselves the challenge of putting a book together, luckily not knowing all the ramifications and work involved. Christmas Presence was fun, kept our editing skills honed, made new friends for us—and before we knew it, we’d decided on a second anthology. Clothes Lines almost overwhelmed us with seventy-five writers, so we took a year off and then decided on one more, to complete a kind of “trinity”: Women’s Spaces Women’s Places. We’ve said “no more.” But women are famous for changing their minds.


*Some writers included in the anthologies said they were disappointed that they didn’t get a free book or a discount so they could buy books to sell at reading, etc. Why should a writer submit to your anthologies? What’s in it for them?


Good questions but first a disclaimer: every writer received a free book (at the launch party, by mail, or hand delivered). For the first two anthologies, we did give a discount to authors but by the third one, we wanted to be able to pay for the publication first! We financed the books ourselves, no grants, donations, or fundraisers were involved. We never expected to “make money,” but did want to pay off the printers. That we have done. Why submit? What’s in it for the author? Each writer would have to answer that for herself. I submit to anthologies and contests for validation and gratification—to be read by like-minded writers (not New Yorker readers). If I think I have something to say and I judge it worthy (I have lots of starts and stopped), fiction or non-, I like to see it in print.


*You have been traveling abroad recently. Are you using these trips for research on future novels?


I don’t use them in terms of keeping track of expenses for IRS purposes. Actually I try to empty my mind of obligations (such as finishing a work) while gone…and into an empty mind may come an idea or image that stays with me and finds its way into something. Several short stories (in the collections On a Slant and Islands One and All) are set in other countries: Greece, England, the Scottish islands, Portugal, so I soaked up something that generated a story. But I don’t go for that reason.


*Did you start with an agent? * Who is your publisher?


I’ve never had an agent. I’ve found my niche in self-publishing and, believe it or not, have no desire to try for “the big time,” which most authors find isn’t so grand after all. Infinitypublishing.com has five of my books, two of which are/will be available as e-books. For the first two anthologies we used Catawba in Charlotte, since gone out of business. For the last anthology, we wanted to stay local; it was printed by Biltmore Solutions Group (formerly Biltmore Press) in Asheville. It and Journey to Stenness are published under the imprint, Stone Ivy Press.


*What advice can you give to struggling writers who have yet to publish that first book?



I’d say: do some investigating of traditional, online, and self-publishing opportunities; decide how much time and money you want to invest; choose what’s important (knowing the attitudes and problems inherent in whichever publishing choice you make); and then, do it. It can’t hurt to try, to send out, to make an effort. Of course, before thinking “marketing/publishing,” think quality and editing. It seems to me that now, in workshops and blogs, the emphasis is more on marketing cleverly than on writing well, but that may be just my age showing.



*Tell us where we can find and order your books online.


You can order all the books from my website: http://www.celiamiles.com/. Amazon has Islands One and All; Mattie’s Girl and Sarranda are available online from http://www.buybooksontheweb.com/ (Infinity’s bookstore) and from Amazon. Independent bookstores around western NC have hardcopies—with my gratitude.


*Thank you so much, Celia, for taking time from your busy schedule to give this interview for Netwest Writers.

Kathryn Stripling Byer recently read her poem " Last Light" to Welcome Western Carolina University's new Chancellor David Belcher.

NCWN West members may remember that "Last Light" is one of Kathryn Stripling Byer's poems that was included in our recent anthology  Echoes Across the Blue Ridge Stories, Essays and Poems by Writers Living in and Inspired by the Southern Appalachian Mountains.


Check out your copy, read the poem or read it here on line:


http://themountainwoman.blogspot.com/2012/03/reflections-on-place-last-light.html?spref=fb

WRITERS’ NIGHT OUT FEATURES POET MIKE JAMES

On April 13 Mike James from Atlanta will read from his newest book of poetry, Past Due Notices. Writers’ Night Out, which also features an open mike, takes place at 7 p.m. in a new location this month: the private room upstairs at Brother’s Willow Ranch Restaurant in Young Harris, GA. This is a free monthly event for people who love the written and spoken word.

A native of South Carolina, Mike James has lived in Louisiana, Missouri, Pennsylvania and now Georgia. His poetry has been widely published in magazines and newspapers throughout the country. His books of poetry include Not Here, All Those Goodbyes, Pennies From An Empty Jar, Nothing But Love, and Alternate Endings. Recently, Main Street Rag published his selected poems, Past Due Notices: Poems 1991-2011. Since 2005, he and his wife, Diane, have run Yellow Pepper Press, a small poetry broadside press.

Writers’ Night Out takes place on the second Friday of each month and is open to the public. Each open microphone reader can sign up at the door and has two-and-a-half minutes to read. The event draws approximately 30 people from four counties. Brother’s Willow Ranch Restaurant is located at 6223 Hwy 76 West across from Brasstown Valley Resort, phone 706-379-1272. Food and beverages will be available for purchase before the event; please come early to order.

