Showing posts with label Writers Circle around the Table. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Writers Circle around the Table. Show all posts

Sunday, May 17, 2020

Mary Ricketson, poet and mental health counselor, writing through a pandemic


Mary, thank you for being our guest on Netwest Writers today and taking time to answer our questions. You work as a mental health counselor, and I imagine the pandemic has changed your work life in many ways.

GCB:  Are you working from home and are your clients accepting the new methods you have to use now?

Mary: Thank you for asking about my work as a counselor.  It’s the science, talent, and heart that feeds me well beyond whatever we usually think of as career.
Yes, I’m working from home.  Most people are fine with this change from in person visits at my downtown office, since all of us understand the safety needs of the pandemic.  I have a revolving door of clientele, so already there are some I’ve never met in person.  There are a few people who prefer to wait, deal with their issues when they can meet with a therapist in person.  I treat that like any other personal preference- it’s up to them, handle it with all the respect any human being deserves.
The pandemic is very stressful for people.  No one calls for help simply because of the pandemic, but it adds to stresses already there.
             
GCB: I imagine you had to learn new technology for working at home and did your clients have trouble accepting the changes?

Mary: Primarily I’m working via my cellphone.  I’ve learned to use speaker phone so the phone is not in my ear all the time, and I’ve learned some tricks about how to keep it charged.  I do meet via video with skype.  I already knew how to use this, so I’ve managed to avoid learning a whole new technology, thankfully.
Some people have to go out to their car with their phone to gain the privacy needed for a counseling session.  Other people simply can’t manage because their children are home from school.  Some arrange for child care.  Others muddle through.

GCB: Do you find working from home more tiring or easier than going to your office each day?


Mary: I miss my office.  I thought it would be a real treat to work from home, and indeed in some ways it is.  I’m incredibly more fatigued at the end of my work day now.  It takes much more energy to attend only via voice, or even the face that shows in the  video of skype or any other tele-conference.  I’m constantly finding words and asking questions to make up for the nonverbal cues and the energy I usually get in person.  Besides that, there is a difference in the reward I feel.  Nothing makes up for that in person energy exchange.  For now, however, it’s safety at all cost.

GCB; You are a poet. How has this chaotic time affected your writing? Do you feel less creative or more creative in your writing? Do you find you write more now being home so much?

Mary: I’ve been determined to write as much or more as usual during this pandemic.  I’m counting on creativity and my time in nature to bring me the balance I need in life.  Honestly, the pandemic stress is so gigantic, it’s a tough call to meet that balance.  I can keep writing and even bring poems to completion, but the business side of writing, like submitting, is suffering down here at my place.
My schedule is to get focused during my early morning walk, then start writing before the world gets in my way, and before going to work.  I’ve kept this schedule during this odd time.  It gives a predictability to my life, and I think it keeps me tuned with the time and ritual when I expect my creativity to appear.  I even take a note pad on my walk, write down images or ideas.  If I don’t, it all drifts away like a dream you think you are going to remember.

 GCB: Recently you published a poetry book, a memoir in poetry, about your parents and your life growing up in Mississippi. Tell us how that book came to be. Did you set out to write poems for this book or did you find you had poems already written that fit in this theme?

Mary: Slowly I came to a decision that my life in Mississippi during my formative years was worthwhile.  I avoided knowing that for a great deal of my adulthood, embarrassed about the racism of the times.  Other problems in my family were not what I wanted to write about.  I worked within myself for quite some time to find the worth, discover what I was proud of. 
I did set out on purpose to write the poems that turned into the book.  I went through picture albums, remembering, jotting notes all over my house.  I phoned my brother and sister, asking for tidbits and gems.  I talked to my parents, if you can really talk to the dead.  I called one cousin on my mother’s side, and I talked often to my aunt on my dad’s side.  All this generated memories in a kaleidoscope kind of fashion.  I was thrilled and frustrated with no pattern coming to the surface. 
I kept noticing point of view in any kind of poems I read.  I got the idea to get inside my parents as best I could, try to experience the move to Mississippi and our life there, how it must have been for them.  That turned a corner.  I got excited to the max, started writing in every spare minute I could find.  By the end, I had fallen in love with my parents and found a new aspect of being proud of my life.

 GCB: Do you prefer traditional publishing  or self-publishing of your poetry books?
         Mary: So far, I’ve only published by traditional publishing. I’m intrigued by self-publishing; I may go there yet. Mainly I want to present my writing in the most professional and respectful way I can.

