WRITERS' NIGHT OUT-- APRIL 12 -- CHECK OUT THIS YEAR'S SCHEDULE

Thanks to Karen Paul Holmes, we can look forward to a night of listening to poems and prose by our best writers. 

https://netwestwriters.blogspot.com/2019/03/2019-writers-night-out-blairsville.html

We have such a good time at Writers Night Out in Blairsville, GA. 

Karen always creates an excellent schedule of prose writers and poets and still has time for Open Mic.

For those of us who live in Union, Towns, Clay and Cherokee Counties, this is a perfect way to spend a Friday evening - have dinner, meet with our writing friends, hear a couple of excellent writers and read a poem or short piece of prose.

I am happy that Michelle Keller and I will be featured readers May 10, 7:00 p.m. 
Mary Mike, my friend, writes poetry that is memorable and shows her knowledge of what makes a good poem.
She is one of the busiest people I know, and one of the most knowledgeable people I know. No matter what I need she can tell me what to do or she can come over and take care of it. But she is a dear friend who is always there for me as I am for her.

Here is the complete 2019 schedule for Writers' Night Out

• April 12:           Chelsea Rathburn & James May
• May 10:            Glenda Beall & Mary Mike Keller
• June 14             James Davis & Dan Veach
• July 12:             Victoria Barken & Ryvers Stewart
• August 9:          Mary Ricketson & Loren Leith
• September 13:  Kathy Nelson & Karen Paul Holmes
• October 11:       Linda Jones & Alan Cone
• November 8:     Rosemary Royston & TBA

Writers Circle will Continue into November

Carol Crawford

We had a week full of good instruction for writers at Writers Circle around the Table. Carol Crawford, poet, writer and editor had us writing and creating an essay that we hope to have ready for submitting this coming Thursday when she will hold the second session of this workshop.

Carol has taught writing for years and is a favorite instructor at the John C. Campbell Folk School and here at Writers Circle. Carol has been coordinating the annual Blue Ridge Writers' Conference in Blue Ridge Georgia for many years. It has become one of the best conferences and I was thrilled to be on the faculty last year. 

Scott Owens, who teaches every year at Writers Circle, was one of the instructors at the Blue Ridge conference a couple of years ago. His poetry workshop Saturday here at my studio inspired seven poets who, I'm sure, went home filled with more ideas for poems than they could have imagined if they had not been present.

Scott Owens, poet

Several poets, as they were leaving, praised Scott and said this was one of the best workshops they have attended. After five years, I am fortunate to have been able to interest good writers like Scott and Carol in coming to Writers Circle. And our local attendees have expressed their gratitude to me for bringing in high caliber artists and for keeping the fees reasonable. As long as I can make enough to keep the lights on and keep the doors open as well as pay our instructors a decent honorarium for their work, I will continue as we have been doing. 

I owe much of the  success of Writers Circle to my volunteer work with NCWN West. For several years I wrote articles about writers for the newspapers as part of my publicity duties.  I met many peopole around our region just by talking to them on the  phone. In 2007 I  became the Program Coordinator for Netwest. I attended the Spring and Fall Conferences and met members of the literary community from all across the state. I began the Netwest Writers blog in 2007 which enlarged our circle even more. 

My husband was diagnosed with cancer in 2008, and I had to  curtail my duties with Netwest. When he died in 2009, I resigned. Overcome with grief and exhaustion of care-giving, I knew it would be impossible for me to continue to do what needed to be done as program coordinator. 

In 2010, needing to do something useful and helpful to others, I started Writers Circle downstairs in my house. We had outstanding writers like Maureen Ryan Griffin stay overnight in my guest room and teach a Saturday morning class. Maureen's successful WordPlay classes are well-known, and she teaches at John C. Campbell Folk School in their writing program each year. She gave me advice and was willing to help me get my business off the ground. I am forever indebted to her. 

The past five years have been filled with writing time, classes in writing, discussions with authors and enjoyment of having friends feel at home sitting around the table in my studio. I am never happier than being with writers and talking about writing. 

Although I usually close the studio in October, this year we have a class in November also. Elizabeth Hunter who writes for Blue Ridge Country magazine will be here October 25 and delightful Dana Wildsmith will teach in November. See the Schedule page for information on the two classes.

NCWN West has a new website

The North Carolina Writers' Network - West has a new website set up by our new Program Coordinator, Ellen Schofield. It is still "in process" but the new website will link to our original blog, www.netwestwriters.blogspot.com 

Visit the new site by clicking on the link below.

www.ncwriters-west.org

Ellen is making herself available to members, visiting events in all the counties as much as she can, and has started her new job with enthusiasm and energy. 

Interview with Ellen Schofield published on Netwest Website

Recently the new program coordinator for our writing group, NCWN West, a chapter of the North Carolina Writers' Network, answered some questions for an interview published on our Netwest website. 

