NC Writers Network & The Brandy Bar host “In the Company of Writers” series with authors Karen Luke Jackson & Molly Bolton

NC WRITERS NETWORK & THE BRANDY BAR + COCKTAILS – HOST AUTHORS KAREN LUKE JACKSON and MOLLY BOLTON “In the Company of Writers” Series

“In the Company of Writers” program offers a series of personal and conversational dialogues featuring guest writers/poets followed by an open mic forum. These inspirational gatherings will elucidate and entertain those attending. The guest authors speak from 7-8 PM with an open mic from 8 -9 PM. The live music of John Longbottom welcomes you, continues during intermission, and closes the evening. Sign-ups for the open mic are at the front door.

For 25 years, Karen Luke Jackson led contemplative retreats through the Center for Courage & Renewal founded by the Quaker Parker J. Palmer. Jackson’s newest book, You First: A Love That Will Not Let Me Go, is a spiritual memoir in which she interlaces poems and essays about life-altering experiences during loss, on pilgrimage, in nature, and across faith traditions. Winner of the Rash Poetry Award and a multiple Pushcart Prize nominee, Karen has authored three previous poetry collections. Her work has also appeared in more than forty journals, including Tar River Poetry, EcoTheo, Friends Journal, and Salvation South. Karen now lives in a cottage on a goat pasture, where she welcomes porch visits and delights in morning birdsong.
Molly Bolton is a spiritual director, sex ed. facilitator, and liturgist. She is the author of What Blooms in the Dark (Toad Hall Editions 2024), selected by Marie Howe as the Poets Corner chapbook contest winner. Her writing appears in Salvation South, EcoTheo, and Tupelo Quarterly where she received the 2025 Poetry Prize. Molly holds a Master of Divinity from Wake Forest and a Diploma in the Art of Spiritual Direction from San Francisco Theological Seminary and served as a staff chaplain at Cleveland Clinic for six years. Originally from Winston-Salem, she and her spouse have been in Foscoe, NC for six years. She loves moon circles and porch-sits, but you’re most likely to find her exploring the woods with her three-year-old.
In the Company of Writers’ series occurs the 2nd Wednesday of each month.