For more information, please contact Karen Holmes at (404) 316-8466 or kpaulholmes@gmail.com.

MOUNTAIN WOMAN: JERRY WOLFE: Stories Keep Us Connected

MOUNTAIN WOMAN: JERRY WOLFE: Stories Keep Us Connected: Jerry Wolfe Listening last night to Cherokee story-teller Jerry Wolfe,  I was taken back to my childhood love of animal stories and ...

Mother Jones Premiere

"Mother Jones" will premiere at the Franklin Unitarian Church on April 7th at 6:00. All members of Network West are invited. "Mother Jones" has already been picked up by a series of organizations in WNC and will probably be a fundraiser for folks like The AVE literary festival in Andrews, Rickman's Store in Macon County, and the Highlands PAC. In addition, "Outlander" will be produced in June at the Parkway Playhouse. It now has a complete musical score composed by Frank Lee, a well-known musician in Swain County. We will probably tour it this fall. I am also conducting a workshop in storytelling at the Carolina literary festival in Wadesboro on April 13-14 and will probably repeat the workkshop at Lake Junaluska in September. --Gary Carden

Nancy Simpson Will Teach Poetry Writing Workshop

POETRY WRITING WORKSHOP FOR PRACTICING POETS

Nancy Simpson will teach a new Poetry Writing Workshop at Institute for Continuing Learning Young Harris College beginning April 10th. This class will meet 3:15 to 5:15 each Tuesday for 6 weeks. The focus will be on your poems. If you are a practicing poet and want to share your writing with other practicing poets and get constructive comments, this is the class for you. Each week you will bring copies of one poem. There will be instruction as we discuss your poems, but no lecture. We will discuss the publication process, and a list of up to date markets will be given at the last meeting. Class will be limited to eight members. http://iclyhc.org/

CITY LIGHTS BOOKSTORE FRIDAY NIGHT

www.citylightsnc.com

Carole Thompson           Glenda Beall                Mary Ricketson                                      Robert S. King         Scott Owens   FutureCycle Press Book Release    Please join us at City Lights Bookstore on Friday, March 23 at 7 p.m. for a double book launch.  FutureCycle Press will unveil its annual anthology of poetry and flash fiction as well as a new poetry collection from Scott Owens titled For One Who Knows How to Own Land.  Owens and a few of the contributors to the anthology will read some of their work.  Featured writers will be Glenda Councill Beal, Robert S. King, Scott Owens, Mary Ricketson and Carole Richard Thompson.

City Lights Bookstore 3 East Jackson Street Sylva, NC 28779 828-586-9499 more@citylightsnc.com always open on the web at: www.citylightsnc.com Store Hours: Monday-Saturday, 9 am - 9 pm Sunday 10 am - 3 pm Additional parking catty-corner to the store, courtesy of First United Methodist Church

FESTIVAL ON THE SQUARE 2012 - NETWEST WILL BE THERE

We are very happy that the Clay County Historical and Arts Council has accepted Netwest as a vendor this year. That means Netwest will have a booth at the Festival on the Square in Hayesville, NC on Saturday, July 14 and Sunday, July 15.

President of CCHAC, Janice Padgett, contacted us recently and said that NCWN West could make application for a booth. The festival is on the historical square of our town, and each year every inch of space under the old trees around the Courthouse is filled with tents of artists and crafters. Painters, photographers, jewelry makers, colorful fabric work and iron sculpture catch the eye. Live music is played all day in the gazebo, and the cloggers perform on Saturday.This festival now includes all of the arts.

Writing is a literary art, of course, and for the first time in several  years, we will be there with our popular anthology, Echoes Across the Blue Ridge, edited by Nancy Simpson and filled with the words of mountain writers.

Our members who have published books are invited to bring a few copies for the table. We might hold periodic readings throughout the day. If so, we will post times.

We will also need volunteers, hopefully a few strong ones, to help erect the tent and set up tables Friday afternoon, and take down the booth on Sunday at 4:00 p.m.

This will be a wonderful opportunity to introduce the public to our anthology and to let them meet the writers in this area.

Contact Glenda Beall, 828-389-4441 for more information regarding the Netwest booth.

Robert S. King, poet and editor, at Coffee with the Poets

Robert S. King                                                                                Nancy Simpson

         Nancy and Mary listen to Robert read.

Mary Ricketson from Murphy, NC will read her poetry at the book launch for the anthology, Future Cycle Flash Fiction - Poetry 2011, March 23 at City Lights Books in Sylva, NC. A number of Netwest members are listed in the table of contents for the book. Glenda Beall and Carole Thompson are also on the program to read at City Lights.