Ellen Schofield impressed me with her plans to serve our mountain group as our leader. I see good things ahead for our writers and poets in the far west portion of the state. 

Ellen is from Montana, originally, but has lived in our area since 2006. Her husband, Paul Schofield, is an author of a science fiction trilogy. 

You can read the interview here. 

Visit Ellen's lovely blog here.

Read the call to action on NCWN blog

Because I care about funding for arts in North Carolina, I suggest that my NC readers go to this site: http://www.ncwriters.org/whitecross/

See how you can help. The NC Arts Council funds NCWN which funds NCWN West (Netwest). 

We need to urge our state senators to meet the budget proposed by the House.

All the information needed is on this site:

http://www.ncwriters.org/whitecross/

Thank you.

Mary Ricketson and Nadine Justice will read at JCCFS Thursday night

JOHN C. CAMPBELL FOLK SCHOOL

Mary Ricketson, Poet and writer

              On Thursday, February 21, 2013,  John Campbell Folk School  and  NC Writers Network West sponsor the monthly reading in the Keith House by members of NCWN. The reading is free of charge and open to the public.  Poets Mary Ricketson and writer, Nadine Justice will be the featured readers.  

Mary Ricketson’s poetry has been published in her chapbook, I Hear the River Call My Name, Lights in the Mountains, Freeing Jonah IV, Freeing Johah V, Wild Goose Poetry Review, Future Cycle Press,Your Daily Poem, Journal of Kentucky Studies, various magazines and in Disorgananza, a private collection distributed among family and friends.  She won the gold medal for poetry in the 2011 Cherokee County Senior Games/Silver Arts.  She won first place in the 2011 Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest national poetry contest.

Mary writes a monthly column, Woman to Woman, for The Cherokee Scout.  She is a member of the North Carolina Writers Network, a mental health counselor, and a farmer.

Mary says she writes to satisfy a hunger, to taste life all the way down to the last drop.  She gains perspective from family and friends, her Appalachian home, and her life’s work as a counselor.

Writing poetry places her in kinship with her own life.

Mary Ricketson is a Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor in Murphy, North Carolina.  She brings more than thirty years experience to her work, with twenty-five years in private practice.  She is a founding board member of  REACH.  She has a special interest in women’s issues, victims of abuse, and family and couple relationships.  She offers innovative ways to effect change in difficult life patterns, including Journey to Intuition and Neurofeedback.  She is listed in Who’s Who in American Women.

Nadine Justice

Nadine Justice divides her time between a mountain-top cottage in north Georgia and her home in Atlanta. For the past few years she has worked on a memoir which was published last year. Excerpts have been published in an anthology by the Georgia Mountain Writers Club. She also enjoys a successful career as an interior designer. Her design work has been featured twice in Better Homes and Gardens and in Atlanta Custom Home magazines.

Nadine grew up in West Virginia and is the daughter of a coal miner. She is married to a retired federal agent, and enjoys spending time with her four “perfect” grandchildren.

Nadine is a new member of the North Carolina Writers' Network. She will share portions of her book, I'm a coal Miner's Daughter, But I Cain't Sang, at the reading on Thursday night. 

Joan Howard's Gift is accepted by the Aurorean

Friend and fellow poet, Joan Howard, of Athens and Hiawassee, Georgia, an active member of NCWN West, had a poem, Gifts, accepted by this prestigious New England journal for their spring 2013 issue. 

The Aurorean is a biannual poetry journal appearing in April and October each year. From 1995-2005, the journal was published quarterly and from Southeastern Massachusetts. They officially moved to Central Maine in 2005 and the expanded biannual format began in 2006. The Aurorean has been featured in Poet’s Market and several-times recommended as a “Pick” by the prestigious Small Press Review, most recently for its 10th Anniversary Issue (Fall/Winter 2010–2011). SPR has said of the Aurorean: “a journal that has both high production values and quality poetry ... perfect to elevate you from the dark night of the soul.” In January of 2011, NewPages reviewer Sima Rabinowitz said of their 15th Anniversary Issue: "This little journal will fill you up."

Congratulations, Joan. 

Three Bits of News from Deanna Klingel

Deanna Klingel and Robert S. King at Festival on the  Square 

NCWN West member, and my friend, Deanna Klingel, author of several outstanding books, announces a December 1 event with her publisher. Sounds like fun.

Three bits of news:

Tomorrow, December 1, visit my website for the first day of one month of Christmas spirit. Every day something new to inspire and infuse you with Christmas spirit. Bring your cup of coffee and start the morning with me. www.BooksByDeanna.com

Tomorrow, December 1, Write Integrity, the publisher of my latest novel, Cracks in the Ice, announces our collaborative e book, The Christmas Tree Treasure Hunt. This book has been written by all the authors of Write Integrity Press, and every day one chapter will appear. You can read about it at www.WriteIntegrity.com. December 3 & 4 read Chapter One on http://joancampbell.co.za/category/blog. She will tell you where to find Chapter Two. My chapter will appear on my website December 6.

