Poem by English professor is featured in Winston-Salem project
North Carolina now features poets across the state, including those at Western Carolina University.
Catherine Carter, associate professor of English, has been featured in a program called Poetry in Plain Sight that highlights poets throughout the state.
Squash Vine, the poem by Carter, was inspired by a real squash vine that grew from a compost pile.
“The vine was a great, horsy, hairy vine,” said Carter.
The poem was written the summer of 2013 and was submitted to the NC Writers Network that features four poets a month. Carter’s poem has been featured since February 1, and will remain featured until the end of the month.
Carter says that Netwest, the North Carolina Writers’ Network branch in western North Carolina, is a smaller network, but it is Carter’s hope that WNC can feature a similar program; she hopes to try something similar, perhaps starting next summer.
Carter, a member of WCU’s faculty since 1999, has released two poetry collections; The Memory of Gills in 2006 and The Swamp Monster at Home in 2012.
“I am incredibly grateful to those who helped me get them published,” said Carter.
Carter is currently working on a scholarly book about forgotten 20th century author Kathleen Thompson Norris. She hopes to have it drafted by the end of the semester.
Winston-Salem Writers is a nonprofit group of writers who write fiction, non-fiction, plays and poetry, and who care about the art and craft of writing. They offer workshops, critique groups, and web-based writing. Their mission is to help writers interact with other writers, improve their writing and realize their goals.
For more information, contact Catherine Carter, associate professor of English at ccarter@email.wcu.edu.
This feature story was published through The Reporter at WCU.