Brenda Kay Ledford 
will be the featured reader in April.

We appreciate Liz, owner of Cafe Touche. Besides the delicious sweets, she is now offering lunch. We can continue our socializing right there after the readings. Today the menu was baked ziti and a salad bar.

JC Campbell Folk School Reading

Featured reader for Thursday, March 15th, 7:00 pm, Keith House is JC Walkup. JC is a graduate of the University of Texas and currently enrolled at UNCA in The Great Smokies Writing Program. She serves as the Haywood County Representative for Netwest.

JC is a workshop junkie and a research addict who prefers following clues to actually writing. Five years working at United Artists and thirty-three years in the defense industry failed to rehabilitate her. Now she feeds her habit with daily doses of words.

Come hear JC read -- she plans on having something humorous, so a laugh is in your future!

CARL SANDBURG WRITER IN RESIDENCE RECEPTION

The Carl Sandburg Writer in Residence, Alice B. Fogel will be at the Hendersonville Chamber of Commerce, 204 Kanuga Rd. for a free public reception and reading on Friday evening, March 16 from 5-7 pm. 

She will be at the Blue Ridge Community College on March 30, in the Patton Bldg, Room 150 for the Student Poetry  Contest Celebration.

 The community is invited to attend.

NEWS FROM HENDERSON COUNTY, NC

Fountainhead Bookstore in Hendersonville announces Michael Hopping will read from his Short Story Collection MacTiernan's Bottle, Friday, March 23rd at 6:30 p.m.
He will be available for a Q&A session.
He is immensely talented and has honed the craft of saying much - really painting a scene and characters - within a limited number of pages.

Contact the bookstore for more information.

The Fountainhead Bookstore
408 N Main St.
Hendersonville, NC 28792
828-697-1870
www.FountainheadBookstore.com

Liar's Bench Updates

The next Liars Bench is on March 15th and this marks the first in a series entitled "Balsam Chronicles." The Jackson County Arts Council gave us a grant to do a series of programs on the history, folklore, music, poetry, etc of Jackson, Macon and Swain. This was will focus on Cashiers Valley, Whiteside Mountain, square dances, Kidder Cole and Charlie Wright who got a Carnegie medal for rescuing Gus Baty when he fell/jumped off Whiteside.

The April Liars Bench will deal with the hanging of Jack Lambert in Bryson City (then called Charleston) with descendants of both Jack Lambert and the murder victim, Dick Wilson in the audience. Jack was innocent and we hope to celebrate this story with appropriate music, poetry and storytelling.

My play, "Outlander" will audition next month with a premiere planned for June at the Parkway Playhouse in Burnsville. (I would have preferred the Peacock Theater, but it didn't work out.) The play will have original music by Frank Lee of Bryson City and there is a possibility that the play will tour this fall.

I will be conducting a workshop at the Carolina Literary Festival on April 13-14 at Wadesboro. The topic is, how stories become "theater."

--Gary Carden




My play, "Mother Jones" will premiere at the Unitarian Church in Franklin on April 7th with Lara Chew in the role of Mother Jones.

How Many Mistakes Will You Accept

Many books I read today have errors in them. Some are grammatical. Some are misspelled words and some have misplaced modifiers.

Granted most of the better publishers have copy editors that correct this kind of problem, but I wonder why we still find so many books that seem like the writer refused to let a good editor make changes in the work.

For some reason, when I pick up a book with obvious errors, I don't want to buy it. I don't want to go any further. It gives me the impression that the writer, the editor, and the publisher don't have much pride in the product.

I have been told that is the reason book stores don't like to carry self-published books -- they just don't measure up to the books on the shelves. And book store owners don't want to put a book on the shelf when the writing is mediocre and the errors slow down the reader.

How do you feel about buying a book and finding errors on every other page?

Even if the book is touching, humorous, and filled with a story that grabs me, I turn off on the errors.

How about you? What do you think about producing a book filled with errors.?

Leave a comment and give us your opinion on this matter. It is not hard to do. If you don't want to leave an email address, just click on anonymous.

Upcoming Events in Hiawassee/Murphy Area

Just a friendly reminder of upcoming events: Friday, March 9th, Writers' Night Out will be held at Young Harris College, 7 pm, Wilson Lecture Hall (Goolsby building). The featured poet is Atlanta poet, Rupert Fike. Fike’s collection, Lotus Buffet (Brick Road Poetry Press), has earned him a nomination for Georgia Author of the Year 2011 in poetry. 

