George is a versatile writer whose efforts include grant proposals, brochures, newsletters, annual reports, press releases, website text, print and radio ads, and conservation plans related to floodplain conservation and water quality protection in the Upper Pigeon River watershed in Haywood County in Western North Carolina.

What George enjoys the most are the opportunities to write creatively. George’s more inventive writing endeavors include an eclectic assortment of published articles and the script for an award-winning animated video about tomatoes. Yes, tomatoes. To get a taste of some of George’s work, take a look at these efforts:

Author:

In 2009, George published his first novel, Up River: A Novel of Attempted Restoration. Click here for more information on the book. George has also written a short story, Creekside Conspiracies, which was a finalist for the 2009 Doris Betts Fiction Prize. This same story was selected for inclusion in the 2010 anthology, Echoes Across the Blue Ridge: Stories, Essays and Poems by Writers Living in and Inspired by the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Click here for more information on Echoes Across the Blue Ridge.

George's newest short story, "Another Glass of Lemonade" was published by "fresh..." literary magazine in late 2011. Copies are available at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville and other locations in Western NC. Some guy named Ron Rash has a couple of poems in the same issue.

Guest Columnist:

Here are two of George's recent "Outside Insight" newspaper columns. Click here for more listings.

• Does that earthworm in your yard look harmless? Learn more in this March 30, 2011, column in the Smoky Mountain News: The Attack of the Killer Jumping Worms. Click here for link.
• Do you think you understand the possible impacts of global climate change? Read George's column in the February 9, 2011, edition of Smoky Mountain News , entitled "Turn Down the Global Warming, I'm Freezing" - click here for link.

Other Writing:

Buy Haywood animated tomato video – Once you experience this video, you will never think about tomatoes the same way again. George wrote the script, and Stellar Media produced the video, including the animation. The production won a “Best of the Mountains” award in early 2008 from the Public Relations Association of WNC for best multimedia presentation. View it online at: http://www.buyhaywood.com/video.html

Tour de Parkway – In June of 2004, George set out to ride all 469 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway, from Rockfish Gap in northern Virginia to the Oconaluftee River near Cherokee, North Carolina – in only eight days. The Smoky Mountain News was the first to publish George’s travelogue, as a two-part series in September and October of 2004. Want to read more? Download a PDF of "Tour de Parkway">

Icelandic for Anyone – If you have ever attempted to learn a foreign language, you will enjoy this unique story (which includes a well-known gorilla). The article first appeared in Iceland Review magazine in 2001. Don’t worry, most of the article is in English.
Download “Icelandic for Anyone” available as PDF>