Writers Conference Aftermath

Moon over Cedar Lakes last night (Sat, 6/10/17)

My past weekend was dominated by the West Virginia Writers Conference, which is held right here in my county--lucky me! I went over Friday night to register and visit with friends, and came home just before midnight. It was so awesome to spend a long time talking with Lisa Minney, the publisher of Two Lane Livin' magazine which I have been writing for for the past 9 years. I haven't seen her in five years. What a treat to get to know her better. She's an amazing woman.

Saturday I was there by 9:00am, and didn't make it home until almost 3 this morning. I did come home in the evening to get Larry, because he likes these writer people too and the evening get-togethers are great fun.

So we listened to Larry Groce of Mountain Stage playing some of his songs in a concert with his wife and musician extraordinaire (and founder of the WV Music Hall of Fame) Michael Lipton, then headed over to the usual gathering place for talk, stories, poetry reading and more music, along with a little sippin'.

What a great time. It's such a pleasure to connect with so many good people that I often see only at this conference, and a talented group it is. From Joe Limer with his driving, mesmerizing performance poetry to Pete Kosky with his original, unusual, historical (listen here to his song about pioneer Simon Kenton) and sometimes just plain ornery songs to Kirk Judd's powerful poems (listen here to my favorite, My People Was Music) to Crystal Good and her friend Tuesday (never got her last name) giving us a snippet of their in-progress performance piece Redneck Valley Girls (a reclaiming of the word "redneck" for its historical origins in the mines) that includes social commentary, songs, hilarity, and so much more in a rich multilayered, deep-textured piece. I can't wait to see and hear the final product of their collaboration. Here's a video of her performing her poem Black Diamonds in Abu Dhabi.

There was Daniel and Cat and Larry and Dan and George and Cheryl and Sherrell and Suzette and the lady from Seattle who comes every year, and others whose names I cannot remember, all sharing and laughing. I had a part too, telling one of my favorite world folktales, Freedom Bird, because it dovetailed so well with a piece Joe performed, and the ballad Pretty Saro to follow up on a poem by Kirk. What. A. Blast.

We dragged in later than we have in a long time, and I sure felt it this morning! We weren't up until almost 10, and were so tired we decided to take an easy day and take a few things to our Marietta booth and pick up our check for last month's sales. Good choice, I think. (So was the decision to stop for pie and ice cream on the way home.)

I am still filled up with the magic of the conference and all the splendid works I heard. I feel humbled to be able to hang out with such talented people, that's the truth. It makes me more resolved to get myself back to writing more often than I've been doing lately--not blogging which I have no problem doing, but more poetry and stories.


Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Post Conference

WV Writers blog logo

I've been away at the WV Writers Conference this weekend. This morning I'm in recovery, slowly getting back to the real world while trying to hold on to the inspiration, excitement, connections and conversations of the past two days.

I have been neglecting my writing the past few years; now it's time to make it one of my top priorities. I love to write (and this blog has kept me doing it, thank goodness) but I wonder if other writers feel the same guilt I do about the time I spend staring at the computer screen or jotting in my notebooks when there is so much other stuff that needs to be done. I will need to find a way to block the whispers in my brain that say, "You need to be cleaning the house/weeding the garden/pricing things for the booths/painting that table/cooking/listing on eBay" and so on.

How do other writers do it? If you have a cure, I would be delighted to hear it. Perhaps I need to schedule a day a week for writing? Would I do it or would I put it off to do one of those things listed above? It's a challenge I need to take on.

I came home with three or four ideas and rough outlines for poems and stories. I have folders of stories and poems that need to be edited and refined. I have thousands of posts on this blog, and many of them could be compiled into a book. My columns for Two Lane Livin' are already pulled, edited and ready to be made into a book but I have stalled and procrastinated about completing the project. It's time to get moving again on the writing front.

Thank you, WV Writers, for providing the spark. Now I need to fan that flame and get it glowing again.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

At the West Virginia Writers Conference

The conference is over, and I am home with a pile of new reading material, some new ideas for writing and questions to ponder.

