Let's go to the Festival on the Square

Lake Chatuge and the mountains that surround it.

This coming weekend, we will set up a booth at the Festival on the Square in Hayesville, NC where thousands of people will pass through and see fine crafts and outstanding original art by men and women from all over the south. This festival has grown tremendously since I first attended in 1995. I can't walk around the square where all the tents and booths are set up without taking home something. One year it was raining and I was not feeling well, but I did go to the festival and bought a barbecue plate to take home. 

On several occasions in the past our writing group, the NC Writers' Network West, set up a booth and many local writers and poets brought their books to sign for visitors. I furnish the tent, table and chairs but I can't take all that down town and put it up alone. This year, Joan Gage, poet and blogger and her man, Rob, will do the heavy lifting. Another writer, Deanna Klingel, will help set up and she will be in the booth all weekend. Karen Holmes, outstanding poet from Atlanta will be at the table on Saturday afternoon along with Carole Thompson who wrote a beautiful poetry book, Enough. 

The anthology, Echoes Across the Blue Ridge, will be on sale. This book contains stories, poems, essays by authors from all over our region. I am proud to have a story in this book which also contains poetry by two poet laureates and is dedicated to Byron Herbert Reece, a highly regarded mountain poet who lived in the early part of the twentieth century. 

I hope that visitors to the festival will take time to visit the shops and businesses around the square. If you like crafts of all kinds, we have Busy Hands which sells work done by many local crafts people. Be sure to drop in at the local ice cream soda fountain next door to Tiger's Department store. 

I learned today that the CCCRA, a community group that is striving to save and update our historic courthouse, is having a trash to treasures sale right across the street from the square - where the Phillips and Lloyd Bookstore used to be.

I'm taking some of my "stuff" down to be sold.

Molly and Me is a fun place to roam around and look for special items once used but ready for a new home. And don 't forget to drop in at Joe's Coffee House and Wine Shop. They will be open this weekend. Sit outside on the covered porch area or inside with your friends. 

Music rings out from the Gazebo all weekend - cloggers, fiddlers, and one of my favorite groups, The Pressley Girls, will be on hand to sing their mountain harmonies.

Whatever you do, if you come to Hayesville this weekend, 11-12 of July, come by the booth to speak to me and our other writing friends. I'll be there Saturday morning and Sunday. Our Clay County Historical and Arts Council is sponsoring this festival. Many thanks to all the volunteers who work so hard to make this festival a big success every year. 

Some Netwest News for our Readers, Happening on November 10

This should be an afternoon of fun for all writers, as NCWN West invites you to come to meet and greet other writers in the area and hear from some outstanding writers, Catherine Carter, Brent Martin and Pam Duncan. 

• Save the date: Sunday, November 10, for the Netwest Open House at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva, from 1-4 pm. From 1-2 pm, we will enjoy a social hour upstairs, where we will serve light refreshments so that we can mingle and perhaps find some great reading material. 
• From 2-4 pm, we will go downstairs to the cafe, where drinks and additional goodies will be available for purchase during the readings and open mic.  Guest readers will be: poet Catherine Carter, naturalist writer Brent Martin, and novelist Pam Duncan, with an Open mic to follow. Please mark your calendars for this outstanding event.

I plan to attend this event and hope to see many writer friends, bloggers and poets there.

SILVER BOOMER BOOKS ON SALE

Last year two of my poems were published in an anthology, On Our Own, Widowhood for Smarties published by Silver Boomer Books.

A few years ago, another of my poems was published in a Silver Boomer anthology, Freckles to Wrinkles. 

Silver Boomer books is having a special sale on these anthologies which have stories, memoir, and poetry by many good writers. I am particularly proud to be included in On Our Own, Widowhood for Smarties. This book makes an excellent gift for someone who has lost a spouse. 

See more about the sale below.

In anticipation of reorganizing our Abilene office space this fall, we are offering a great sale on our entire catalog of titles published through 2012. We need to reduce local inventory before moving. This is a very limited offer, good through July 31.

Not only are we offering great prices, all shipping is free within the U.S. Click on the sale link at silverboomerbooks.com to see the entire sale list.

This is a great opportunity to stock up your gift closet...have something on hand for every reader for every occasion. 

Indie Bound

On the top of the right side bar you will see a gadget for Indie book stores. If you want to support the Indie bookstores and love them as I do, just click on the link and it takes you to the page where you can find bookstores near you. If you want to find books by a particular author, maybe Maggie Bishop, type in her name and click search. A page comes up with all her books. If you type in the title of a book, click Search, the page comes up with the book pictured and from there you have many choices.
Want to find an Indie book store nearest you? Go to the Indie site and put in your zip code. You can buy online or visit the store. A map is shown with addresses of each Indie store.

These small businesses have a struggle keeping up with all the big chain stores out there today.
We have some terrific Indie books sellers in our area. Right here in Hayesville where I live, we have Phillips and Lloyd on the square in our charming little town. They have all kinds of gifts, crafts and the latest books. And they can order whatever you want and have it right away.
Near us in Murphy NC. Curiosity Shop Books is a big supporter of our writers and they have recently opened another store in Andrews, NC. City Lights books in Sylva, NC and Osondu books in Waynesville, NC are great places to visit, have a cup of coffee and browse the books shelves. I like the homey atmosphere and personal service I get in the little book stores. Books Unlimited is located in Franklin, NC and they carry books by many local authors.
Try our search for Indie book stores, books, and authors. Let me know how you like this service.