By Donna Campbell Smith
Members of the Franklin County Arts Council (FCAC) Writers Guild, along with contributing writers from surrounding areas, gathered at Vance Granville Community College the evening of Thursday, November 29, 2018, to celebrate the publication of their sixth edition of County Lines: A Literary Journal.
Writers and artists from across North Carolina, as well as South Carolina and Virginia, contributed writing and images for publication in the journal, many who have won awards for their works. The gathering took place at the Vance Granville Community College campus at 8100 NC 56 Hwy, Louisburg, North Carolina.
Ellen Queen, FCAC executive director, presented awards to the winners of the FCAC “Carolina Prize for Writing” to Sylvia Freeman, who lives in Durham, for the poetry division and to Judy Reed of Wake Forest for the prose division. Each winner received a check for $100. Winner of the cover art contest and a $25 honorarium was Patricia Joynes of Boone NC.
Contributors read one of their entries from the book. The program was followed by refreshments and a social hour. Kim Beall, who was book designer and a member of the editorial team, commented that she really enjoyed hearing the authors’ work being read in their own voices. It adds a whole new dimension. Those present to read were: Judy Reed, Kim Beall, Sylvia Freeman, Joyce Brown, T.C. Carter, Jackie Dove-Miller, Cindy Brookshire, Wendy Harder, Kim Hogan, and Donna Campbell Smith.
The editorial team included Kim, Jackie Dove-Miller, Kathy Bundy, Kay Whatley, and Donna Campbell Smith.
Judges for the writing contest were Beth Copeland for poetry and Sherry Torgent for prose. Ms. Torgent was present and commented that judging the prose entries was difficult because all of the entries were really good.
Copies of County Lines may be purchased at FCAC’s Main Street Gallery in Louisburg or one can order copies from Amazon at www.amazon.com/County-Lines-Literary-Journal-Vol-6/dp/1727390083.
Anyone wishing to join FCAC writers’ guild may email donnacampbellsmith@gmail.com. In addition to publishing County Lines, the group hosts an annual writers retreat, sponsors the FCAC Carolina Prize for Writing, and holds writer-oriented events year-round.
As the event began, writers and poets with entries in the Sixth Edition of County Lines: A Literary Journal, gathered to see the printed journal for the first time. Shown below, Donna Campbell Smith, TC Carter, and Sylvia Freeman check out all six editions at the FCAC sales table.
For some of the journal contributors, this was their first chance to meet face-to-face, with several (TC Carter, Cindy Brookshire, and a few others) traveling over an hour to take part in the Launch Party.
The full list of Carolina Prize for Writing contest winners are:
- Poetry Winner: Sylvia Freeman’s “Fontevraud Abbey”.
- Poetry Honorable Mentions:
“Jazz Man” Becky Suzik
“Miranda at the Rail” Cindy Brookshire
“Running to Warm” Joyce Compton Brown
“What the Tax Man Told About the Old Man in the Parking Lot” Joyce Compton Brown
“Women in Black” Kathryn Ewers Bundy - Prose Winner: Judy Reed’s “June Magic”
- Prose Honorable Mentions:
“Dead on Tuesday” TC Carter
“The Crossing” Norah Moore - Winner of cover art contest: Patricia Joynes.
Source: Franklin County Arts Council
