Written on High Country Winds By Peter W. Morris
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orth Carolina’s High Country, radiating outward from Boone, is home to a unique group of literary types whose fiction, non-fiction, poetry and images routinely see national publication. The High Country Writers (HCW), which was established in 1995 to lend support to aspiring writers throughout the state’s northwestern region has, since its inception, grown from a group of six to a fluctuating membership of more than 70. While it was originally a chapter of Romance Writers of America (RWA), today it runs the gamut of literary expression from novels to memoir, classical-era historical fiction to the Civil War, women of Appalachia to local and Southern history, and from diverse poetry collections to children’s books. “In the summer of 1995, author Maggie Bishop ran a classified in the Watauga Democrat announcing the formation of a writer’s group in Boone,” explained Judy Geary, a long time stalwart of the group from its beginnings. “The ad ran multiple times, and by the time I discovered it, about a dozen writers were meeting in the conference room of the Boone Police Dept.” She added, “Maggie and Jean Shoemaker ran the early meetings, and other members included Schuyler Kaufman, Jane Wilson, Dottie Isabel, Lila Hopkins, and Bill Kaiser.” According to Geary, “The group was a local chapter of RWA, which proved to be the only network which would accept unpublished newbies and provide materials on the writers’ craft,” she continued. “Our early programs were essentially book reports on those materials.” In 2001, High Country residents Barb and Bob Ingalls started a publishing company, Ingalls Publishing Group (IPG). Their purpose was to give publishing opportunities to members of HCW and others who had written books but who had been unable to get into the New York publishing houses. In its 15 years of operation, IPG published close to 100 books, including regional and national award winners. And who are the High Country Writers? They come from all walks of life, from a trauma surgeon to retired military personnel, college professors and schoolteachers, journalists and coaches. The programs and weekly meetings of the HCW have evolved over the past 27 years, now offering selections of literary interest to one and all. Many nationally prominent writers have presented programs to the HCW over the decades including Sharyn McCrumb, Lee Smith, Gail Haley, Jim Hamilton, Scott Nicholson, Joseph Bathanti, Mark Powell and Chris Roerden, to name but a few. Hilary
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HIGH COUNTRY MAGAZINE
June June 2022 2022
