Tryon Writers, a group of local poets and fiction writers, will read from a variety of their works at the Tryon Fine Arts Center’s new amphitheater, Sunday afternoon, Oct. 6 at 3 p.m.

The program will include poetry interspersed with short pieces of fiction.

“We formed Tryon Writers one night over dinner, a year and a half ago,” said Harry Goodheart, the owner of Tryon Fine Books. “Nancy Pemberton, Darlene Cah, Clare O’Sheel and I wanted to create a group that would help motivate the many truly talented writers in Tryon, while building on the literary reputation of the town. We have a core group of eight, six of whom will be reading Sunday, and are involved in supporting and promoting literary events such as the Lanier Library’s 2014 Poetry Festival and the bi-monthly Upstairs Artspace Literary Open Stage nights. We also hope to publish a chapbook of work from the group.”

In addition to meeting (monthly or whenever) to share and critique each other’s work, Goodheart says the informal group meets every other Friday at Open Road Coffee with other local writers who want to share thoughts on writing and participate in occasional spontaneous writing exercises.

Those who will read Sunday include: Darlene Cah, who holds an MFA from Queens University, and whose flash stories have appeared in Referential Magazine, Staccato Fiction, Smokelong Quarterly, Wilderness House Literary Review and elsewhere; Harry Goodheart is a bookseller, photographer and writer who shelved his creative side for many years in favor of professional endeavors and now “inflicts his poems on others”; Greg Lobos, who has written more than 80 essays, features and articles appearing in a variety of national, regional and local publications, and whose book of poetry “Two Legs Dancing” will be published as soon as he gets someone to take it seriously; Clare O’Sheel, who after a career in journalism, public relations and marketing, writes to discover an inner life; Nancy Pemberton, who won the Lanier Poetry Contest in 2010 and teaches English at ICC, Spindale, is active in Tryon’s equestrian community and a lover of all things canine; and Lee Stockdale, who is the winner of this year’s Sidney Lanier Poetry Prize for his poem, “The Barn.”

Brittany Hampton and Nancy Holmes are also members of Tryon Writers, but will not be with the group for the readings. Hampton holds an MFA from Queens University, writes fiction and drinks coffee before sunrise, then homeschools her young children. She teaches piano and creative writing. Her fiction and poetry have appeared in print journals. Prior to careers in book publishing, psychology and the visual arts, Nancy Holmes was a poet. Fifty years later, she is writing poems again and has never been happier.

The readings are free and will take place rain or shine. If the weather is uncooperative, the readings will take place in the Tryon Fine Arts Center.

– article submitted by Clare O’Sheel