Speaking in Hendersonville and visiting with NCWN West Members

Just got back from a delightful time in Hendersonville, NC where I had a chance to visit with writer and Netwest Representative, Lana Hendershott, at Tooley's. 

I was there by invitation to speak at Senior Friends, a 200 member group of older people who seem to be staying quite active and enjoying life. Carol Crawford, poet, writer and director of the annual Blue Ridge Writers Conference in Blue Ridge, GA. was a featured speaker as well. In fact, Carol received an invitation from Roy Freedman for a writer and a poet to speak to the group. She asked me to be the writer. She took this opportunity to read from her wonderful new poetry chapbook, The Habit of Mercy. 

Carol Crawford at Senior Friends in Hendersonville

I spoke as a writer and teacher. My theme was that writing is good for seniors whether they journal, write about their lives for family or publish a book. I talked about how writing had been such an integral part of my life, especially my healing after loss of my husband. I could see heads nodding as I talked. I felt a real kinship with the 50 plus men and women who sat before me. My thanks to Roy and to Senior Friends for inviting Carol and me to be a part of their fine group Thursday evening. 

Glenda at Senior Friends in Hendersonville

Carol and I were so pleased at the warmth and appreciation of the group after we finished. NCWN West member, Pat Podlipec, is a member of Senior Friends. Another woman told me she remembered me from the annual Blue Ridge Bookfest held in Flat Rock. How nice it was to be remembered for our Netwest panel discussion when we were there a few years ago. I'll always remember that event was held opposite Ron Rash's workshop. Talk about bad luck! We still had a good audience and we all had fun. 

Lana and I discussed an open mike event she hopes to create in Hendersonville very soon. While it is very easy to get a public reading started, one must find a good venue and then decide how to schedule those who will read. Should the reading be for poets or writers? Maybe both? But poets can read two poems in three minutes, easy. Writers need at least five minutes. Those little details have to be worked out, but I feel sure Lana will get this going soon.

I told Lana I'd love to come up for the readings when she gets an event going, and I'd be glad to come for the inaugural if she wanted me. With so many writers in Hendersonville I know the writing event will be well attended, and it will give them an opportunity to bring writers together there. With one Netwest sponsored event open to the public all the writers and poets will get to know each other and, like our writers in my neck of the woods, they can socialize with like-minded people, share opportunities, and make life long friends. 

March 28th at 7:00 in the Mountain Heritage Center at WCU

LIARS BENCH PERFORMS AT MOUNTAIN HERITAGE CENTER MARCH 28

The Liars Bench, which has been called “an Appalachian variety show” will kick off its third season with guest appearances by two of Appalachia’s most gifted talents:  Shelia Kay Adams, a seventh generation ballad singer from Madison County and Marvin Cole, noted throughout this region for his depiction of Mark Twain.  

In addition to these two remarkable performers, Gary Carden, the founder of the Liars Bench, intends to introduce a few samples of his latest project, “An Appalachian Bestiary” which is a collection of “whimsical and imaginary critters.”  

Carden notes, “I have about 48 now, and they range from birds that fly backwards to snakes that milk cows.”



Shelia Kay taught school for 17 years before she became a full-time performer. She is the author of two remarkable books:  Come Go Home With Me, which is a collection of community stories from Madison County, and My Old True Love, which is called “a Civil War love story.” Since she is also a gifted storyteller, she has a collection of tales called “Don’t Get Above Your Raising.” 

For more than 40 years, she has been nationally known and sought after by the country’s colleges and universities for her ability to combine exceptional musical skills (banjo) and traditional ballad singing...and, as Daniel Patterson says, “for good reason.  She is North Carolina’s greatest musical treasure.

”

Many people in this region have had the pleasure of seeing Marvin Cole do “An Evening With Mark Twain.” 

Dr. Cole has performed throughout the United States ...especially on Mississippi river boats.  However, Marvin is leaving his trademark “ice cream suit” at home, and he intends to explore new territory.  When asked about his topic for his Liars Bench performance, Marvin said he wanted to perform a “meditation on outhouses.”



The Liars Bench show is scheduled for March 28th at 7:00 in the Mountain Heritage Center at WCU.  Other scheduled performers will include Paul Iarussi (claw hammer guitar) and William Ritter, a Liars Bench regular (and gifted fiddler) who is scheduled to play “The Belled Buzzard.”  The audience is advised to come early as this will be a popular show.

Gary Carden
gcarden498@aol.com

Electronic Submissions Class for Writers by Robert S. King

Times they are a'changing said the singer in the sixties, but he didn't know nuthin' about changes.

Changes in the publishing world are occurring so fast we can hardly keep up with them. One of those changes for writers and poets is the way we submit our work to magazines and journals. 

Gone are the days when we made copies, addressed envelopes to send in our work and envelopes to return our work. Now, we submit online without printing a page. But different publications use different methods of submission. We often refrain from submitting if we have to deal with learning a new process. 

