November 3-4, 2012 What a Beautiful Autumn it has Been Here in the Southern Appalachian Mountains

No frost as yet, here above the frost line. Flowers are still blooming. No sign of the hard freeze, which we know is destined to come our way.

NC Writers Network West Back in the Day

A living memory from out of the past.  This photo taken at  NC Writers Network Fall Conference many years ago in Asheville, NC. Photo shows four of NC Writers Network West's former Program Coondinators.  Glenda Beall former coordinator, Janice Townley Moore Clay County Representative and Monthly Poetry Critique Group Leader serving for 17 years, Nancy Simpson Co Founder and former coordinator, Shirley Uphouse former coordinator, and Kathryn Stripling Byer who is teaching the master poetry class at this year's fall conference, who  also served  as a former Netwest program coordinator.

IF YOU ARE NOT THERE,YOU ARE MISSING THE ANNUAL NC WRITERS NETWORK FALL CONFERENCE.

Embassy Suites, Cary CARY, NC—The 2012 North Carolina Writers' Network Fall Conference runs November 2-4 at the Embassy Suites in Cary, in the heart of North Carolina's Triangle Area. Pre-registration is now closed. But don't worry! Walk-in registration will be available beginning Friday, November 2, at 5:00 pm. The annual Fall Conference is North Carolina's premier literary event and one of the largest and most inclusive writers’ conferences in the nation. Held in a different location each year, the Fall Conference offers a prestigious collection of literary talent and a weekend packed with panels, workshops, and readings. Edith Pearlman will give the Keynote Address. Pearlman's collection of short stories, Binocular Vision, was published by North Carolina's Lookout Books in 2011 and won the 2011 National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction and was a Finalist for the National Book Award, among many other honors. Edith will discuss how a lifetime of work went into her "overnight" success. The Fall Conference offers more than twenty-five workshops in creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry, as well as in other aspects of the craft such as writing for children, publishing, and how to wow at an open mic. Registrants can also choose from two Master Classes: Creative Nonfiction (led by Elaine Neil Orr) and Poetry (led by 2012 North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame inducteeKathryn Stripling Byer). Participants at the conference may also register for one-on-one sessions with a publishing or bookselling professional. The Manuscript Mart provides writers with the opportunity to pitch their manuscripts and get feedback from an editor or agent with a leading publisher or literary agency. The Critique Service provides writers with in-depth literary critiques of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and screenplays from a seasoned writer. And the Marketing Mart, began in 2011, provides writers with an opportunity to create or refine an effective plan to pitch, promote, and sell their current, upcoming, or proposed books. Registration for the Critique Service and all Marts and Master Classes closed October 26. “Our most important offering,” said NCWN Executive Director Ed Southern, “is the chance for writers to get to know one another and trade advice, ideas, and encouragement. We have a number of writers who come to the conference year after year, first as registrants and then—as their careers progress—as instructors.” More than a dozen exhibitors will peddle their wares around the main conference hall, and Raleigh's Quail Ridge Books & Music will sell books on-site. Saturday's night's entertainment will not only draw from the Triangle's rich and diverse population but promises to be a wailin' good time (in 2011, attendees were literally dancing in the aisles!). Still planning to attend? Walk-in registration opens Friday, November 2 at 5:00 pm. For more information visit www.ncwriters.org. The nonprofit North Carolina Writers’ Network is the state’s oldest and largest literary arts services organization devoted to writers at all stages of development. LAST UPDATED ON WEDNESDAY, 31 OCTOBER 2012 07:12

NEW POETRY ANTHOLOGY

Sunday, November 4, 3:00 pm
Malaprop’s Bookshop, 55 Haywood St., Asheville
Poetrio: Reading from …and love…. (Jacar Press), featuring David Brendan Hopes, Holly Iglesias, Kathryn Stripling Byer, and editor Richard Krawiec. Poetrio readings are followed by booksignings, and are free and open to the public.

Submit Your Poems Now CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS WILL BE POSTED HERE REGULARLY

Red Savina Review - New South West On-Line Literary Magazine

Looking for fresh, genuine voices that explore what it means to be human in the House of Being. Send your best poems for new Spring 2013 Edition. Deadline now through December 31, 2012 http://www.redsavinareview.org/  for guidelines click 


Glassworks Literary Magazine is published digitally and in print. Now seeking poems for general issue with a deadline of Dec. 1, 2012 and poems for a  "Utility and beauty" themed issue with deadline of March1, 2013.

http://www.rowanglassworks.org/logistical-guidelines.html"

SUBMIT YOUR POEMS NOW is a new feature of this blog - LIVING ABOVE THE FROSTLINE.  If you would like us to continue posting up to date calls for poetry submissions, please leave a comment from time to time and let us know.

