Meet Bob Grove, local writer and interesting person

Recently Bob Grove, prose critique facilitator for NCWN-West, told us that he had published three more books. Bob has published 18 books already, but he has not stopped writing or publishing. I asked Bob to write something for our blog about him and his writing. This is what he said:

I suspect the fact that I bounced through five different colleges and universities before I settled down on a major could account for the diversions of my life—at least partially. I was on a first-name basis with the university registrar who patiently processed me through about a dozen different changes.

Although I've written and published 18 books, the most recent three were spawned by vastly separate circumstances.

I have a large extended family—sixteen grandchildren (last count) and a half-dozen great-grandchildren. They like to hear amusing stories about my life, and I enjoy telling them. Thus, was born Misadventures of an Only Child.

My autobiography continues to serve well for public readings; the revelations are usually followed up by one typical question from the audience: “Did you really do that?”  Yes, I did.

One of my fifty or so professions, occupations, and odd jobs included (and still includes) auctioneering. A personal fascination, is the endless assortment of bogus medical contraptions that have been foisted on the vulnerable public for centuries. I began collecting some of them myself, and finally wrote a descriptive, illustrated collection of these devices, entitled Medical Quackery.

And thirdly, my fascination with the workings, and more specifically, misworkings of the human mind led me to teach adult education classes in the recognition of mental disorders (my wife says I’m ADHD/OCD). I soon realized that there weren’t many easy-to-read volumes available on the subject, propelling me to publish my own textbook for classroom instruction, Abnormal Psychology.

Bob earned his bachelor’s degree from Kent State University and his master’s degree from Florida Atlantic University. He and his wife Judy live in Brasstown, NC.

You will find Bob’s books on Amazon.com, Kindle and on Create Space:

https://www.createspace.com/4669441      Misadventures of an Only child

https://www.createspace.com/7300982      Medical Quackery

https://www.createspace.com/7267696       Abnormal Psychology

Interview by Glenda Council Beall

The Writers' Workshop, Asheville, NC, hosts Autumn writing workshops, contests and a retreat