Two of the poems in the book have also been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Writer Barbara Hamby says, “What happens when you cross a Southern raconteur with a Buddhist monk? You get Rupert Fike’s exhilarating poems.” His work has been published in Rosebud, The Georgetown Review, Natural Bridge, The Atlanta Review, The Cortland Review, storySouth, The Blue Fifth Review and others. He has a poem inscribed in a downtown Atlanta plaza, and his non-fiction work, Voices from The Farm, accounts of life on a spiritual community in the 1970s, is now available in paperback. As usual, open mike will follow after the reading.

Thursday, March 15th, 7:00 pm, John C Campbell Folk School will feature JC Walkup and Glenda Barrett as readers, Keith House. This will be an excellent reading!

Both events are free and open to the public!

COFFEE WITH THE POETS AND WRITERS IN HAYESVILLE

Coffee with the Poets and Writers meets Wednesday, March14, 10:30 a.m. at Café Touché in Hayesville, NC. A member of NCWN West is featured each month. The featured writer this month is Robert S. King.

Robert is a new member of NCWN West. He had been active in the Georgia Poetry Society while living in the Atlanta area. Now living in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia, Robert said he was pleasantly surprised to find such a large writing community here. He joined Netwest and continues as a member of the Georgia Poetry group as well.

He will be teaching a workshop at Writers Circle in Hayesville, March 17, and will be speaking at the Blue Ridge Writers’ Conference in Blue Ridge, Georgia on March 31.

His poems have appeared in hundreds of magazines, including California Quarterly, Chariton Review, Hollins Critic, Kenyon Review, Lullwater Review, Main Street Rag, Midwest Quarterly, Negative Capability, Southern Poetry Review, Spoon River Poetry Review, and Writers' Forum.

He has published three chapbooks (When Stars Fall Down as Snow, Garland Press 1976; Dream of the Electric Eel, Wolfsong Publications 1982; and The Traveler’s Tale, Whistle Press 1998). His full-length collections are The Hunted River and The Gravedigger’s Roots, both from Shared Roads Press, 2009.

He recently stepped down as Director of FutureCycle Press in order to devote more time to his own writing. He continues to serve the press as Poetry Co-Editor.

The public is invited to come and meet Robert, hear him read his poetry, and to read their original poems or short prose at open mike.

Café Touche, 82 Main Street, serves the best coffee in town and no one wants to leave without having a delicious muffin.

Contact Glenda Beall 828-389-4441 for more information.
This event is free and is sponsored by NCWN West also known as Netwest, a chapter of the North Carolina Writers’ Network.

NCWN West Has Lost a Member

Our Long-Time Member Nancy Gadsby lost her battle with cancer last night. The message below came to us from her son.

John Gadsby asked me to let his mother's writer friends know that "she went to be with her Lord last night." All of her children were with her. He will let me know the funeral arrangements when they are completed.

Please let our writing community know.

Jo Carolyn


ARRANGEMENTS: Funeral at 11:00 Tuesday Feb. 28, 2012 at McConnell Baptist Church in Hiawassee, Georgia.

Blogging and posting your work on the Internet

We hardly give a second thought to how easily our words or pictures on our blogs can be stolen and used for profit. One of our Netwest members, Sam Hoffer, has created a food blog (http://www.mycarolinakitchen.blogspot.com/) Her comments come from readers all over the world who find her Carolina Kitchen fun to read with colorful photos of the dishes she prepares. She, like all of us bloggers, could be a target for some unscrupulous people out to make a buck off our work.

According to Blogher.com, a woman from Thailand copied recipes and photos of another food blogger and put them into an e-book, which she sold on Kindle. The food blogger would never have known except for a reader who informed her of the plagiarism.

To read the entire article click on the link below.

www.blogher.com/prominent-food-blogger-discovers-plagiarized-ebook

Today a Netwest member asked if he posted his writing on his blog, would that hinder his chances of having this work published later. This is a question I've heard over and over. I’d like to hear what your experience has been? Have you posted your poems or prose on your blog and later submitted this work to a publisher? Was the publisher averse to publishing writing that had been on your blog?

Give us your opinion. Click on comments at the end of this post. Write your comment in the box provided. If you want to make it really easy, just click on Anonymous and you don't have to give your email address or URL.
(Remember, your comments won't appear immediately. An administrator of this blog has to first read your comment and then post it to this site.)

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Coffee with the Poets: Pat Riviere-Seel

February's Coffee with the Poet features Pat Riviere-Seel, a friend who graced my poetry class in the Great Smokies Writing Workshop several years ago.  Pat has become a vibrant presence in our North Caroiina Literary community, offer her talents and her time to her readers and the literary organizations that help draw us all together.  Please joing us at City Lights Bookstore on Feb. 16 at 10:30 to meet Pat and listen to her read and talk about her work.  Our gatherings are always informal and, yes, fun.  Afterward, I highly recommend lunch downstairs at City Lights Cafe!

Here is a poem of hers that I love.   You can find more on her website by clicking on the link above.

