north carolina writers network

Short Stories at Pittsboro Writers’ Morning Out!

Posted on August 19, 2019 by Ashley Harris

ashley at pmo On Saturday, I had the pleasure of spending an hour with the distinguished writing group known as Pittsboro Writers’ Morning Out, (sponsored by our friends at the N.C. Writer’s Network) in Pittsboro. We met in the backroom of the Greek Kouzina restaurant and discussed the outlook for the modern short story in today’s literary landscape.

The good news is that the short story appears to be stronger than ever and with distinguished publishers such as W.W. Norton and the vibrant community of online lit magazines publishing more short stories than ever before, the time has never been better to write stories! Bolstered by the recent surge of flash fiction, new markets for short fiction appear every day.

We also awarded the WMO’s own “Ultra Flash Fiction Award” to the talented and distinguished writer Judith Stanton, and I was very happy to be the one to read it aloud. Her “Life is A Tale You Write As You Go,” was lyrical, evocative, and utterly spellbinding. My hour went by way too fast, but I did so enjoy spending time with both old friends and many new ones.

On our way home, we stopped by and visited our good friend Lee Calhoun, who is a national expert on the southern apple, and interestingly, is featured in the August-September issue of Local Palate Magazine. Crazily, and doesn’t the short story show up in unexpected ways, but on the way home I learned that I won first place in the Starving Writers Contest sponsored by the Franklin County Arts Council for my own short story titled “Golden Delicious.” Talk about apples to apples! It will be published in County Lines magazine in November.

The good news for you is that there are many places to submit your own stories, from Women on Writing and Mental Paper Cuts (both with deadlines of Aug. 31) to Okay Donkey and The Disappointed Housewife, which accept stories on a rolling basis. These are a few of my favorites, and they are just the tip of the iceberg!

So keep sending your own “apples” out there! You never know just where they may end up.

Poetry in Plain Sight!

Posted on July 14, 2018 by Ashley Harris

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We are so fortunate in our state to have such a vibrant AND innovative arts culture! And there’s no better example than Poetry in Plain Sight, a statewide poetry initiative that brings poetry front and center into the lives of countless citizens every day. Every month, short poems by North Carolina poets are published on posters (yes, I said POSTERS!) which are then displayed by progressive entrepreneurs in the windows of their businesses.

I was so thrilled to be chosen as a July poet. Here I pose in front of my poem “Consider the Spider,” which is posted on the doors of Fourth & Trade, a terrific art gallery on the corner of Fourth and Trade in downtown Winston-Salem. (Note the sign: “Leased Pets Welcome”!!!)

This year, the project has expanded beyond Winston-Salem to Waynesville and New Bern, so it is truly a statewide initiative! It’s directed by Donna Wallace and sponsored by Winston-Salem Writers (which launched it in 2013), the Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, N.C. Poetry Society, N.C. Writers Network, and Press 53.

Below are close-ups of “Spider,” along with the work of other poets we discovered on a “poetry crawl” through Winston-Salem the other day. Pardon the glare — these pictures are no substitute for seeing the poems in person! So I hope you will take a journey yourself to the arts districts of either Winston-Salem, New Bern or Waynesville very soon. Also, consider attending the quarterly reading on Saturday, August 11. All Summer 2018 poets will read at the Forsyth County Library (Downtown Winston-Salem) from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

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Creative Writing Creates Community!

Posted on October 25, 2015October 31, 2015 by Ashley Harris

crowd — With nearly 45 attendees, we set a record!

In between all the costumes, readings, nibbles, and door prizes, a theme quickly emerged at the CCCC Creative Writing Program event open mic on Friday: COMMUNITY! In addition to appearances by favorite local writers and fans, people came from as far away as Lee, Randolph, and Orange counties to read and savor the work of others.

Open Mic 1-23-1529 — Robert Baggett, Kristy Baggett, Maggie Zwilling (CWP Program Coordinator) and Al Manning of the N.C. Writers’ Network.

We were delighted to see Kristy Baggett, Director of Personal Enrichment at CCCC, who joined us with her husband Robert. To name just a few, local writers such as Karen Pullen, Al Manning, Mary Barnard Ruth Moose, Ralph Earle, Judith Stanton, Linda Johnson, and Michele Berger also joined us.

Check out our new podium sign! Many thanks to Maggie Zwilling!

Our emcee, founding CWP member, linguist and poet Chris Bouton (pictured above in a snazzy hat), opened the event by reading our newly minted mission statement, which was compiled by our wonderful and talented marketing intern, Sarah Beth Robbins:

“The Central Carolina Community College–Creative Writing Program teaches the craft of writing as an art form, fosters imagination and excellence in writing, and creates a community for writers, whether they are beginners or seasoned veterans. We believe in the beauty and power of good writing and its ability to transform both writers and the world.”

Chris was on the verge introducing the first reader when lo and behold in sashayed none other than Queen Elizabeth I, that legendary patron of Shakespeare and many other poets.

Fittingly, the Queen transported us back to Elizabethan England, the home of the English sonnet. She regaled us with a reading of “When I Was Fair and Young” (penned by the Queen herself) and other Elizabethan favorites!

ralph — Ralph Earle, author of The Way the Rain Works, treated us to a new poem, “Blood Moon over Brooklyn.”

Our readers then took their turn at the mike, where we were transported again into the hearts and minds of friends, both new and old. Given the occasion, I shared a piece of my own twisted writing, “The All-Inclusive Vacation for Pessimists.”

The work shared (whether poems, essays, or fiction) was truly global, featuring settings as familiar as Pittsboro and as exotic as Africa. The universal emotions conveyed united us all: joy, laughter, grief, and fear. And this is how community is created.

Chris then closed the event by thanking everyone and drawing three door prizes, which included published samples of several of the local writers.

Scroll down to see more pictures of the event. And if you hadn’t been there, no worries, we’ll be holding another event in the spring. In the meantime, however, you can join our community by enrolling in any of the CWP Spring 2016 Courses, which will be available online soon.

Photographs courtesy of CWP Board Member Mary Barnard, who pulled double duty as photographer AND poet extraordinare!

Ty Stumpf, CCCC Director of Humanities and N.C. Poetry Society Board Member, shared three wonderful poems. He is a regular favorite!

kim — Kim Overcash, CCCC faculty member, CWP Committee Member, and local writer, shared a portion of a short story in progress. Think Jayne Mansfield, reinvented as a zomb-shell. (Get it? Bombshell!)

Al Manning, who leads the Pittsboro Writers Morning Out, and who represents Chatham/Lee counties for the N.C. Writers’ Network, shared a curmudgeon-y version of “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”