Archive for the ‘Writers and writing’ Category
Bright Star is a romantic movie that captures the poetry of love — this Thursday, Valentine’s Day at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Posted on: February 9, 2013
To celebrate Valentine’s Day, the Murphy Library is showing Bright Star, a love story about a poet and the young woman who gave meaning to his words. The library will show the film Thursday at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. It is rated PG and will run for 119 minutes.
In the early 19th century John Keats was finishing his studies to become a medical surgeon, but his love of writing kept getting in the way. He had a poet’s heart and vision, and captured vibrant pictures in his verses. The only problem two hundred years ago is the same one now – how does one earn a living as a writer.
That question is forgotten momentarily at a summer retreat when Keats meets his lovely eighteen-year-old neighbor, Fannie Brawne. They soon fall in love. If only family, friends and finances did not stand in their way. Stars Abbie Cornish and Ben Wishaw.
Call the library for details at 837-2417.
Writers Workshop participants capture gold and silver at Senior Games Silver Arts
Posted on: June 16, 2012
Ziggy Haus and Judy Lott (front row from left) are among the Silver Arts winners. Lott has won Literary Arts medals every year including her 2012 Gold in poetry and Bronze in short story. Dennis Gray,Dwight Moss and Millie Crawford (back row from left) also won 2012 Senior Games and Silver Arts medals . Crawford is a state winner and has participated in Friends events as well as donating her needlework to the Friends annual auction.
Many thanks to former board member of Friends of Murphy Library, Peg Russell, for this update on something close to her heart, the Friends’ Writers Workshop.
Last month members of Friends of Murphy Library Writers Workshop won 3 out of the 4 Gold Medals and 3 out of the 4 Silver Medals in the 2012 Senior Games/SilverArts in Cherokee County. The competition includes four categories in Literary Arts: poetry, short story, life experience, and essay.
Marilyn Barker won the 2012 gold for her essay and the Silver Medal for her short story in the Senior Games Silver Arts Literary competition. In 2011 she won Gold in both short story and essay.
Over the past years Writers Workshop members have won the only two (so far!) Cherokee County medals at the state level, the North Carolina State Literary Arts medals : in 2008 the late Richard Argo won Silver for poetry, and in 2011 Ziggy Haus won Silver for writing his life experience story.
Writers Workshop meets the second Monday of the month at 2PM at the Murphy Library. Jerry Hobbs leads the critique group, which welcomes newcomers. Writers bring five or six copies of up to five pages, double spaced, to be discussed by the group.
Emma Flinn won the Cherokee County 2011 Silver Medal for her essay. She celebrates here with fellow Senior Games participant Gene Smith. They both are national sports winners
In 2011 Ziggy Haus won the gold medal for his life experience story, and he went on to win the North Carolina State Silver Medal, a huge achievement. In 2008 he won the Cherokee County Gold Medal for his writing in the life experience category.
This Thursday at the Murphy Library — documentary by Atlanta filmmaker about the only South Carolina novelist to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
Posted on: October 17, 2011
Writers, photographers and filmmakers are a valuable natural resource as they chronicle the times they live in. In 2010, my friend Gayla Jamison, an Atlanta-based, North Carolina-born filmmaker, made a documentary about one of photographer Doris Ulmann’s friends. She was writer Julia Peterkin, who, in 1929, became the only South Carolinian to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
With Gayla Jamison’s special permission, the Murphy Library is showing “The World of Julia Peterkin: Cheating the Stillness” at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Thursday. It runs 57 minutes and is suitable young and old.
Julia Peterkin was born in 1880. A few years after graduating from Converse College in Spartanburg, South Carolina (where filmmaker Jamison is also an alumna) Peterkin married a cotton farmer and went to live on Lang Syne, a 1,500 acre plantation in the South Carolina midlands. The 400 African-American workers on the plantation became her friends, and soon were the subjects of her short stories and novels.
Moreover, when her writing brought her to New York, Peterkin met Doris Ulmann, who was already spending time taking photographs at the John C. Campbell Folk School and in Brasstown. Peterkin introduced her to the African American Gullah culture. The result? Ulmann’s photographic masterpiece “Roll, Jordan, Roll” with the text written by Peterkin.
Whether you’re a writer or photographer or just love words and pictures, don’t miss this special film. Call 837-2417 for details.