The Bears 

The bears returned last night.

 The mother and her three cubs 

slept in the mound of leaves. 

They left deep indentations

 where summer-sated bellies 

A snowy evening last winter.

and massive paws lay curled

 beneath the maple’s outstretched limbs

and the quarter moon’s pale light.

All day, while I raked leaves into piles,

 the bears were watching. They moved 

silent and unseen among evergreens,

 gray trunks, and branches as they had

all summer. Preparing for winter sleep, 

 they stuffed themselves on acorns and grubs.

One late summer day they came  into 

 the orchard. The cubs shimmied

up the young apple trees, bent 

 one bough to the ground and broke

another in their play. The mother

 took her time selecting fallen apples,

and those she could reach balanced 

 on her hind legs. She carried these

one by one to her cubs, gently 

 urged them to taste and chew. 

She knows how long winter lasts. 

   

Pat Riviere-Seel

Pat Riviere-Seel has published two poetry collections, The Serial Killer’s Daughter (Main Street Rag, 2009), winner of the Roanoke-Chowan Award for Poetry and No Turning Back Now (Finishing Line Press, 2004), nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She teaches poetry at UNCA in the Great Smokies Writing Program.

Pat is a 2003 graduate of the MFA Program for Writers at Queens University of Charlotte. Her poems have been published in numerous literary journals and anthologies including Asheville Poetry Review, Passager, Tar River Poetry, and Kakalak, an Anthology of Carolina Poets, among others. Recent poems  appear in Boomtown, the Queens University MFA Program 10^th Anniversary Anthology, Cloudbank, and Poetry of Love, an anthology published by Jacar Press. 

Her poetry has been nominated for three Pushcart Prizes and was a finalist in the Press 53 Open Awards and a semi-finalist in the first James Applewhite Poetry Prize in 2011. The Serial Killer’s Daughter premiered as a staged reading in March 2011 with a 4-member cast. 

Pat is a former award winning journalist, lobbyist, publicist, and editor. She worked as a political reporter for daily newspapers in Fayetteville, NC, and Annapolis, Maryland until 1987 when she established her own public and government relations firm. She represented nonprofit organizations in the Maryland General Assembly, designed public relations campaigns for private businesses and political candidates.

In 1992 she returned to her native North Carolina to take a position as Editor of Voices, the bimonthly journal of Rural Southern Voice for Peace. She married Ed Seel in 1997 and moved with him to Germany for two years. During that time, Pat attended the Spoleto Writers Workshop in Spoleto, Italy.

She has lived in Asheville, NC, since 1999 and served as President of the North Carolina Poetry Society and Chair of the North Carolina Writers Conference. Pat is an avid runner, hiker, and gardener.

from  The Serial Killer's Daughter
Winner of the Roanoke Chowan Poetry Award from the NC Literary and Historical Association

I. About the Daughter
The serial killer's daughter hangs damp sheets on the line.
She likes the yeasty way the wind fills the cloth and how the sun sweetens the
threads.
When she holds the clothespins between her teeth, she tastes bread and salted butter.
She no longer worries about trying to hold on to the brass pole of the carousel.
The serial killer's daughter can hold anything - or anyone - she pleases.
Preferring familiar company, she surrounds herself with dahlias and lavender.
She always rides the wooden tiger because there is no bear.
Why are the animals always one step ahead of the humans?
The serial killer's daughter knows how frightening a creature walking upright can be, so
she always walks as if she were about to waltz.
Her hands write a language only she can read.
She's not a figment of anyone's imagination. 
She is sunlight striping murky swamp water.

II. More About the Serial Killer's Daughter




The serial killer's daughter wears tight curls made of cypress roots and washes them in
buttermilk from the moon.
When mud oozes between her toes she no longer worries about wiping her feet before
stepping through the door.
She likes to touch people she loves on the nape of the neck and feel the rocky landscapes
of their spines.
Her heart measures her intentions and stretches them in a chain around her wrist so she
will not forget.
The serial killer's daughter waits for no one.
It never matters if she is on time. Whose time?
Time is irrelevant, like memories she saves and forgets.
Because her life needs seasoning she grows spearmint, basil, and lemon balm.
The serial killer's daughter is always leaving Robeson County.
For her, the stone covered with moss and mica that she carries in
her pocket contains a galaxy.

(Available from Main Street Rag Press )

Updates on events, Murphy/Hiawassee Area

PROSE CRITIQUE --Prose Critique is Thursday, February 9 at Tri-County Community College.   It starts at 7:00 PM and is in the McSwain Building, Room 152.

WRITERS’ NIGHT OUT UPDATE - Writers’ Night Out will be held at the Center for Appalachian Studies and Community Engagement [across parking lot from Young Harris Family Restaurant in Young Harris.  It is a tall green house with white trim and a big front patio with 2 rocking chairs.). It will NOT have a guest reader but will be Open Mike for Poetry and Prose.  It starts at 7:00 PM this Friday night, February 10th.

