Happy Birthday, Estelle Rice

I had a birthday this  month and celebrated in the best way I can imagine.

My friend, Mary Mike and I hosted a lunch for our dear friend, Estelle Rice. Estelle is celebrating a big one, but we don't talk about numbers.

The group that gathered was just large enough and not too large to carry on some great conversations.

Some of Estelle's oldest writer friends attended, including Paul Donovan and Glenda Barrett. Paul read a cute piece that had us laughing at ourselves. Mary Mike read two poems by Estelle from her book, Quiet Times. 

Age has no bearing on following your passions and continuing with what you enjoy doing as long as you are healthy enough to pursue your goals. Estelle is still writing poems and revising short stories. She still works on her family history, the genealogy of her lines. And  most importantly, Estelle keeps smiling and stays positive even when her life is not as cheery as her voice. 

From left: Paul Donovan, Glenda Barrett, Estelle Rice, Glenda Beall,Carole Thompson, 
Mary Mike Keller, Staci Bell

Arts Expo in Hayesville

The Arts Expo in Hayesville last Saturday was a fun-filled day with many artists and crafts people and a goodly number of Netwest writers on hand.
Shirley Uphouse read from her book, My Dogs, My Friends, and Paul Donovan read his poetry from Ramblins of an Idiot. Carole  Thompson helped man the booth and shared her story from Clothes Lines, the anthology based on a theme of clothing.

Jo Carolyn Beebe, one of the authors in this book, read a short piece. On our table were books by Nancy Sales Cash, Ritual River and Patterns of the Heart, and the anthology Christmas Presence, an anthology edited by Celia Miles and Nancy Dillingham, that came out last year.

Karen Holmes, our Netwest editor and publisher of the Netwest News, was a huge help to me in taking down the booth after the long day. Karen is also published in Clothes Lines and participated in reading and signing books.

We were happy to have Sonny Boyer from Blairsville, GA join us at our table. Sonny, like many writers, has published an excellent historical novel, but is finding that marketing his book is difficult.

I was delighted when my students Ash, Nadine and Ginny came to hear me read. They had their books in hand and I was most happy to sign them.
Ash, whose essay was published in our local newspaper for Veterans Day, was persuaded to come up and read his story. I learned later that someone came to our table and asked how to get in touch with Ash to ask him to speak to their group.

This was the first Arts Expo held here in Hayesville, but I hope it will be an annual event. We found it to be an excellent opportunity to reach a new audience of listeners, readers, and possible writers. We hope to be invited again.

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Dinner with Paul, Lunch with The Candy Foundation

Below: Paul Donovan. Right: Mary Jo Dyre

This is a busy week. Tonight I join Paul Donovan in Murphy, NC for dinner with the winners of the Cherokee County Poetry and Essay contest for high school students. I was delighted to judge the essays this year. Selecting only three winners was most difficult. I do not yet know the names of the winning students, but I look forward to meeting them tonight at Shoebooties restaurant. Paul does a great job each year coordinating this contest. Local businesses donate money for the savings bonds Paul hands out to winners. Netwest is always a sponsor for one of those prizes.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, at 11:00 AM, the Candy Maier Scholarship Foundation Board and a number of interested writers and people from the community will have lunch in Murphy. Mary Jo Dyre, who was on the Board but now acts in a liaison position, I believe, has invited our Netwest members to join them at Shoebooties. I look forward to meeting the group of women who make funds available to western NC women who want to attend seminars, conferences, and workshops to improve their writing.
The Candy Fund was instrumental in my starting the Netwest Writers blog and connecting our members from all over the wide area of south western North Carolina. I appreciate the Foundation and the good work they do.