Tomorrow, December 1, YOU ARE INVITED to a virtual Christmas party. It's a come-as-you-are party, and yes, you can even come in your jammies. You can come whenever you want,party lasts all month, as often as you like, stay as long as you wish. The party host is Write Integrity Press. Your hostesses, the authors for WIP, each have a party room of Christmas fun, music, games, and recipes. In my party room you will find presents to open, and meet our new dog, Buddy. No RSVP's are necessary, but we all hope you'll come by, Dec 1-30. The address is:

www.virtualcelebration.com/magnificenthope. Hope you can make it.

 Merry Christmas. Deanna

WE HAD FUN AT FESTIVAL ON THE SQUARE

Last weekend some of us, members of NCWN West, set up a booth at the Festival on the Square in Hayesville, NC. Saturday was busy but hot. This festival is sponsored each year by the Clay County Historical and Arts Council. Janice Padgett, president of the Council and Reba Beck, co-chairman of the festival committee,  were especially supportive of our being there.

Members of CCHAC at their booth in front of the historic courthouse

Besides Echoes Across the Blue Ridge, the anthology created by Netwest and edited by Nancy Simpson, we had poetry books by Nancy and Robert King. Clarence Newton brought his brand new poetry book, Short Glances Forward and A Long Look Back, and I finally got my hands on it. 

Deanna Klingle and Robert S. King at the NCWN West booth

Anthologies, such as my Cup of Comfort for Horse Lovers, sold better than poetry, so next year, I hope members who have had their work in anthologies will bring copies to sign.

Clarence Newton author of Short Glances Forward and A Long Look Back

Deanna Klingel drove down from Brevard to sign her books. She writes for young people and had a very successful day introducing her characters to the children in Clay County.

Many thanks to Joan Howard, Janice Moore, Linda Smith and Beth and especially Robert King who was there all day both days. I was happy to introduce quite a few people to Netwest and to Writers Circle. 

We almost made it through the festival without rain, but about 20 minutes before closing, the downpour started and we all came home in wet clothes. It was fun and I hope next year we will have more members participate.

Writers' Conference - What I enjoyed and You would, too

I wish all my students had been at the NCWN Fall Conference this past weekend. Fabulous faculty, outstanding writers and poets on panels, giving critiques, and best of all, getting to know writers from all over North Carolina and many other states.

I had hoped to attend a few sessions on Saturday, but our Netwest volunteers had signed up for classes, and I couldn't ask them to skip and man the Netwest table for me to have time away. The good part of sitting at the table was meeting so many writers, publishers and others connected with NCWN. Everyone who came in passed our table. New wanna-be writers enjoyed talking and telling their hopes and dreams. I enjoyed answering their questions. Often we sold books to people who had seen Echoes Across the Blue Ridge online. Some opened the table of contents and smiled as they recognized the names in the book. One young woman who had recently moved to Fletcher NC, had not realized she now lived in the Netwest area. She was delighted and couldn't wait to  put the Netwest sticker on her name tag.

If you are a serious writer or want to be a serious writer, begin now to save your money for the next NCWN Fall Conference. I don't know the date yet, or the place where it will be held, but I hope to go and I'd love to take some of you with me.

Visit my other blog, http://www.profilesandpedigrees.blogspot.com/ and read more about my relationship with NCWN and attending the Fall Conferences over the years.

GEORGIA POETRY SOCIETY MEETING AT KENNESAW COLLEGE

Recently I joined the Georgia Poetry Society. I met Robert S. King, poet and president of GPS this year. Impressed with Robert and his work, I decided to learn more about his group.
I plan to attend the July meeting of the group at Kennesaw College on July 23. It will be an all day event.

I live 8 miles from the Georgia line and grew up in Georgia, so I am looking forward to what this organization has to offer. The town were I lived in south west Georgia had little if any literary community. I felt I had died and gone to Heaven when I moved to North Carolina. Even in the rural area where i live we are blossoming with poets and writers. Our NCWN West brought out the writers in north east Georgia over the past sixteen years. They joined Netwest and took part in the critique groups. After all the years of being members of Netwest, some of them have formed writing groups in Georgia. Now people like Carol Crawford and Robert Kimsey don't travel to Murphy and Hayesville for events. They have begun their own.

My heart swells with the knowledge that our writers, fifteen or sixteen years ago, opened the gates to  some who traveled miles to reach us, and now some excellent poets are reaping benefits from Netwest writers and poets. We have one of the longest lasting open poetry critique groups and Janice Townley Moore facilitates it. Anyone who writes poetry can come to the meetings and observe. If they feel they would like to bring a poem to read and become part of the group, we hope they will join NCWN.

I hope and feel sure I will find a friendly group at the Georgia Poetry Society.
Can't wait to meet them and share my work there.