JOHN CAMPBELL - Glenda Barrett will not be able to read at John Campbell next week, but Glenda Beall will take her place. So come on out and support Glenda Beall and Mary Ricketson at John Campbell next Thursday, February 16th, 7 pm, Keith House.

Liars Bench Benefit

The Liars Bench has done over 20 free shows, and its next program, "Coy," is a benefit. Mark you calendar for either February 16th or 23rd to see "Coy," a dramatic monologue by Gary Carden. "Coy" will be held at the Mountain Heritage Center, Western Carolina University at 7:00 pm. Tickets are $10 each, and on sale at City Lights Bookstore- 828-586-9499 and Mountain Heritage Center- 828-227-7129. "Coy" stars Tom DeWees, and also appearing are Lloyd Arneach, Paul Larussi, William Ritter, Barbara Duncan, Eric Young & the Young'ns, and Gary Carden.

JC Campbell Folk School Readings

Mark your calendars now for the following readings, held at the JC Campbell Folk School, Keith House. Readings are at 7:00 pm, free, and open to the public. Announcements will also be made in local papers and online. Thanks to Linda Smith for overseeing these readings!

Feb 16 - Mary Ricketson, Glenda Barrett

March 15 - JC Walkup, Glenda Beall

April - Nancy Simpson, Maren Mitchell

May 17 - Robert King, Jayne Jaudon Ferrer

June 21 - Brenda Kay Ledford, Linda Smith

August 16 -Nancy Purcell, Karen Paul Holmes

Sept 20 - Carole Thompson, Bob Grove

October 18- Jo Carolyn Bebee, Lucy Cole Gratton

Nov 15- Joan Howard, Rosemary Royston

Atlanta Poet at Writers' Night Out

Atlanta poet Rupert Fike will be the featured reader at Writers’ Night Out at Mountain Perk Coffee House in Hiawassee on Friday, February 10 at 7 p.m. Audience members can also participate in an open microphone if they’d like to share their own poetry or prose. This is a free monthly event for people who love the written and spoken word.

Fike’s collection, Lotus Buffet (Brick Road Poetry Press), has earned him a nomination for Georgia Author of the Year 2011 in poetry. Two of the poems in the book have also been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Writer Barbara Hamby says, “What happens when you cross a Southern raconteur with a Buddhist monk? You get Rupert Fike’s exhilarating poems.” His work has been published in Rosebud, The Georgetown Review, Natural Bridge, The Atlanta Review, The Cortland Review, storySouth, The Blue Fifth Review and others. He has a poem inscribed in a downtown Atlanta plaza, and his non-fiction work, Voices from The Farm, accounts of life on a spiritual community in the 1970s, is now available in paperback.

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. Each open microphone reader can sign up at the door and has two-and-a-half minutes to read.

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

NEW PROSE CRITIQUE GROUP

We all need helpful commentary as we prune our prose. Not criticism, just good critique. Writing comes from the heart, and other experienced writers often have helpful suggestions to make it even better.

 

I have agreed to facilitate the meetings as outlined by NetWest. The first session of the prose critique group will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, February 9th, at Tri County Community College, Room 152. Bring some samples of your work to read; printed copies for distribution are recommended. Time allotments for the readings will depend on the number of readers for each session.

 

Future meetings will be held on the second Thursday of each month. Mark you calendar; it's free!   

ROYCE RAY POETRY AWARD

Brenda Kay Ledford won the Royce Ray Poetry Award for her poem, "Lake Chatuge," from Southeastern Community College in Whiteville, NC.

Her poem was published in the January, 2012 issue of "Aires: A Journal of Art and Literature." She also received a monetary prize.

The Royce Ray family of Columbus, NC, has given lifelong support and contribution to the literary arts in North Carolina.

For information about the Royce Ray Poetry Award, contact: aparker@sccnc.edu.

Mary Michelle Keller to Read at Writers' Night Out

Writers’ Night Out is a free monthly event for people who love the written and spoken word. On Friday, January 13 at 7 p.m. at Mountain Perk Coffee House in Hiawassee, Mary Michelle Keller will read her entertaining and heartfelt work. Audience members can also participate in an open microphone if they’d like to share their own poetry or prose.

Keller lives in Hiawassee, Georgia, is active in the North Carolina Writers’ Network and has taught at Writers Circle in Hayesville. In her writing, she draws inspiration from something she has seen or an incident that intrigues her — a casually spoken phrase becomes the cornerstone of an essay, short story or poem. Her poetry appears in several anthologies including Echoes Across the Blue Ridge. Keller also plays the piano, guitar and dulcimer and paints in oil, water color and pastels.