That is why I am glad we have Robert S. King, a publisher, poet and editor with the expertise to teach us this new technology. Robert stays abreast of what is new, and he is teaching a class at Moss Memorial Library in Hayesville, NC. See the details below.

Robert S. King  Moss Memorial Library, Hayesville, NC - Saturday, April 20  -  10 -1:00 p.m.  $30.00
Mail check to Writers Circle, 581 Chatuge Lane, Hayesville, NC 28904 -

Most publishers today allow electronic submissions, either by dedicated software online or by email. Learn how to use the most popular online systems and also how to compose email
submissions with or without file attachments. In addition, you will discover how to use the most popular market lists so that you can identify the magazines or publishers best suited for your writing.

About the Instructor
Robert S. King is a widely published poet and editor. He is the
author of six poetry collections, the latest of which is One Man’s
Profit (Sweatshoppe Publications, 2013) and is the former
Director of FutureCycle Press and the former President of the
Georgia Poetry Society.
See his website at www.robertsking.com

Call 828-389-4441 for registration information. Send your registration now. Note that it is for Robert King class.

Read Robert S. King's post on three good ways to promote yourself

I often hear from writers and poets that they can't promote themselves. How sad. If they don't do it, who is?

Robert S. King wrote an excellent post on three ways to promote yourself.

Click here.

I am listed in the directory of Poets and Writers. It wasn't difficult to meet the qualifications. Robert tells you how in this article.

I have been remiss in not using You Tube for my readings, etc. Many times I've watched videos of Kathryn Stripling Byer because someone in the audience videoed her reading. Robert would like to see all the Netwest readings videoed and I think I'll look into it for myself. Although I wouldn't want to watch myself, I think it could be good publicity.

Tipper Presley did teach me how to upload a video of deer in the snow outside my window. I'll see if I can remember how to put it in this post.

Robert S. King will be teaching a class at Moss Memorial Library on Saturday, April 20,10 - 1 PM. 

Translate - a new gadget from blogger

Take note of a new gadget on the sidebar of this blog. Now readers who do not speak English can have the blog translated into their language simply by clicking on the TRANSLATE link and typing their preferred language.

I hope this will increase our readership and we can make friends with folks in other countries.

Snow all day kept me home and busy.

On a cold snowy day like today, I get so much done at home. Today I went down to my studio in my basement and turned on my old desktop computer. That is where many photos and older files are found. I had Bob, my computer guru, clean up that old dinosaur.

View from my deck looking off into the woods and the snow covered mountains

 Now it is quick and I enjoy it more than my fancy new desktop in my office. I am still struggling with learning Windows 8, Microsoft Office Word 2010, and I get frustrated when I have to search for all the new ways of doing things.

I have learned that not all young people know more about computers than I do. In fact, I find that most of them know how to use their smart phones, but when it comes to what I need to learn, they tell me they don't know anything about computers.

The next time someone tells me to just ask a twelve year old how to hook up my computer or use a program that is new to me, I will tell them that I don't have time to teach a kid or have the patience to try to get him/her off their cell phone. 

I hope that Ronda Birtha's class on using Social Media for marketing your writing will make. I look forward to learning how to do that properly and how to be safe on Facebook and Twitter. I see people giving out their home addresses on FB, and putting their young children's pictures online and I wonder if that is safe. I know I wouldn't give out my home address on Facebook. But Ronda is an expert in all this and I'm sure she can tell us what to do and what is not safe to do. 
Mainly, I hope she will help our writers see how they can promote their writing and reach a larger audience.

I hope all of you are warm tonight. I think about my parents and grand parents on cold nights like this. They couldn't go in and flip the thermostat higher to take the chill off.
Even when I was a small child we had only one heater in the house. Mother would warm a blanket and wrap up our feet when we climbed into the cold bed. Then she would pile quilts on us and we slept warm, my little sister and me, cuddled up together.

Cary Carden playwright and story teller. His play "Coy" will be presented at  Valleytown Cultural Arts Center, Andrews, NC April 27, 2013

CHAUTAUQUA ANDREWS APRIL 26, 27

I hope you will put these dates on your calendar. April 26, 27.

The little town of Andrews, NC will continue with their Spring Chautauqua and has a wonderful lineup of events. Check them out on the link below.

http://www.chautauquaandrews.org/calendar.htm

At 2:00 p.m.  Saturday, see "Becoming Elizabeth Lawrence" presented by Emily Herring Wilson at the Valleytown Cultural Arts Center.

One of Gary Carden's plays , "Coy," will be presented by Tom Dewees at the Valleytown Cultural Arts Center 7:00 P.M. and several other theater productions will take place that weekend.
If you have somehow missed seeing a Gary Carden play, you must make sure to take in this one. You will spend a delightful evening with his characters.

Although Andrews is not so far from Clay County NC, Towns County and Union County Georgia, we hear little about this event. Thanks to Linda Ray at Curiosity Books in Murphy for sending the link.

After the last performance of one of Gary's plays at Chautauqua  I heard rave reviews. I am determined to get to Andrews for this one. Hope to see you there.