Meet the Men Who Teach at Writers Circle this Summer

 I am excited and happy to get back to working full time on my classes at my studio, Writers Circle, in Hayesville, NC after spending some time as volunteer Interim Program Coordinator for NCWN West. 

Below find biographical information on a few instructors for upcoming classes. Visit Writers Circle site and click on Schedule page to learn more about the classes taught by these men and how to register.

WILLIAM WRIGHT comes up from the Atlanta area and is author of six collections of poetry: three full length books, including Night Field Anecdote (Louisiana Literature Press, 2011), Bledsoe (Texas Review Press, 2011), and Dark Orchard (Texas Review Press, 2011). Wright’s chapbooks are Sleep Paralysis, Winner of the South Carolina Poetry Initiative Prize, selected by Kwame Dawes, forthcoming from the Stepping Stones Press, Xylem & Heartwood, forthcoming from Finishing Line Press, and The Ghost Narratives (Finishing Line Press, 2008). Wright serves as an advisory and contributing editor for Shenandoah and a contributing web columnist for Oxford American, translates German poetry, and is currently editing four anthologies. Wright won the 2012 Porter Fleming Prize in Literature. 

Wright was born in Augusta, GA, and raised in Edgefield County, South Carolina. His wife, the writer Michelle Nichols Wright, and he now reside in Marietta, GA.

http://www.towncreekpoetry.com/

ROBERT S. KING grew up in the rural countryside near Gainesville, Georgia. While in the Navy he earned a diploma from the Defense Language Institute which trained him to serve as a Cambodian translator stationed at the National Security Agency. After military service, he went back to college and graduated from West Georgia University with degrees in English and Spanish. Since then he has worn out quite a few hats. He has more than 20 years of experience working in public and academic libraries, book stores, and as Publications Editor for the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

After 12 years, he left UGA to pursue a more lucrative occupation as Software Engineer, especially as a developer of web applications. He retired in 2010 and soon moved to the mountains with his long-time soulmate, Diane Kistner. Their son, Ian Dorian King, is an artist currently living in Athens, Georgia. Robert is the only football fan in his family (Go Dawgs!).

Before his retirement, much of Robert’s spare time was spent in writing and publishing poetry. He has also served as editor and/or publisher of several literary presses. He stepped down as Director of FutureCycle Press in 2012 in order to devote more time to his own writing.

Robert’s poems have appeared in hundreds of magazines and anthologies, including California Quarterly, Chariton Review, Kenyon Review, Main Street Rag, Midwest Quarterly, and Southern Poetry Review. He has published three chapbooks (When Stars Fall Down as Snow, Garland Press 1976; Dream of the Electric Eel, Wolfsong Publications 1982; and The Traveller’s Tale, Whistle Press 1998). His full-length collections are The Hunted River and The Gravedigger’s Roots, both in their second editions from FutureCycle Press, 2012; and One Man's Profit (Sweatshoppe Publications, 2013). His work has received several nominations for the Pushcart Prize and Best of Net award. Robert's personal website is www.robertsking.com

ROBERT LEE BREWER also comes to us from the Atlanta area. He is the Senior Content Editor for the Writer’s Digest Writing Community. In addition to handling the Writer’s Market, he edits Poet’s Market, manages the Poetic Asides blog, writes a poetry column for Writer’s Digest, and a whole lot more. Named Poet Laureate of the Blogosphere in 2010, Brewer has been a featured poet at several events around the country and will have his debut full-length poetry collection, Solving the World’s Problems, published by Press 53 in September 2013. 

He’s married to poet Tammy Foster Brewer, who helps him keep track of their five little poets (four boys and one princess).

Read Robert's blog here.

See the time, date, and location of classes Here.

September 29, Poets come together and read

On Saturday, September 29, poets around the world will gather and share their poetic thoughts on the state of our culture, our society and what changes we want to see take place.

This is not a political event. Anyone can read their work. There will be poems on peace, on the environment, on marriage, divorce, children, and so many other things we poets think about. The Open Mic begins at 2:00 p.m.