For example, can a writer model a poem on a famous work by another poet? Yes, said Irene McKinney, West Virginia's Poet Laureate. She read a poem she'd written and had us write our own poem using her work as a model. Dana Wildsmith delved into writing with the purpose of addressing a topic we feel deeply about without alienating readers who might have an opposing viewpoint. Tell a story, she advised, use humor, don't beat them over the head with your position. In today's divisive political, religious and environmental atmosphere, hers are words to heed. The panel discussion of "Appalachian voice." From left: Irene McKinney, Denise Giardina, Danny Boyd (filmaker), Norman Jordan, Kirk Judd, Gretchen Moran Laskas and Tim Poland.

Gretchen Moran Laskas discussed the uniqueness of life in the mountains and how that impacts our writing; we explored ways to make our poetry more powerful with Fairmont State professor Donna Long, who won one contest with a masterful example of her technique. I listened to poets reading their work, stumbled into a playwriting workshop accidentally and decided that I might try converting one of my short stories into a one-act play.

We were serenaded by Pops Walker, Kipyn Martin and Kathleen Coffee, entertained by a series of performances both comedic and touching in a take-off of the radio show Prairie Home Companion. We were challenged to explore whether there is indeed an "Appalachian voice" and if so, is it evolving or dying, by a panel of some of our state's best authors. We talked and laughed by the bonfire and bemoaned the lack of enough coffee to fuel so many writers through a long weekend. (There were many more workshops and activities than I am listing here; these were the highlights for me.)

Then we all went home. I have email addresses jotted in my journal and people to find on Facebook; I have poems to read and poems to work on. I have some cool things from the Silent Auction and a few dollars from sales of my latest CD. I have memories of laughing faces, kind words and hugs.

It will be another year before the next conference. In the meantime, I am left wondering how I can sustain the inspiration and creative force of the weekend. Our local writing group has dwindled away and I miss the creative energy of our weekly meetings. Email and online groups can be helpful but there is nothing that can replace face-to-face sharing of work and ideas. For now, I am satisfied. That is enough. For now.

A few pictures from the weekend:

Me with writers Gretchen Moran Laskas, author of the West Virginia-based young adult novels The Midwife's Tale and The Miner's Daughter; Denise Giardina, who wrote the best-sellers Storming Heaven and Unquiet Earth; and Irene McKinney, West Virginia's Poet Laureate since 1994.

Poet Kirk Judd clowning around with a carrot, showing me how to eat healthy:

Writers doing what writers do--sharing ideas:

At the Writers Conference

I'm away at the WV Writers Conference today. Back tomorrow with (I hope) some ruminations about the conference. So far it's been great. Best part? Seeing friends of course. Some of these people I only see once a year.

WV Writers Conference

The 2008 West Virginia Writers Conference is over. It was a full weekend of workshops, networking, shopping the bookstore and storing away memories for the coming year. We talked about writing, about poetry, about marketing, about emotions, self-publishing and storytelling. We ate, drank, and made merry.

We're tired today, but satisfied. It was another great conference.

I was fortunate enough to take home several awards this year. This year I got my first "First" for a poem I read in a "people's choice" session. These sessions allow anyone to sign up and read their work; those attending vote on their favorite. I read my poem "Message from the Front" and it found a place in the listeners' hearts. Other readers were excellent, too, so I was surprised and delighted to win.

The contest has been good to me over the years, and I realize that I need to work harder to get more work published. Most of it resides safely on my hard drive, never seeing the light of day or even computer screen. I have many excuses for not submitting my work: too busy with work, family, gardens, storytelling. The real reason is that I have not moved writing to a priority in my life.

That needs to change.

Appalachian Books and Resources

I prepared this bibliography for a workshop I presented at the WV Writers Conference last month. While not in any way all-inclusive, the titles below offer a sampling of Appalachian stories and storytelling.

Folktales

Musick, Ruth Ann. Ballads, Folk Songs & Folk Tales from West Virginia. Morgantown: West Virginia University Press, 1960.
Green Hills of Magic : West Virginia Folktales from Europe Parsons, WV : McClain Printing Co., 1989.

