Workshop Summary:
April is National Poetry Month, so we are working with the High Country Poet Laureate, Hilda Downer for a writing workshop. 

Downer will read some of the poems from the anthology, Had I a Dove: Appalachian Poets
on the Helene Flood, as examples of narrative poetry. Stressing the importance of
telling our own stories, Downer will encourage participants to write poetry or prose
using prompts and different poetic techniques. 

No experience is required.

Appropriate for young adults
and adults.

Author Bio:
Hilda Downer is the inaugural High Country Poet Laureate and author of four
collections of poetry and forthcoming chapbook, Seeds of Gems and Metals. Her
second book, Sky Under the Roof, was a Nautilus Golden Poetry Winner in Books
for a Better World. She edited the anthology, Had I a Dove: Appalachian Poets on
the Helene Flood released in September 2025 by Redhawk Publications with all
proceeds going to the Community Foundation’s Helene Flood Relief Fund. She
retired from teaching English at Appalachian State University and has recently
retired as a psychiatric nurse. She holds an MFA from Vermont College and is a
long-term member of the Southern Appalachian Writers Cooperative, the
Appalachian Studies Association, North Carolina Writers Network, and the North
Carolina Writers Conference. She grew up in Bandana of Mitchell County, NC,
and lives in Sugar Grove, NC.