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. Each open microphone reader can sign up at the door and has two-and-a-half minutes to read.

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

NCWN Annual Competitons Open!

The North Carolina Writers' Network is now accepting submissions for three annual competitions. Postmark deadlines are fast approaching, and we encourage you to send in your submissions soon.

January 17 marks the deadline for the Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Competition, which encourages the creation of lasting nonfiction work that is outside the realm of conventional journalism and has relevance to North Carolinians. Subjects may include traditional categories such as reviews, travel articles, profiles or interviews, place/history pieces, or culture criticism. The first-, second-, and third-place winners will receive $300, $200, and $100 respectively. The winning entry will be considered for publication by Southern Cultures magazine. Award-winning author Anne Clinard Barnhill will be the final judge.

January 30 is the deadline for the Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize honoring internationally celebrated North Carolina novelist Thomas Wolfe. The winner receives $1,000 and possible publication in The Thomas Wolfe Review. The competition is open to all writers regardless of geographical location or prior publication. Acclaimed author Josephine Humphreys will serve as the final judge.

Finally, as of January 1, the Network is accepting submissions for the Doris Betts Fiction Prize. This competition honors acclaimed author and North Carolina native Doris Betts. The prize awards the first-place winner $250 and publication in the North Carolina Literary Review. Finalists will also be considered for publication in NCLR. The postmark deadline is February 15.

For more information on all three contests, including submission guidelines. visit www.ncwriters.org.

Children's Literature Symposium, Chapel Hill

You are most cordially invited to join us in Chapel Hill on Friday, January 13, and/or Saturday, January 14 for a rousing gathering, "Between the Dark and the Daylight": A January Symposium Dedicated to the Creation of Children's Literature.

On Friday afternoon at the UNC-CH Wilson Library five faculty and curatorial staff members will present opportunities for us to see, hear, and learn about rare children's books (including textbooks controversies) from the Southern Historical, North Carolina, and Special Collections. Friday evening offers a special opportunity for "An Evening with Children's Book Authors
Stephen Messer and Allan Wolf" at Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill's newer independent bookstore at
752 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.

On Saturday, the Symposium continues with 12:30 p.m. Registration and nine Experts and Authors on panels, followed by fellowship, booksignings, refreshments, and Writing Workshops. Presnters include Brian Sturm, Karin Michel, Susie Wilde, Sarah Carr, Stephen Messer,
Jane Baskerville Murphy, Jacqueline K. Ogburn, Barbara Younger, and Allan Wolf.

This Symposium is offered to the community without charge, presented through a generous grant from Province IV, Province of Sewanee, and sponsored by the Environmental
Stewardship Committee of Chapel of the Cross, Episcopal, 304 East Franklin Street, Chapel Hill.

For information about Block-rate hotel accommodations, parking and program specifics, please E-mail childrensliterature@aol.com or telephone (919) 286-2565 or (919) 929-2193. You are most welcome to join us for this happy occasion.

Poetry Contest

Byron Herbert Reece Poetry Contest

Once again, the Byron Herbert Reece Society will hold a poetry contest in order to support the mission of the Reece Society. Similar to last year, poets in NC, KY, GA, TN, VA, and WV are encouraged to submit up to three poems for the fee of $15. Deadline for entry is Friday, May 4, 2012. There is no theme for contest. Val Nieman, author of Blood Clay, is the final judge. The winner of the contest will receive $300, and the winning poem will be published on the new and improved Byron Herbert Reece Society website. For more information and a link to the entry form, visit the website.

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MERIDIAN EDITORS' PRIZE CONTEST DEADLINE APPROACHING

 

A final reminder that MERIDIAN is now accepting online entries for its twelfth annual Editors’ Prize Contests in fiction and poetry until December 30. Genre winners receive a $1,000 prize and publication; all entries receive a one-year electronic subscription. Entry fee: $8.00.  Deadline: midnight (EST), Dec. 30, 2011.

 

Please note a few significant changes in our 2012 contest:

1) Our entry fee is now only $8 

2) Entrants receive an electronic version of the journal (.pdf or ePub) rather than a print subscription

3) We are only allowing two submissions per genre per entrant

 

We believe this new contest model is better for you, and better for us. Rather than having you pay substantial entry fees to cover the cost of a print subscription (and mailing fees), we’re trying a lower $8 entry fee and will e-mail you electronic versions of the January and May 2012 issues. Fewer trees, less cost … and we’ll still have print-on-demand versions ofMeridian available at an inexpensive rate for those readers who want something tangible.

 

We expect to announce winners toward the end of March 2012.

 

All submissions will be considered for publication in Meridian.

 

Fiction writers may submit one story of 10,000 words or fewer. Poets may submit up to 4 poems totaling 10 pages or fewer.

