Poets Online for Western NC

Online Poetry Reading to Support Western NC | Thursday, January 23rd from 7-9pm EST via Zoom | For Adults 

Join the Friends of the Orange County Public Library (FOCPL)nd poets Catherine Carter, Beth Copeland, and Eric Nelson online via Zoom for a poetry reading to support Western NC. A donation of $15 to one of the charities chosen by the poets or FOCPL is suggested though not required to attend. Registration is required for this event. Registered attendees will receive the link to join online once registration closes.  New to Zoom? Click for a quick guide to get you started. 

About the Poets, The Friends, and Their Chosen Charities:

Catherine Carter  | Catherine’s Charitable Organization: Mother Grove Goddess Temple

Catherine Carter’s poetry collections with LSU Press include Larvae of the Nearest Stars (2019), The Swamp Monster at Home (2012), and The Memory of Gills (2006), with By Stone and Needle forthcoming in fall 2025. Jacar Press has also printed her two chapbooks, and her work has appeared in Poetry, Ploughshares, RHINO, Asheville Poetry Review, and Best American Poetry 2009, among others. She is a professor of English at Western Carolina University. Learn more at CatherineCarterPoetry.com

Mother Grove Goddess Temple in Asheville supports hurricane survivors by keeping a food pantry open, collecting gas and grocery cards for survivors, doing some rebuilding, and reaching out to those in need.  

Beth Copeland  | Beth’s Charitable Organization: Ashe Outreach

Beth Copeland is the author of  Shibori Blue: Thirty-six Views of The Peak (Redhawk Publications, 2024): Selfie with Cherry (Glass Lyre Press, 2022); Blue Honey, 2017 Dogfish Head Poetry Prize winner; Transcendental Telemarketer (BlazeVOX, 2012); and Traveling through Glass, 1999 Bright Hill Press Poetry Book Award winner. Beth lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Learn more at BethCopelandWriting.com

Ashe Outreach is a nonprofit volunteer organization in my community that provides a food pantry, meal delivery to shut-ins, and food for school children to take home for weekends. Members of the Board of Directors are my neighbors and friends. They have been working  tirelessly as volunteers to coordinate the clean up of Riverview Community Center after the hurricane and to provide food for all people in our community who need assistance. 

Eric Nelson  | Eric’s Charitable Organization: Southside Community Farm

Eric Nelson has published seven collections of poetry. His most recent, Horse Not Zebra, was published in 2022 by Terrapin Books. His previous books include Terrestrials, chosen by Maxine Kumin for the X.J. Kennedy Award; The Interpretation of Waking Life, winner of the University of Arkansas Poetry Award, and Some Wonder, which won the Gival Press Poetry Award. He lives in Asheville, North Carolina. Learn more at EricNelsonPoet.com

Southside Community Farm is a Black-led project in a historically segregated Black neighborhood of Asheville which supports the needs of Black people and other Community Members of Color while celebrating diverse cultures and foodways.

Friends of the Orange County Public Library | FOCPL's Suggested Charitable Organization: American Library Association’s Disaster Relief Fund

The Friends of the Orange County Public Library is an independent, nonprofit organization comprised of people from all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life who share the goal of supporting library programs and initiatives. Through book sales and other fundraisers, the Friends raise money  to fund services, technology, furniture, programs, and more that aren’t covered by public appropriations. The Friends also sponsor author events, advocate for patron and library needs, and support the wider community through their support of the library. Learn more and join at focplnc.org

The American Library Association’s Disaster Relief Fund provides funds to libraries in the U.S. and around the world that have been damaged or destroyed due to natural or human-caused disasters. Communities in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina have been impacted by Hurricane Helene and Milton. The ALA Chapter Relations Office is collaborating with our state chapter partners to identify affected libraries and facilitate the distribution of funds from ALA's Disaster Relief Fund.