Barden, Thomas E. Virginia Folk Legends
Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1991.
Extensive collection of originally collected by the Virginia Writers Project under the WPA.

Chase, Richard. Grandfather Tales: American-English Folk Tales. Boston, Houghton Mifflin,1948
The Jack Tales. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1943.
Traditional mountain folktales and Jack tales, collected by Chase in the 1930’s and 40’s.


Tall Tales, Lies and Mountain Humor

Sutherland, Herbert Maynor. Tall Tales from the Devil’s Apron
Johnson City, TN: Overmountain Press, 1970.
You may recognize some popular internet jokes in this collection. I’ve wondered if this is the source of those stories. Creative writing by a newspaperman from southern Virginia.

Credle, Ellis. Tall Tales from the High Hills
New York: Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1957.
Tales collected by Credle in the Carolina mountains.

Harshman, Marc. Rocks in My Pockets New York : Cobblehill Books/Dutton, 1991.Based on a tale told by WV storyteller Bonnie Collins

Lepp, Bil. Inept, Impaired, and Overwhelmed. Quarrier Press, 2001.
The Monster Stick & Other Appalachian Tall Tales Little Rock, Ark. : August House Publishers, 1999. Great lying by West Virginia’s best liar.

Dent, James F. The Dog with the Cold Nose
Parsons, WV: McClain Printing, 1981
A collection of short anecdotes and jokes.


Ghost Stories

Jones, James Gay. Haunted Valley: and More Folk Tales of Appalachia. Parsons, WV: McClain Printing, 1979
Ghosts and spirits and strange legends, most of them set in WV.

Deitz, Dennis. The Greenbrier Ghost and Other Strange Stories
South Charleston, WV: Mountain Memories, 1990 (2nd ed) West Virginia’s most famous ghost story and other tales collected by Dietz and recounted in the source’s words.

Musick, Ruth Ann. Coffin Hollow and Other Ghost Tales University Press of Kentucky, c1977.
The Telltale Lilac Bush, and Other West Virginia Ghost Tales.University of Kentucky Press,1965
More tales from the queen of West Virginia ghost stories.

Coleman, Christopher K. Ghosts and Haunts of the Civil War
Nashville: Rutledge Hill Press, 1999.
Just what it says.

Price, Charles Edwin. Witches, Haints and Boogers: Tales from Upper East Tennessee
Winston-Salem: John F. Blair, Publisher, 1992.
In other words, ghost stories from the Tennessee mountains.

Gainer, Patrick W. Witches, Ghosts, and Signs
Grantsville, WV: Seneca Press, 1975.
A fine collection of lore and stories from the Glenville State professor who established the Glenville Folk Festival.

Holstein, Susanna. Granny's Ghost Stories. 2004. My own collection of tales--original, local legends and stories from history.

Ballads

http://www.contemplator.com/ Online, extensive source of songs and ballads

Wimberly, Lowry Charles. Folklore in the English and Scottish Ballads. New York: Dover, 1965 (reprint). A scholarly study of the folkloric content of the ballads that form the basis of most Appalachian ballads.

Sargent, Helen, and George Lyman Kittredge. English and Scottish Popular Ballads. Cambridge: Riverside Press, 1932.
A condensed version of Francis James Child’s 10 volume collection of ballads.

Sharp, Cecil J and Maud Karpeles. Eighty English Folk songs from the Southern Appalachians. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1968.
Remember the movie Songcatcher? These are the songs collected by the real songcatchers between 1916 and 1918.

Boette, Marie. Singa Hipsy Doodle and other Folk Songs of West Virginia. Parsons, WV: McClain Printing, 1971.
Fascinating source notes on songs collected in our state.

WV Writing Conference: Part 3

I left after my second session to go to a cookout at Derek's. It was comforting to be with him as he finished packing for Iraq, played with the kids and finalized all the details of his deployment. It was a good evening, lots of conversation, the kids happy and playing hard, a few neighbors stopping by. We left around 8pm so he could spend the rest of the evening with his children and his girlfriend, and returned to the conference.