Leaf Peak in the North Georgia Mountains

Last weekend was the peak of leaf season in the North Georgia Mountains. I was treated to a grand tour by my daughter Lynn.

 First stop - The Byron Herbert Reece Farm and Literary Center. Poet Jim Clark has set some of Reece's poems to music. Lynn bought me a copy and I have been playing the songs and enjoying them  this week.

                                                                  Lake Winfield Scott

LIVING ABOVE THE FROST LINE (this blog) WILL SOON CELEBRATE 4TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY

On October 29, 2012, Living Above the Frost Line (this blog) will celebrate it's 4th year anniversary. The focus here  remains poetry written in the American South, especially poems from the Southern Appalachian Mountains. The goal is to feature poets who are  writing poetry now with samples of what are they writing? Another focus will continue to be  life in the Blue Ridge and Southern Appalachian Mountains. A current call for poetry submissions will be given  each week beginning November 1st.

LIVING ABOVE THE FROST LINE IS A DWELLING PLACE FOR PRACTICING POETS. IT IS THE HOME OF POET, NANCY SIMPSON. ABOVE THE FROST LINE WE GIVE OURSELVES SOME EXTRA GROWING TIME. YES, WE KNOW THE HARD FREEZE WILL COME, BUT UNTIL IT ARRIVES, WE SHALL GROW AND SHARE OUR POEMS.




If you are interested, please leave a comment.  Thank you.

October 2012 - A MOST BEAUTIFUL AUTUMN IN THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS

This fall is the most beautiful autumn in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Yes, I know. I do say that almost every year. This season is more special to me, probably because I'm staying close to home and my children have been  around the house a lot more.  We have taken more opportunities to drive out and about in the  neighborhood.

"Living Above the Frost Line" we see flowers bloom until the hard freeze, sometimes after all of the leaves are on the ground.

An Autumn Saturday in Hayesville, NC- Mountain Valley Farmer's Market

Every Saturday Morning on the courthouse  square in Hayesville, NC, you'll find Mountain Valley Farmer's Market in full swing. 

Artist, craftsman, hand made baskets, jelly, jewelry, yard ornaments, framed photography of the mountains, plants, and handmade scarves.

Leaf Season Hits the Golden Peak in Western North Carolina

October 17, 2012. This is what it is like to live "above the frost line" with leaves at peak color and flowers still "blooming their hearts out." 

 I am especially enjoying this season, and I love sharing it with family and friends.

This is the view I see each time I look out the window. Most of these photos were taken from my deck.

RECENT WALKING, OUT AND ABOUT IN THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS

 On Highway 64 between Hayesville and Franklin, NC, Oct. 4, 2012.

 In the Nantahala National Forest with my son Tim, Oct. 4, 2012.

 At Winding Stair Gap overlook on the road to Franklin, NC.

 With my son Jeremy at Hiawassee River, Oct. 5, 2012.

 With my son Jeremy and daughter Lynn, the three of us walking on top of Cherry Mountain,
October 5, 2012.

With Jeremy and Lynn at Deep Gap, Oct. 5, 2012.

At Deep Gap, the trees ablaze with color on Oct.5, 2012.

FIRST DAYS OF AUTUMN 2012

 These are the first days of autumn here in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. I like watching each leaf as it changes and floats the air currents down.  From my deck, it is heavenly.

SHORT GLANCES FORWARD AND A LONG LOOK BACK

Early in spring 2012, I had an opportunity to help bring forth the poetry publication of

Clarence Newton’s first poetry collection, Short Glances Forward and a Long Look Back. This collection  sparkles with humor, yet it shows the life of a man who learned that some pain never goes away. Some wounds never heal.  In “Examination,” one of his strongest poems, he writes: “ My beautiful, intelligent child has become a lost man.”  Other favorites of mine are the image-rich poems: “Damsel Dancing Sideways” about his wife and “ October Sands”, which leaves me with the eternal image of men fishing. 

Newton’s keen observation after over forty years in an aviation career comes through in his poems, whether he observes the human nature of pilots on a bombing mission or when he watches a hawk circling its prey. His appreciation for poetry gives us his most humorous and delightful poems: “If I were an English Major”  and his love poem to Emily Dickinson, “Dream Number 4001.”  The reader will cry maybe, will laugh for sure, and will keep turning the pages.   --Nancy Simpson

FROM THE BACK COVER OF SHORT GLANCES FORWARD AND A LONG LOOK BACK:

“The observant eye of Clarence Newton, his original way of encountering the world, often humorously and always thoughtful, invites the reader to come along for an enriching journey. --Janice Townley Moore, autor of Teaching the Robins.”

