Poets and writers Cash and Simpson read at Folk School
By GLENDA BEALL

Poets and Writers Reading Poems and Stories is a monthly reading held at the John C. Campbell Folk School in the Keith House at 7:00 p.m. and is sponsored by the North Carolina Writers Network West (NCWN) and the Folk School. Featured readers on Thursday, August 16, are Nancy Sales Cash, author of the epic novel, Ritual River, set in western North Carolina, and Nancy Simpson, author of one full length poetry collection titled Night Student and a chapbook titled Across Water, both published at State Street Press.

Murphy, N.C. native, Nancy Sales Cash, set her novel in Asheville, Cherokee, and her own home town. This book has been compared to the books of popular author Sharyn McCrumb.

Ritual River is a thrilling, contemporary, romantic mystery with a parallel historical story that shows how strongly the past connects to the present. In Ritual River, a young couple discovers they have inherited, along with the undying love of their ancestors, an undying spell of death that will kill their child if it isn't removed.

Nancy Sales Cash is celebrating her return to the land of her birth with her second novel. She grew up in Murphy, N.C., and currently lives in Asheville. Nancy says Ritual River inspired her move back to the mountains from halfway around the world. Her career in journalism, public relations, advertising, television production and fiction writing began in WNC but moved to New York, London and Sydney for several decades. To read an excerpt from Ritual River, log on to: www.nancysalescash.com.

Nancy Simpson holds an MFA from Warren Wilson College, received a North Carolina Arts Fellowship, and co-founded NC Writers Network West, a non-profit, professional writing organization serving writers living west of Asheville. In 2003 Simpson edited Lights in the Mountains, Stories, Essays, and Poems by Writers Living in and Inspired by the Southern Appalachian Mountains, with an Introduction by Fred Chappell.

Simpson's poems have been published in The Georgia Review, Southern Poetry Review, Seneca Review, New Virginia Review, Prairie Schooner and in other literary magazines.

Nancy Simpson lives in Hayesville, N.C., teaches Poetry at the Institute for Continued Learning at Young Harris College and is Resident Writer at John C. Campbell Folk School.

(The North Carolina Writers' Network West is a chapter of North Carolina Writers' Network and is sponsored by United Community Bank.)