I'd missed the awards banquet to go to Derek's, so it was a pleasant surprise to be greeted with congratulations on my winning entries. No one was sure exactly what I'd won, but that my name had been called several times. We listened to Pops Walker's blues and then moseyed over to the bonfire.

That's when the real fun started. As people gathered, conversations and music began to fill the night air. Andrea Parkins, Suzette Bradshaw and I began comparing the ballads we knew and how our versions differed. I've never had the opportunity to do that with other singers before, and it was exciting. We sang, talked, held Andrea's daughter til she slept, and sank into the world of ballads. What complete pleasure.

A man named Richard Walker had come to the conference all the way from California to learn more about Appalachian fiddle tradtions, stories and folklore. His questions led to some in-depth discussions of who we are, what we believe and how the mountains have shaped our lives. I wish I had a tape of that conversation. I think it was one of the most interesting I have ever witnessed. We take a lot of things for granted; the whys of who we are don't usually come up in everyday conversation.

One point was abundantly clear. We are of these mountains; they shape us, drive us, abide in us. One lady asked, "How do people live in places where they don't have this connection to the place they live?" I don't have any idea how they do it. I can't imagine living in a place I did not feel deeply connected to.

When we got in the car to return home, I was stunned to find it was 3am. Where had the time gone? We drove home through early morning fog, the moon setting in the west, and were asleep by 4am.

Sunday morning we were up and out by 9am, back to the conference to pick up my materials and my awards. (I learned that I'd won a second, a third and two honorable mentions). Then it was off to the airport to see my son off to Iraq, and drive home to a quiet house, filled with a mix of emotions I was too tired to sort out.

WV Writers Conference: Day 2

We got an early start, out of the house by 7am so we could get breakfast at the Downtowner. Now I can certainly cook breakfast, but we really enjoy the atmosphere of this tiny little diner, and the way they bring our coffee immediately and know what we're probably going to order. And the opportunities to hear all kinds of intriguing stories are endless in a place where lots of senior citizens gather!

Larry dropped me off and headed home, and I met up with my writing group friends to look over the day's sessions. I skipped the first classes and decided to go to the class on "A Woman's Voice" by Pam Cable. It was interesting but not much information I didn't already know. As with any workshop, though, there is value in reinforcement, reminders and repetition. The presenter was lively and engaging and the session went quickly. For someone who is still searching for their writing voice, the class would have been excellent. For me, it reaffirmed what I knew: be true to who I am and it will shine through in my written words.

After lunch I led my second session, this one on Appalachian Story Traditions. I covered five basic types of Appalachian stories: family, historical, ghost, tall tales and traditional folktales. I included ballads in the traditional folktales segment. The class was great fun, covering a lot of ground, allowing opportunities for me to tell a story from each category and still have time for questions and discussion. The handouts I prepared were right on target and I felt very satisfied with this session. It was satisfying to share some of what I knew with people who were so interested and who offered such good insights and ideas.

What I learned:
1) Many people don't know our traditional tales and lore. I wondered how you can write about our area without knowing its past and its stories.

2) Our traditional Appalachian folk heroes were strong, git-'er-done types who were not bowed down or victims. Most modern Appalachian stories seem to be sad endings, with characters victimized or done wrong. What happened to our Jacks and Mutsmegs? Where are they today? When did we become victims instead of tricksters?

3) Again, the Stith Thompson index is a tool that writers should be familiar with as a starting place for stories on a theme, or even for creative writing prompts.

4) I need to develop a workshop on traditional Appalachian folk heroes, so that today's writers have that archetype to build on. We need more Jacks in our stories!

West Virginia Writers Conference: Part 1

I realized this evening that I had not written yet about the writers conference. This is part one of what will probably be a three part series.

The weekend began Friday afternoon. I set up my items for sale in the book sale area and registered for the conference, immediately running into friends I had not seen in months, some not since the last conference. It brought to mind the first time I attended--I knew no one. Now four (or is it 5?) years later, there are many familiar faces.

I went home to rest a little, pick up my husband, and go back to do my first workshop. I felt off-balance, although it was a workshop I'd done many times. I think it was because I really wanted to be with my son, but I'd committed to do two workshops and had to honor that.