 GCB: I find that marketing is the hardest and most time consuming part of being a writer. How do you feel about marketing and do you have any tips for our readers on how to best handle this part of being a writer?

Mary: I always wish I knew more about marketing, or that it would come easier, and that someone would do it for me.  No one does it for me, it’s harder than it looks and it constantly changes, and no one seems to understand enough. 
For me, it helps to talk about my books to everyone I know and even some I don’t know.  I have to push myself about this.  I read in public everywhere I can, bring books for sale, and keep looking for new places to read.  I try to invent places to read.  I stop myself from dreaming about being popular and fame coming naturally to me.  I go to writing conferences whenever I can, volunteer to read and also trade books with other authors.

I keep wanting to learn to budget my time to spend a regular portion of time weekly on the business end of writing.  I’m not there yet, but I’m sure it’s the right practice to achieve.

 GCB: You have been a member of NCWN and NCWN-West for two decades. How has this membership benefited your writing life?

Mary: I would have done nothing with my writing if I had not been a member of the North Carolina Writers' Network.  The alliance with other writers has been the cornerstone of my writing.  The tradition of joining with others for critiquing our work has been skill-building help and a motivator for me.  I’ve grown in confidence as a writer during my time as a member.  I need my connection with other writers in order to grow. 

 GCB: I often teach aspiring writers. What advice would you give an aspiring poet who wants to one day publish his/her poetry?

Mary: Write daily if at all possible.  I used to set my alarm for 5 am so I could write for an hour before getting my child up for school, do all the getting ready, and then go to work myself.
Share your work with others.  You don’t quite know yourself if you live in total isolation.  It’s the same with writing.
Read your work in public.  Our reading events are as much for ourselves, our own growth as for the opportunity to share and entertain.
Write from your own experience.  Be willing to learn who you are, be willing to be surprised at who you find.
Tell the truth when you write, even if you change the truth somehow.  That may sound like a riddle.  It’s not.
 GCB: Tell us about each of your poetry books, please, and where they can be purchased.

Mary: Disorgananza was my first book, in 2000.  It’s a small book, printed on a home computer, and put together for family and friends, mostly as Christmas gifts. 
I have one copy only now.

I Hear the River Call my Name is my chapbook, my first book via a publisher, Finishing Line Press, 2007.  I didn’t know I could do this.  I took a class in putting a chapbook together simply because the class was being offered, and well why not?  This book is out of print.  When I spend more time on the business of writing, I’ll figure out how to re-publish it.

Hanging Dog Creek is myfirst full length book, published by Future Cycle Press, 2014.  I did this on a wing and a prayer. 
I had to deal with a lot of editorial suggestions and even harsh criticism.  But someone there believed in me, and kept encouraging me not to give up.  I had lost a great deal in life by then, that there was no way to keep.  I was determined to get this done, and I did.

Shade and Shelter was published by Kelsay Press, 2017.  I felt like I sent that manuscript to a million places, and ultimately changed the title a time or two.  Once Karen Kelsay accepted it, there were no significant changes to be made.

Mississippi: The Story of Luke and Marian was also published by Kelsay, 2019.  I frankly did not know how in the world I would get this book published.  Over and over I submitted it.   When I was ready to start over with a real big breath, I sent an inquiry to Kelsay press because I had not received a response in the time they advertise.  I got an almost immediate reply saying my book was already accepted, but someone in the chain of staff had not seen her email.  After that, things went pretty fast.

Hanging Dog Creek, Shade and Shelter, and Mississippi are all available directly from me, or from Curiosity Bookstore in Murphy, or City Lights in Sylva,NC or order on Amazon.

Thanks, Glenda, for this opportunity to converse about writing.  It’s been fun.

GCB: We appreciate Mary Ricketson taking time for our interview and for all she does for writers.



Glenda Council Beall is Program Coordinator for NCWN-West , Owner/director for Writers Circle around the Table. 
gcbmountaingirl@gmail.com

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Poet Mike James to teach a poetry workshop at Writers Circle Studio, Hayesville, NC, Saturday, April 14, 2018

Saturday, April 14, 2018
Poetry workshop, Formally Speaking - 12:00 noon until 3:00 PM
Writers Circle Studio, Hayesville, NC

Formally Speaking

This class will focus on different types of traditional poetic forms such as the sonnet, the villanelle, and the sestina, and will also include other verse forms such as erasures, found poems, prose poems, and last poems.    