A little boy acts up and is sent to his room. What should he do in this situation? Have an adventure, of course.
The Murphy Library is showing “Where the Wild Things Are” on Thursday at 3:15 p.m. Read the rest of this entry »
Bob Harris is missing that certain spark in life that money can’t buy. Not even two million dollars can buy. Not even the bright lights of a foreign city can buy. Then, one night, he shares a smile with a young woman.
Bill Murray stars with Scarlett Johansen in Sofia Coppola’s award-winning film “Lost in Translation.” The Murphy Library is showing this film Thursday, April 8 at 6 p.m. It is rated R and runs 102 minutes.
Do you miss the 1970′s and all that great music? Watch the trailer and come see this movie.
Posted on: March 14, 2010
Actress Frances McDormand has tackled demanding roles before. So when she was offered the toughest one of all, she didn’t flinch. McDormand plays the mother of a brainy fifteen year-old boy in the 1970′s. He thrives on rock music. She fears it will destroy her family. Then her fear is confirmed. Rolling Stone Magazine wants him to go on tour with a rock band and write about it.
The Murphy Library is showing the coming-of-age film “Almost Famous” Thursday at 6 p.m. Writer/director Cameron Crowe won an Oscar for his screenplay and dressed each scene in music from the likes of Simon and Garfunkel, Elton John, Black Sabbath, the Who, Joni Mitchell, the Allman Brothers, and Neil Young. The film is rated R.
Rolling Stone doesn’t know that William Miller (Patrick Fugit) is just fifteen. He got their attention because he’d been writing about bands in underground newspapers. And he’s very smart: when they call him he makes his voice lower and more “grown-up.”
Crowe based the story on his own experiences writing for Rolling Stone as a teenager. He remembers the innocence, the decadence, and swirling all around, the music. And he remembers his mother who let him go on his journey with one rule of law: “Don’t do drugs!”
But there is something good for children in all this. The song sung by Dr. Hook in this movie (and famous in the 1970′s) “On the Cover of Rolling Stone” was written by the children’s author, Shel Silverstein. While this movie is rated R, there are plenty of books by Silverstein at the Murphy Library that R not!
Call the library at 837-2417.
Silver Arts NC State Medalists will be honored at the February 16 Friends’ Potluck at 6 p.m. Everyone welcome!
Posted on: February 9, 2010
NC State SilverArts medalists seated, left to right: Jane Hembree, photography; Marshall Peterson holding his winning woodworking lamp; Millie Crawford, needlework; standing Gayle Larson, performing arts.
Millie Crawford (2nd from right) stands with her co-workers at the Penland Senior Center. She won the Bronze Medal in the 2009 Silver Arts for needlework.
Millie Crawford has won 60 ribbons and a best of show at the Florida State Fair in Tampa. Her biggest plastic canvas was a Barbie Castle, 30″ high with six rooms which she made for her granddaughter. She also crochets and frames names for gifts. Millie works at the Penland Senior Friendship Center.
Richard Argo will read his prize-winning poem at the Feb. 16, 2010 Friends of Murphy Library potluck.
Richard Argo and Jane Hembree exemplify the Senior Games/SilverArts slogan, “A healthy body, a healthy mind,” because they are local medalists in both Senior Games and SilverArts. Richard won medals in swimming and tennis, and Jane has won shuffleboard doubles and baseball throw.
“I’m putting together a book that will chronicle some of the local stories of cancer survivors and those who are no longer with us.” Mark Townsend is talking about his book project to raise money for the Cherokee County Relay for Life. He is looking for local stories about cancer experiences, whether personal or stories of loved ones and friends.
And best of all, you don’t have to be a writer – you just have to put down your memories.
These are the reasons Mark Townsend is compiling this book: his wife, daughters, and son.
Townsend is the Associate Editor of the Cherokee Scout in Murphy, North Carolina. But that’s not all. He’s a loving husband, a doting father, and he’s a cancer survivor.
One of his heroes is the late North Carolina State University basketball coach, Jimmy Valvano, who offered an inspiration for living as well as for writing in a speech he gave two months before he died from cancer.
“To me, there are three things we all should do every day … You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy … If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day.”
Townsend has some stories already but he needs more. “I want to include all the stories we tell each other about our family and friends and their battles with cancer” he promises.
Get inspired and send your story to mtownsend@thecherokeescout.com