 

For full eligibility rules and submission guidelines see http://readmeridian.org/?page_id=47

 

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WRITING FREE VERSE; SOME QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Reprint

This post is a reprint from June 14, 2008. Nancy Simpson writes about free verse. I thought some of our new poets would find this helpful. You might want to print this for referral later.



WRITING FREE VERSE POETRY: Some Questions and Answers

Nancy Simpson, Instructor

When talking with free verse poets, I tread lightly to see if we are on the same page. Many free verse poets believe there is no form in free verse poetry and that there are no rules. I do not agree with that. I believe writers of free verse must follow the essential rules of poetry. Free verse poets have a great amount of freedom, but it is a misconception to think we can write with abandon of rules.

Yes, we must break with traditional verse. We must shun rhyme, but after that, in my opinion, free verse poets must decide carefully which guidelines of poetry they will practice.

Some of the most asked questions from my students.

1) QUESTION: If there are free verse rules, what is number one?

ANSWER: Economy of Words is the first rule of poetry. The second is Use of Diction, choice of words, choosing the best word in regard to correctness. Poets of old followed these essential rules. Free verse poets must follow these rules.

2) QUESTION: Do I have to write in sentences?

ANSWER: Yes. According to the Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetics, poetry is written in sentences and lines. Poets of old followed this guideline. Free verse poets must do so. Why? Syntax of Sentence. A sentence has syntax, and it is syntax that gives your words meaning. No meaning, no understanding for your reader.

3) QUESTION: Do I have to punctuate?

ANSWER: No. This is your choice. Once in a while, in the literary magazines, I read poems that have no punctuation. However, it is as if the poem were punctuated and then the poet lifted out the punctuation marks. There is no rule, but caution would say, help the reader all you can. If there were a rule regarding punctuation, it would be: Do not lose your reader.

4) QUESTION: What is the rule for line breaks?

ANSWER: There is no rule. Line breaks are completely your responsibility and your choice. Some free verse poets work in unrhymed meter, some count syllables, some spoon feed the reader one thought on one line and the next bite on the next line. There are no rules, but there are a few guidelines.

A.) End the line with a strong word, not a weak word such as a, and, or the.

B.) Be aware of your one word lines. That one word you want to use will draw attention to itself. It had better be great, for it will provoke questions, and it will slow your reader.

C.) If your line is too wide for a narrow page, it will wrap, and you will lose what ever it was you were trying to accomplish. Editors shun the wide line that wants to wrap.

D.) If there were one rule to line breaks, it would be, work your lines.

5) QUESTION: What if I have a sentence that ends in the middle of the next line? What is the rule?

ANSWER: There is no rule against ending a sentence in the middle of a line. What you have is a caesura, a pause, and you have a golden opportunity. Caesura in a line can be a dreadful mistake, or it can be one of the most brilliant, most sophisticated moves in your free verse poetry. The guideline would be, make that line with the caesura stand alone as a thought. It is comparable to giving your reader a spoonful of something delicious that was not on the menu. You have the first sentence and the second sentence, and in-between you have a line with a period somewhere in it. Words on each side of the period should add up to something in itself. Guard against caesura lines that make no sense.

Post any questions or comments to http://www.netwestwriters.blogspot.com/
Nancy Simpson is the author of two collections of poetry.
She is Resident Writer at John C. Campbell Folk School.

Updated information on Nancy Simpson, Dec. 16, 2011. Nancy is the author of three books of poetry. Her most recent is Living Above the Frost Line, New and Selected Poems, published by Carolina Wren Press.
She is no longer Resident Writer at John C. Campbell Folk School, but she teaches at Young Harris College with the ICL program.

Labels: Caesura, Instructor, John C. Campbell Folk School, line breaks, Nancy Simpson, punctuation in free verse, Rules of Free Verse Poetry

3 comments:

Lonnie Busch said...

Wow, Nancy, thank you so much for this post. I have learned more about writing poetry in the few minutes it took me to read your comments than anything I've ever known before! Very fascinating! I will read poetry with a new eye.



Sunday, June 15, 2008 10:49:00 PM EDT

Glenda (Writerlady) said...

Nancy, Thank you for sharing your vast knowledge of poetry with all of us.

Anyone who writes poetry will benefit from this post.

Glenda



Monday, June 16, 2008 8:43:00 AM EDT

Anonymous said...

You covered a vast spectrum and distilled it to clear perfection. I am going to make a copy of this and refer to it often. Thank you, Nancy!

Pat Workman



Friday, July 18, 2008 8:06:00 PM EDT

Poetry Contest Announcement

Attention GA and NC poets -- The Byron Herbert Reece Society is holding its second poetry contest. See the website for details. The Society is proud to have Val Nieman as the final judge! Send your best!