Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country | Founded 05-05-05

March 20, 2008 issue


Appalachian Pathways Classes Explore
Diverse Topics in April and May

The spring community outreach activities offered by Appalachian Pathways at Appalachian State University continue in April and May with topics on birding, writing, politics and travel. All programs are open to the public.

Appalachian’s Office of Conferences and Institutes sponsors the Appalachian Pathways programs. For more info about the programs, click to www.pathways.appstate.edu or call 828-262-2530.

Birding Class—April 3, 5, 10 and 12

Jesse Pope will lead a birding class on Thursday, April 3; Saturday, April 5; Thursday, April 10; and Saturday, April 12. The registration deadline is Friday, March 28, and the class fee is $85. Ask about the special sign-up-with-a-friend rate.

On its two Thursdays, the class will meet from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Belk Library and Information Commons. The class also includes two Saturday field trips that meet from 7:30 to 10:00 a.m. at Valle Crucis Park and at Bass Lake.

Pope is a park naturalist at Grandfather Mountain. He has a wealth of local birding knowledge as his work includes conducting breeding bird surveys, owl surveys, informal hawk counts, peregrine falcon nest monitoring and other projects. Pope typically spends several hours a week in the High Country bird watching and looking for new birding locations.

Aotearoa/New Zealand: South Island Journeys and Perspectives—April 23

The Pathways Luncheon Series continues on Wednesday, April 23, from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. at the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center with a presentation on New Zealand by Rich Campbell, director of Outdoor Programs at Appalachian. Campbell has traveled to New Zealand every year since 2002 and lived there in a faculty exchange in 2006-07. His talk—Aotearoa/New Zealand: South Island Journeys and Perspectives—will include photographs of the people and stunning environments in the distant corner of the South Pacific. The $19 fee includes a meal prepared by the Broyhill Inn, and the registration deadline is Monday, April 14.

So You Want To Write for Magazines—April 28 and May 5

Back by popular demand, freelance writer Nan Chase will present the two-part class So You Want to Write for Magazines at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, April 28, and Monday, May 5, in Belk Library and Information Commons. The cost is $55, and the registration deadline is Tuesday, April 15.

Chase has 30 years’ experience writing for newspapers and magazines such as The New York Times, Washington Post, Smithsonian Magazine, Air & Space and WNC. This course is for writers who want to break into the thousands of markets available today and for published writers who want to broaden their marketability.

Novel Writing Workshop—May 12

Have you ever considered writing a novel or your memoir but the project seemed too big? On Monday, May 12, author Maggie Bishop will conduct a fast-paced workshop that will help you get organized. The class meets in Belk Library and Information Commons at 6:00 p.m. The workshop fee is $25, and the registration deadline is Friday, May 2.

In just two hours, participants will develop plot points and a plan to continue. Bishop is the author of three mystery and romance novels set in the mountains of North Carolina and has given numerous workshops on plotting a novel and growth of character.

Senator Sam Ervin: The Last of the Founding Fathers—May 21

On Wednesday, May 21, from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m., the Pathways Luncheon Series presents a program by Dr. Karl Campbell, associate professor of history at Appalachian: Senator Sam Ervin: The Last of the Founding Fathers. The presentation will take place at the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center, and the $19 fee includes a meal prepared by the Broyhill Inn. The registration deadline is Monday, May 12.

Campbell’s talk will interest anyone engaged in today’s political climate. He believes that a careful study of Ervin’s life can contribute to the current national debate over how to balance national security with individual freedom. Campbell is a thorough researcher and an entertaining speaker. His stories about the colorful and contradictory Sam Ervin will inspire participants to reconsider some of the most significant events of recent American history.