“Trying to categorize the work of Clarence Newton is both futile and fun. He writes in several genres, including poetry, light verse, fiction, and non fiction. A pervasive quality in his work is humor. Particularly in verse, the author is quite clever (as in “Froggy”), but he has a serious side as well (see “Short Glances Forward and a Long Look Back.” Clarence’s writing is entertaining at the same time it tells us something important.” --Robert S. King, author of The Hunted River and The Gravedigger’s Roots.

It is always a delight to read poetry that is playful.  And Clarence Newton’s poems are not only playful, but often have a biting edge.  There are no wasted words, and plenty of sharp and witty observations that leave the reader pondering long after the poem has been read.  A good poem should stick with you, and these will, along with a grin or chuckle, too. --Rosemary Rhodes Royston, Poet

Short Glances Forward And A  Long Look Back 

I am not half the man I used to be 

and I never was. 

The lumberjack shirts and leather jacket 

were not the person I was, 

nor pointy-toed cowboy boots, tight jeans 

and belt buckles wide as Texas gates, 

and a big hat that covered my shoulders. 

So many parties and so much boozing. 

Now whiskey makes a fire in my stomach. 

The women I loved have become 

pleasant memories like 

the aftertaste of bittersweet chocolate. 

When driving my car for an hour 

I can barely crawl out. 

The smile on my face 

helps mask the pain 

of joints that creak and snap. 

Wants and needs become simple: 

comfortable shoes, loose clothing 

and a soft bed to lie in-- 

to reminisce, to dream-- 

short glances forward and a long look back. 

Solace 

On a warm autumn morning 

sitting alone on Table Rock 

down by Bull Sluice, 

my day is relegated to nothing to do 

except succumb to serene seduction 

by the river Chattooga. 

Thoughts of yesterday stir my mind, 

memories of a long-lost love. 

After drifting down this river 

we frolicked naked in splashing water 

under rusty old State-Line Bridge. 

Maybe there will be a new love for me. 

Like children we will play in whirling 

pools and fresh rushing rivulets, 

will search for treasure among rocky shoals 

and dance barefoot in summer!s warm sand; 

new beginnings, new lives together 

with teen-like zeal, 

savoring love like vintage wine 

on Table Rock below Bull Sluice 

by the river Chattooga. 

                                                                                        

A Walk And A Talk With Myself 

Take a contented stroll 

in this earthly garden. 

Free yourself from all thought 

of time, past or future.

Search for the path 

that leads to falling water 

wherein dwells 

the spirit of Taoism. 

Pause and submit 

to insignificance. 

Be quiet in this infinite 

and unfathomable universe. 

                                    

Sit upon a rock 

or lean against a tree. 

Meditate and reach 

for higher consciousness. 

Know that you are master 

of little or nothing. 

Flow with the unfolding 

and pulsating of all that exists eternally. 

Damsel Dancing Sideways 

                                    

I see her through my window 

stepping gingerly upon green grass, 

arms in the air like an evangelist, 

presenting her dainty flags to the wind.

Tonight she will sleep 

in a sun dried fragrance that 

cuddles her soft, sensuous skin. 

She will join me in my dreams. 

Morning Glory 

Coffee on the back porch. 

Early birds sing wake-up songs. 

Squirrels trapeze between trees. 

She appears, speaking softly 

of beautiful periwinkles 

and cosmos swaying in the breeze. 

A hummingbird, within my reach, 

hovers above a buddleia bush 

patiently gathering nature’s nectar. 

Coffee warm-up? 

Yes, dear 


Nancy Simpson recommends this book. 
To buy a copy, or to contact the author, 
write to Clarence Newton
1951 Rolling Meadows
Young Harris, Georgia 30582

$12.00 included postage

HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED TO KEVIN

Kevin walked into a doctor's office and the receptionist asked him what he had. Kevin said: 'Shingles.' So she wrote down his name, address,

medical insurance number and told him to have a seat.

Fifteen minutes later a nurse's aide came out and asked Kevin what he had.

Kevin said, 'Shingles.' So she wrote down his height, weight, a complete medical history and told Kevin to wait in the examining room.

A half hour later a nurse came in and asked Kevin what he had. Kevin said, 'Shingles..' So the nurse gave Kevin a blood test, a blood pressure test, an electrocardiogram, and told Kevin to take off all his

clothes and wait for the doctor.

An hour later the doctor came in and found Kevin sitting patiently in the nude and asked Kevin what he had.

Kevin said, 'Shingles.' The doctor asked, 'Where?'

Kevin said, 'Outside on the truck. Where do you want me to unload 'em?'

WORDS INSIDE AND WORDS OUTSIDE

Hello friends and fellow writers. It has been a long time, I know.  My journey took me far away, but I am on the return, on the mend. I've missed you, I suspect, more than you have missed me. 

 First thing, I see that I am still a word person. Here's proof. Some words found inside and some words found outside of my home.

Let me hear from you. Send a comment or an e mail or call me.