THE WRITERS' WORKSHOP 387 Beaucatcher Road Asheville, NC 28805     AUTUMN WORKSHOPS, CONTESTS & RETREAT     The Writers' Workshop is offering classes and contests for beginning and experienced writers. Each class meets on Saturdays, 10-4 pm, at 387 Beaucatcher Rd., Asheville. Registration is in advance only, at www.twwoa.org.     Classes are $75 each, or $70 for Workshop members. Financial assistance is available for low-income writers in exchange for volunteering.  For more info, contact writersw@gmail.com or call 828-254-8111.  * * * * * * *  AUG. 30  FICTION CONTEST DEADLINE!! (Postmarked or emailed)  (for guidelines, see twwoa.org)  * * * * * * * Sept. 5 Deadline to RSVP:  WRITERS'  RETREAT at FOLLY BEACH, SC  OCT. 5-8 (For details, see twwoa.org. Please RSVP by Sept. 5! )    * * * * * * * ASHEVILLE WORKSHOPS These one-day intensive workshops meet on Saturdays, 10-4 pm, at 387 Beaucatcher Rd., Asheville. Registration is in advance only, at twwoa.org. Financial assistance is available for low-income writers. For more info, contact  writersw@gmail.com or call 828-254-8111.   SEPT. 16:  FICTION WORKSHOP with MILDRED BARYA   Participants will learn new techniques for writing fiction, focusing on the craft of the narrative structure. Discussion will include characterization, point of view, setting, plot, and dialogue. Imagery, irony and other aspects of the craft will also be explored. Students will engage in writing exercises, and may bring 3 pages and/or a synopsis to the class. Barya teaches Creative Writing and Literature at UNC-Asheville. Her stories and poems have been published in anthologies and journals such as Tin House, Prairie Schooner, Poetry Quarterly, Per Contra and Northeast Review.  She holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Denver. Meets Saturday, 10-4 pm. $75/70 members. OCT. 7:  PUBLISHING OPTIONS with RICHARD KRAWIEK The opportunities for writers to publish can be very confusing. Self-publishing, vanity press, co-operative publishing, traditional publishing - what are the options and choices?  And how will the choice you make affect your own writing career? In this workshop we'll look at the various publishing models, their pros and cons, and determine which ones would suit the needs of each student in the class.  Krawiek has been involved in the publishing scene since the 1970s.  He is founder of Jacar Press, which has published established writers such as Kathryn Stripling Byer and Dorianne Laux, as well as first timers. Jacar's anthology, Resisting Arrest Poems to Stretch the Sky was named one of the year's best by review journals in Canada and the U.S.  His own work appears in the U.S., Europe and South America. Meets Saturday, 10-4 pm. $75/70 members.             OCT. 21:  WRITING FROM the TOP of YOUR HEAD with NINA HART  Writers will learn innovate ways to generate fresh material, avoid writer's block and tap into their creative side. The class will be guided towards accessing the inner voice through KaizenMuse Creativity methods, evocative "timed writes", and lively class readings and discussions. Hart is a writer and creativity coach trained in the Kaizen Muse method. She is also certified by the Gateless Method - "a method of teaching the art and craft of writing using creative brain science, allowing writers to access the creative genius inside". Her first collection of short stories, Somewhere in a Town You Never Knew Existed, was a finalist in Foreword Review Book of the Year Award. Meets Saturday, 10-4 pm. $75/70 members. NOV. 4:  WRITING YOUR MEMOIRS with KAREN ACKERSON  Participants will learn how to turn personal and family experiences into a compelling memoir for family and friends, or for publication. In-class writing exercises will help to identify life-changing events, to be used as the backbone of a memoir. Discussion will include creating a sense of place, dialogue, and enhancing one's writing style. Writers may bring up to five pages (double-spaced) to the class for review. Ackerson, a biographer and Senior Editor at The Renbourne Editorial Agency, has taught workshops throughout the Southeast for over twenty years. Meets Saturday, 10-4 pm. $75/70 members. NOV. 18:  POETRY and TENSION with ERIC NELSON  Conflict-or tension-is indispensable to successful poetry, providing the driving force of the poem as well as its depth and complexity. Writers of all levels will explore different kinds of poetic tension, from the most subtle, such as haiku, to the most obvious (such as epics) through reading and discussion of examples, and by creating tension in our own poems through prompts and exercises. Nelson's six books include the award winning collections Some Wonder (Gival Press Poetry Award); Terrestrials (Texas Review Poetry Award); and The Interpretation of Waking Life (U. of Arkansas Poetry Award). He has taught poetry at GA Southern University for 26 years. Meets Saturday, 10-4 pm. $75/70 members.  * * * * * * *  MEMOIRS CONTEST Deadline: Postmarked by Nov. 30, 2017. AWARDS: 1st Place: Choice of a 2 night stay at our Mountain Muse B&B, 3 free workshops, or 50 pages line-edited and revised by our editorial staff 2nd Place: Two free workshops, or 35 pages line-edited 3rd Place: Choice of 1 free workshop, or 25 pages line-edited Up to 10 Honorable Mentions GUIDELINES: Submit a short story or chapter of a novel of 5,000 words or less.  Multiple entries are accepted.   Pages should be paper clipped, with your name, address, phone and title of work on a cover sheet. Double-space, and use 12 point font. The entry fee per submission is $25 ($20 for Workshop members), and is payable online. Enclose self-addressed stamped envelope for critique and list of winners, if sending by mail. Make check or money order payable to The Writers' Workshop, and mail to:  Memoirs Contest, 387 Beaucatcher Road, Asheville, NC  28805. Emailed submissions may be sent to writersw@gmail.com, with "Memoirs Contest" in the subject. Send in Word Document only.  Please put your contact info on the first page.  The entry fee is payable online at www.twwoa.org. * * * * * * *

Contact Information phone: 828-254-8111 email: writersw@gmail.com website: www.twwoa.org