Rosemary Royston and Karen Paul Holmes, both
well-published poets, will read from their new books at this month’s Writers’
Night Out at the Union County Community Center in Blairsville, GA. The two plan
to do a coordinated reading, alternating their poems on similar subjects. The
event takes place on August 9 with a social hour at 6 p.m. (dinner available
for purchase) and reading at 7 p.m. An
open microphone follows for those who’d like to read their own writing. The
public is welcome to this free event.
Karen Paul Holmes,
founder and host of Writers’ Night Out, is a freelance writer, poet and teacher
whose new poetry collection, Untying the
Knot, was recently released by Aldrich Press and is available on Amazon.
It’s a story of loss and healing, written, as one reviewer put it, “with grace,
humor and without a dollop of self pity.” Holmes teaches at Writer’s Circle in
Hayesville, NC, and the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC. She also
hosts a poetry workshop in Atlanta. Publishing credits include Poetry East, Atlanta Review, POEM, The Sow’s
Ear Poetry Review, and the Southern Poetry Anthology Vol 5: Georgia.
She won a poetry grant from the Elizabeth George Foundation in 2012.
Rosemary Royston
holds an MFA in Writing from Spalding University and teaches at Young Harris
College. Her poetry chapbook, Splitting the Soil (available through
Finishing Line Press and Amazon) has been described as “Spiritual, sassy,
smart, and so sure for a first collection.” Her poetry has appeared in
many places, including Southern Poetry Review, The Comstock Review,
Main Street Rag, Town Creek, KUDZU, New Southerner, Dark Sky Magazine, and the Southern Poetry Anthology,
Volume V: Georgia. Two of her essays are included in Women
and Poetry: Tips on Writing, Teaching and Publishing by Successful Women Poets (McFarland).
Writers’ Night Outis sponsored by North Carolina Writers’ Network-West and normally takes place
on the second Saturday of the month (third Saturday in October). Prose writers
or poets wishing to participate in the open mic can sign up at the door to read
for three minutes. The four-year-old event recently moved at the Union County
Community Center at Butternut Creek Golf Course, 129 Union County Recreation
Rd., Blairsville, Georgia 30512, off Highway 129 near the intersection of US
76, phone (706) 439-6092. Signs will be
posted to direct attendees to either the upstairs ballroom or A-B conference
room for the event. For more information, please contact Karen Holmes at (404)
316-8466 or kpaulholmes@gmail.com.