The title of the workshop was Storytelling 101, and the goal was to teach attendees to tell a story orally. I also wanted to explore the differences between the written and the told story and talk a little about folktales and how to develop a story for telling.

It became clear pretty quickly that I had started in the wrong place. I needed to start not with how to tell a story, but rather what oral storytelling is, what kinds of stories are told, who tells them and why, and where the stories can be found. I learned that from the first few questions that were asked, so we regrouped and started again. The discussion actually flowed from the questions of the participants and their observations. It was invigorating to revisit the foundations of storytelling, and from the evaluations I think the sessions went very well.

What I learned from it:
1) Writers would benefit from learning about the Stith Thompson index as a tool for story sources and ideas.

2) My level of knowledge surprised me. I've learned a lot over the past 11 years, but hadn't realized just how much until I began addressing the questions asked. I usually do this workshop for storytellers or people who attend storytellign conferences, so they start with a basic knowledge that was lacking with the writers in my session.

3) There's a strong interest in storytelling in our state, but people aren't sure how to go about becoming a storyteller, or where to learn how more about it.

4) While I think I had an excellent handout for the session I thought I would teach, I could have used one that gave information about how to find further instruction/mentoring for beginning tellers. Our guild needs to put that together.

5) There's a role for the guild in finding and developing tellers. We need to address it.

I left immediately after the session to visit with Derek for a little while, then returned home to sleep. We'd be starting early Saturday morning for another full day.

Where Will the Princess Sleep?

It appears that she will have a hard bed, since this truck is hauling away ALL her mattresses. I wonder if it was the princess' complaints about the pea that forced lodge management at Cedar Lakes Conference Center to remove all the mattresses during the writers conference?

I never heard from anyone if the mattresses were replaced. Although after the late night (early morning, really) party at the bonfire, I doubt anyone noticed whether or not they had a mattress when they rolled into bed. Since I didn't stay at the conference, I'll never know.

Yellow Roses Accepted! and West Virginia Writers Conference Awards

Good news number 1: I received a letter from Mountain Girl Press today, notifying me that they are accepting my story, Yellow Roses, for their next anthology of short stories about strong Appalachian women.

Good news number 2: A third place win in the Appalachian category at the West Virginia Writers Conference annual writing contest for the same story, Yellow Roses. Honorable mention for the children's story, I Don't Want to Move!, honorable mention for the poem Gardening in a Time of War, and second place for the Writers Wall for a short version of Yellow Roses. (I think that story's a keeper.)

Stories: Why Tell Them?

I'm scheduled to lead a "Storytelling 101" workshop in a few weeks, and I've been considering how to approach the topic. It's not for storytellers--it's for a writers conference. So what would writers like to know about storytelling? Will they come because they want to tell stories, or because they want to write them? What are the differences between the written word and the spoken word? What drives a person to do one or the other? Can a person be successful at both?

Those are the questions I've been asking myself as I prepare for the conference. I started as a storyteller, then began writing stories and poems. Oddly, I seldom write on paper (or computer) a story I tell. Why? What's the defining difference to me between the written tale and the told tale? Is there a difference?

As I mull over these ideas, it occurs to me that to be a storyteller, one must listen. A writer must also listen for the stories surrounding the idea in his or her head.

A storyteller must passionately want to share something with others--an idea, a joke, a memory, a lesson--something is pushing that story to the mind and the lips. A writer also has something to share--a story that defines itself in shaped words and phrases, developed characters, vivid places.

A storyteller is not someone who wants to be listened to, who wants to get the attention of others because they are funny, interesting, or great performers. Performers belong in drama, theatre. Storytellers are the conduit of the tale, passing on stories from generation to generation.

A writer is likewise invisible to the reader. The words, character, plot take over the stage, act out the tale and leave the message behind for anyone who wants to seek it out.

So much the same, yet so different. How will I bring these writers to the storytelling table? By telling stories, I think, letting them share the magic, bringing them into the circle of tellers that extends into the darkness before time.