Mike James is the author of eleven poetry collections. His most recent books include: Crows in the Jukebox (Bottom Dog, 2017), My Favorite Houseguest (FutureCycle, 2017), and Peddler’s Blues (Main Street Rag, 2016.) 

His work has appeared in over 100 magazines and anthologies throughout the country. He has also been active as an editor for The Kentucky Review, Autumn House Press, and his own Yellow Pepper PressHe has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and the Paterson Poetry Prize.
Read a recent interview with Mike here.

After years spent in South Carolina, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Georgia, he now makes his home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina with his large family and a large assortment of cats

Mike James will read his poetry at Writers' Night Out in Blairsville, GA 
Friday night, April 13, 7:00 PM.   
Contact Karen Holmes - http://www.facebook.com/karenholmespoetry


WRITERS CIRCLE AROUND THE TABLE 2018 CLASSES 

Contact Glenda Beall -- gcbmountaingirl@gmail.com

Don't wait until the last minute to register for a class. If we don't have a minimum five days before the start of the class, we cancel the workshop.
                   Fee: $45.00                      Limit: 10 students

To Register for classes, send check to arrive before deadline, to Glenda Beall, Writers Circle, 581 Chatuge Lane, Hayesville, NC 28904 - Please copy and include the Registration Form page. You may also pay online with PayPal for this class. The link for this class is:

 http://www.glendacouncilbeall.com/p/schedule.html,

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Tara Lynne Groth to teach Email Marketing Class for Authors at Writers Circle, Hayesville, NC, on Saturday, August 5, 2017

Tara Lynne Groth will teach an Email Marketing Class for Authors, at Writers Circle, Hayesville, NC, on Saturday, August 5, 2017.

Tara Lynne Groth writes SEO content and develops blogs for site owners. Before running her writing business she was a marketing manager and public relations director. She speaks at conferences and teaches classes on best blogging practices and search engine optimization.

Authors keep in touch with their audience by sending newsletters, book tour updates, and special event info. Email marketing has grown more reliable as social media reach becomes unpredictable.
When you have an audience who volunteers to hear from you, you need to nurture it. How can you increase open rates with crafty subject lines, prevent unsubscribes, and boost engagement? We'll review these topics, plus user-friendly email marketing services.
Groth increased the open rate of her monthly newsletter by approximately 25% in the past year, and has increased open rates for her clients by more than 20%. www.taralynnegroth.com

For details on this class, please contact Glenda Council Beall at 828-389-4441, or at:

http://www.glendacouncilbeall.com/Writers Circle Around the Table

Monday, May 29, 2017

Writers Circle around the Table, Hayesville, NC, offers Writing classes the month of June, 2017

 
Writers Circle around the Table is offering writing classes during the month of June, 2017. 
 
Students can write fiction, personal essays (nonfiction),  true stories about their life, or write fictional stories based on your life, write with prompts given in class, or not. Write from your imagination. Create unforgettable characters.
 
Students will learn what editors will reject and read first. Students will learn to give and get feedback about their stories in a respectful and friendly manner.

Class space is limited to five. With a small class, you get more attention for your work. You can ask questions and discuss your own ideas. Jump start your muse and get back to writing again.

Classes will meet in the afternoon, 2 - 4 PM. for four weeks,
on Tuesdays, June 6 - June 27, 2017.

Eight Hours of Classes for  $ 35.00
Where: Writers Circle Studio, Hayesville, NC
Directions given upon registration:

http://www.glendacouncilbeall.com/
Email: glendabeall@msn.com
828-389-4441

Monday, January 30, 2017

Make sure to read Glenda Beall's "The making of a Writers Conference" on her blog


Please read Glenda Beall's blog post on "The making of a Writers Conference", on her blog, Writers Circle around the Table.

Writers Circle around the Table

Here is the link:



 http://www.glendacouncilbeall.com/

Also, note the NCWN-West's page for their writing conference, A Day for Writers, on May 6, 2017, at the Jackson County Public Library, in Sylva, NC:

http://netwestwriters.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_6.html


Friday, August 5, 2016

Social Media for Authors, featuring freelance author, Tara Lynne Groth, at Writers Circle Around the Table, Hayesville, NC, Sat. August 6, 2016


How can authors consistently maintain a presence on popular social media sites? Learn if the demographics of your readers are on Facebook, Twitter, or other services, how to plan relevant social content based on analytics, and if automated services are right for you. In this class, we'll also break down the mystery of blogging and help writers make smart decisions about their online social presence.

