LIVING ABOVE THE FROST LINE (BLOG) CELEBRATED ITS 2ND ANNIVERSARY

This Blog - LIVING ABOVE THE FROST LINE did celebrate on October 26,2010, its 2nd Year Anniversary. Living above the Frost Line is the cyber home of owner, poet  Nancy Simpson. A celebration of the blog is first of all, a celebration of all who have visited.  

WHAT IS THE FOCUS OF THE BLOG?  Poetry, Writing  and life in the Southern Appalachian Mountains.

As stated: “Living Above the Frost Line is a dwelling place for practicing poets. Here we give ourselves some extra time. Yes, we know the hard freeze will come, but until it arrives, we shall grow and share our poems.”

We’re sunrise watchers, moonrise watchers, sunset and moonset watchers. We’re obsessed with flowers and especially enjoy a full sun perennial garden growing on a mountain in the middle of a deciduous forest. The goal here always has been to see something blooming, even in the dead of winter, and that is sometimes possible. 

WHAT ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PAST YEAR?  Some amazing things happened, but basically this site featured Appalachian or Southern Poets regularly:  Brenda Kay Ledford, Eric Nelson, Rachel Bronnum, Rosemary Royston, Maren O. Mitchell,  Ruth Moose, Dana Wildsmith, Mary Ricketson, Barbara Groce, and others. You can still read their poems by going to the archives.  Nancy Simpson’s all time favorite love poem was featured on Valentine’s Day:  “The Gathering” by James Haba.

All of the John C. Campbell Folk School Writing classes and most of the Institute for Continued Learning Writing Classes at Young Harris College were announced. Many poetry and other writing classes were posted with a class descriptions. Where to publish was discussed.

News of interest to writers living in the NC Writers’ Network West area south and west of Asheville was posted regularly. Many NCWriters’Network West events were announced.

WHAT IS THE MOST RECENT TALK ABOVE THE FROST LINE?   ECHOES ACROSS THE BLUE RIDGE -  Stories, Essays, and Poems by Writers Living in and Inspired By the Southern Appalachian Mountains, edited by Nancy Simpson,with a forward by major poet and writer Robert Morgan was published by Winding Path Publishing.  This anthology sold out fast and is now being reprinted. Discussion about using the anthology in Appalachian Studies has been heard behind the scenes. Book reviews have been reprinted on this site.  

and in the same month, same year...talk, talk talk,   the book LIVING ABOVE THE FROST LINE, New and Selected Poems by Nancy Simpson, a collection spanning 32 years of her poetry career, was published at Carolina Wren Press. The book LIVING ABOVE THE FROST LINE is the first book in Carolina Wren’s new Laureate Series. The manuscript was nominated by NC Poet Laureate Kathryn Stripling Byer and was launched at City Lights Book Store in Sylva, NC on Sunday, Oct. 17th. In that week it was named Appalachian Book of the Week. 

WHO READS THIS LIVING ABOVE THE FROST LINE BLOG?  There have been 16,397 visits to the site with the total of 31,395 pages viewed.  Visitors are from throughout the United States, from the southeast and into Colorado and California, with an average 4 minutes reading time spent on an average of 41 pages a day.  There are 34 Followers. Most inquiries come from writers searching for poems to read, for writing tips and for recent news of writing, especially Appalachian writing, southern writing, and poetry news. 

The biggest number of inquiries came in January 2010, by readers interested in winter in the southern Appalachian Mountains and The Full Wolf Moon.  February 2010 was also a big hit month with interest in NC Poet laureate Kathryn Stripling Byer 

and a post about southern writer Dana Wildsmith with  a reprint from her new book BACK TO ABNORMAL, Surviving With An Old Farm in the New South.  In March 2010, readers were interested in reading poems by MaryRicketson and Ruth Moose.

Over all, during the past two years, other than inquiring about poet Nancy Simpson, readers have been searching for any and all information about physician poet John Stone and Georgia poet Bettie M. Sellers.

For more info, search the archives 

or contact Nancy Simpson

nancy.simpson38@yahoo.com