If you live in the south west part of NC or the north east part of Georgia, mark your calendar and come to the 100 Thousand Poets for Change to be held at Groves Enterprises, on highway 64, between Murphy and Hayesville, NC.

Look for signs.

Robert S. King of FutureCycle Press is hosting the event. Snacks and drinks will be available. Everyone is invited. Come and listen or come and share a poem or short prose piece.

Bring family and friends. There are over 700 events of this type being held on September 29. You will enjoy meeting other writers and poets, seeing old friends, and being a part of something that is becoming an annual happening in this country and around the world.

To help with planning, contact Robert King by email, rsking@futurecycle.org or Glenda Beall, nightwriter0302@yahoo.com and let us know you plan to be there and if you plan to read.

Three Princes of Poetry - all in one place

Carole Thompson, Robert S. King, Mary Ricketson, Scott Owens, Glenda Beall

 It is late and I'm almost asleep, but I wanted to report that we had a great time in Sylva, NC tonight. We read and heard some terrific poetry.
Scott Owens has the most marvelous new poetry book, published by FutureCycle Press. One Who Knows How to Own Land. Isn't that the best title?
Many of us know what a terrific poet Scott is, tonight we had a surprise when Ron Rash dropped in to tell us how much he admires Scott Owens' poetry. Ron Rash was at Western University this week talking about his newest book. 

This is what he says on the back of One Who Knows How to Own Land,
“Landscape and memory are seamlessly merged in this excellent volume. Like all the best writers of place, Scott Owens finds the heart’s universal concerns in his vivid rendering of piedmont Carolina.” —Ron Rash, Parris Distinguished Professor in Appalachian Cultural Studies at Western Carolina University

I felt like I was in the room with royalty - at least the princes of poetry - Ron, Scott and Robert King. I was almost embarrassed to read my poems, but I had the satisfaction of knowing that Robert had chosen two of my poems for his FutureCycle 2011 Anthology and Scott has published a couple of my poems in Wild Goose Poetry Review.

Mary Ricketson is always a pleasure to listen to when she reads her thoughtful verses and Carole Thompson read both humorous and serious poetry. One of her poems won second place in a National DAR contest. We all had a good time tonight.
 

Festivals, Pumpkins, and a Winter Day

I can’t decide what to call this – Pumpkin Season or Winter Surprise or Festival Fun.

This weekend the weather changed drastically from mild to windy and cold. I refused to turn on heat in my house. I love the coolness, but Tiger, my cat, having no warm hearth to curl up on, has taken to my bed. She is the first cat I’ve ever had that wants to sleep with me. I don’t like having a cat on my bed. I don’t like having a dog on my bed having had a poodle for 19 years that thought our king sized bed was all his. Tiger is looking for warmth and that is why she has moved in, and she is so cute curled up sleeping that I just don’t have the heart to chase her away. I know what being cold feels like.

At the 34th Indian Summer Festival in Suches, GA the wintry weather made manning the Netwest booth quite a challenge. I arrived there around 10:30 a.m. and found Netwest member, Joan Howard, had been there since 8:30. Her hands trembled from the cold. Robert King came shortly after Joan and he was bundled up with a warm jacket. The cold wind whipped through our little canopy tent, blowing books off the table, blowing brochures, framed book covers, sending everything on the table flying.

Some part of the canopy structure broke. We tied it back together with a plastic bag. The three of us sat in the sun and had a good time visiting and talking about writing. And – in spite of the cold wind, we sold some books, met some nice people and helped spread the word about Netwest.
Later driving home, I enjoyed big orange displays of pumpkins in yards, in front of stores, and remembered that I fell in love with these mountains a life time ago when we used to come here on vacation -- always in the fall. We loved the festivals, the music, and the friendly folk in the small towns.
The festivals have lost their luster for me, but autumn is glorious with the trees melding into mosaic patterns, brilliant in the sun. Life goes on.