Tara Lynne Groth is a writer in North Carolina. She instructs classes, as well as creative writing workshops. Tara Lynne also handles content marketing and manages social media for clients.

Glenda Council Beall is hosting Groth’s class at Writers Circle Around the Table, on Saturday, August 6, 2016, 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. You can contact Beall at 828-389-4441, or www.GlendaCouncilBeall.com



Wednesday, June 15, 2016

NEW Poetry Class for New and Intermediate Level Writers



NEW!!
Poetry Class for Beginning and Intermediate Poets





Instructor: Glenda Beall, well-published poet, author of Now Might as Well be Then with poems published in many journals and magazines.

Mondays, 4 - 6 p.m., June 20 - July 18

Classes will be held at Writers Circle studio in Hayesville, NC.
Call 828-389-4441 or Email for directions.

For anyone who writes poetry and wonders, "Is this really a poem?"
For anyone who writes verses and is not sure if they are good.
For anyone who has been writing a while, but has never submitted anything for publication because they are not sure how to do that and if they should.
For anyone who has submitted their poetry to journals or magazines, but they have not been accepted.
Take time for yourself and learn basics of this craft. There is  more to good poetry than pouring out your thoughts on paper. Learn  how to make your work professional looking and catch the  eye of a publisher or editor.

Fee for 8 hours of class - $25.00


To read some of Glenda Beall's poetry, visit
www.profilesandpedigrees.blogspot.com







Monday, February 15, 2016

Glenda Council Beall's poem, "The Ice House Job," published in the anthology LITERATURE TODAY; 2nd poem accepted by MAIN STREET RAG for later publication date.


Glenda Council Beall’s poem, The Ice House Job, was recently published in the anthology, LITERATURE TODAY (Vol. 4); the theme of this issue is Love. The book is edited by Dr. Deepak Chaswal and Dr. Pradeep Chaswal. The book can be purchased on Amazon and on Kindle.

Beall's poem, Shot into the Future, Clutching the Past, was accepted by "Main Street Rag" for publication at a later date.

Glenda Beall has been publishing her poetry for twenty years in journals, magazines, E-zines and in anthologies. She teaches Creative Writing at Tri-County Community College in Murphy, NC, and administers two blogs: Writing Life Stories and Writers Circle around the Table. She is the owner/director of a writing studio where top instructors come each year and teach.

Beall is former Program Coordinator for North Carolina Writers' Network-West (NCWN-West), and is presently Clay County Representative for the program.


Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Netwest Members offered discount on classes before deadline

Netwest members - take advantage of this opportunity to attend a workshop with well-published Atlanta author, Patricia Sprinkle.

Saturday, June 14 - Take individual classes, 10 - 1:00 and 2 - 5:00 p.m.,  or take both classes for $60. This writer speaks to large groups, teaches workshops and we are fortunate to have her come to our area. If you write fiction or nonfiction, you don't want to miss out on this one-time opportunity. We will have lunch together and you will have the opportunity to network with other writers and with Patricia.


Each class fee is $45 or both classes for $60.00 Netwest members - $40 for individual classes
Light lunch included for those who register for all day session 
 Deadline for registration: Thursday, June 11

Call 828-389-4441 or email glendabeall@msn.com 

Visit www.glendacouncilbeall.blogspot.com for class description.


Sunday, March 23, 2014

Poet and Writer, Dana Wildsmith teaches at Writers Circle in April

Workshop at Writers Circle around the Table in Hayesville, NC
CHANGING FACT TO FICTION,
OR: CHANGING I TO US

   All we have to work with when we set out down fiction's road is the stuff of our lives, but that's enough. Every one of us has  a couple of horror-story-worthy relatives, and we've all lived through years of high drama in our lives. The material is there, for sure, but the rub lies in figuring out how to use that material when memoir is not our aim. In this class, we'll talk about ways to use those three crazy uncles of yours to flesh out one strong character for a story or novel, how to conduct and make use of interviews, and a little about scene-writing. This will be a class for all levels of fiction writers.

Bio:
Dana Wildsmith's  environmental memoir, Back to Abnormal: Surviving With An Old Farm in the New South, was Finalist for Georgia Author of the Year. She is the author of five collections of poetry, including most recently, Christmas in BethlehemWildsmith has served as Artist-in-Residence for Grand Canyon National Park, as Writer-in-Residence for the Island Institute in Sitka, Alaska, and she is a Fellow of the Hambidge Center for Creative Arts and Sciences. 

April 12, Saturday, 1 - 4 p.m. 2014:

Fee: $45