Gabrielle Freeman of Greenville Wins Randall Jarrell Poetry Competition

Gabrielle Freeman of Greenville, NC, is the winner of the 2015 Randall Jarrell Poetry Competition for her poem, “Failure to Obliterate.”  She will receive $200 and publication in a special supplement of storySouth.  Freeman's poetry has been published or is forthcoming in many journals, including Beecher’s Magazine, Chagrin River Review, Gabby, Hobart, Melancholy Hyperbole, Minetta Review, Shenandoah, and Waxwing.  She has been nominated twice for the Best of the Net, and she was a finalist in 2014. In 2013, she earned her MFA in poetry through Converse College.  

Gabrielle Freeman

http://www.ncwriters.org/2014-01-07-18-35-09/network-news/6647-gabrielle-freeman-of-greenville-wins-randall-jarrell-poetry-competition

The first runner-up was “Testimony,” by Ann Deagon of Greensboro. “Every Field of Paradise,” by Chapel Hill’s Ralph Earle, was second runner-up.  The Randall Jarrell Poetry Competition honors the work and legacy of the poet and critic Randall Jarrell, who taught at what is now the University of North Carolina at Greensboro for nearly eighteen years.  storySouth is an online literary journal dedicated to showcasing the best poetry (and fiction and creative nonfiction) that writers from the "new south" have to offer.

2015 Squire Summer Writing Residency

The 2015 Squire Summer Writing Residency runs from Thursday, July 23 through Sunday, July 26.  This summer's program will be held at East Carolina University and will offer intensive workshops with accomplished instructors, group events such as readings, discussions, and meals, and a chance to share your work and bond with other dedicated writers.  Registrants will select workshop sessions in the genre of their choice—Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, or Poetry.  These sessions will begin on Friday morning and continue until mid-day Sunday, July 26.  For more information about the program and how to register, click here.  

Jan DeBlieu (Creative Nonfiction)

Amber Flora Thomas (Poetry)

Luke Whisnant (Fiction)

Wilmington Native Wins 2015 Doris Betts Fiction Prize

Brad Field, a Wilmington Native and retired English professor, has been named winner of the 2015 Doris Betts Fiction Prize.  His story, "Achmed's Lesson," will appear in the North Carolina Literary Review’s 25th issue in 2016, and he will receive a prize of $250 from the North Carolina Writers' Network.  Read the full story here!  

http://www.nclr.ecu.edu/

http://www.ncwriters.org/2014-01-07-18-35-09/network-news/6603-brad-field-wins-2015-doris-betts-fiction-prize

We had a great time at the NC Writers' Network Spring Conference!  The keynote address was delivered by poet Jaki Shelton Green, and the schedule included exhibits, book sales, open mic readings, faculty readings, lunches with the authors, and two sessions full of writing workshops.  We also got to network with some incredibly talented poets and authors!

April is National Poetry Month!

Did you know that April is National Poetry Month?  You can search the Literary Map by genre.  Just select Poetry to see 167 North Carolina poetry collections!  Selections include:

Among the Believers by Ron Rash

Bloodfire by Fred Chappell

License My Roving Hands by Juanita Brown Tobin

Ode to the Chinaberry Tree and Other Poems by James Applewhite

Rhythm a Little Lumbee by Lewis Barton

You can find out more about National Poetry Month here.

NC Writers' Network Spring Conference -- Saturday, April 18th at UNCG!

Spaces are filling up quickly for the NC Writers' Network Spring Conference 2015!  You can check out the updated schedule here and register here (pre-registration closes on Sunday).  The conference will take place in the MHRA Building on The University of North Carolina at Greensboro campus on Saturday, April 18th.  For more information about this year's conference, check out the NC Writers' Network website.  We hope to see you next Saturday!

http://www.ncwriters.org/2014-01-07-18-05-50/conferences/6372-spring-2015#schedule

Lanier Library Poetry Festival Will Offer Free Workshops

Two free workshops will introduce young writers to the world of poetry and songwriting during this year’s 2nd Annual Lanier Library Poetry Festival on Friday, April 24 and Saturday, April 25.

The writing workshops are for poets at all levels of skill and intent. This year, workshops will be offered for budding poets from elementary school through high school. Workshop topics cover poetry styles, forms, techniques, and the hard tasks of revision and publication.

This is the second year of Lanier Library’s poetry festival, held in celebration of National Poetry Month and of the Library's namesake, Sidney Lanier, whose widow donated two volumes of Lanier’s poetry to begin the library’s collection in 1890.

The keynote speaker will be Richard Blanco, the Presidential Inaugural Poet selected to read at Barack Obama’s swearing in ceremony in 2013.

For a complete schedule of events, locations and registration information for the festival, including luncheon, readings and workshops, visit www.lanierlibrarypoetryfestival.org.                                    

http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/blanco-verse_697835.html