An investment, of the writing kind

By Nichole Livengood  

JUNE 2, 2011 10:46 a.m. (1)

She’s been working with an author on an upcoming book.

Ready for her next meeting, she sits in a chair covered in polka-dot fabric near the front window at the Hub City Bookshop to relate once again the phenomenon that is Hub Culture, Spartanburg’s own literary organization that grew from a single book published 15 years ago.

Customers saunter in, and she takes a moment to greet every one. Then, her grown sons stop in before they head out for the day. It’s rare that both boys are home at the same time, and the proud mother is enjoying every minute.

Free time comes in limited quantity for Teter. As executive director of Hub Culture, which includes not only the bookstore but also Hub City Writer’s Workshop and Hub City Press, she has nurtured the development of a creative writing program and 47 books. Six more books will be published by the end of the year.

A Spartanburg native, Teter’s dad was the town’s Buick dealer who was involved in downtown business development. Her mom was a Yankee turned Southerner and graduate of Converse College. Teter grew up on Spartanburg’s Eastside, which she said, was a very insular place at that time.

“Going to Aug W. Smith Department Store downtown for my mother to purchase my seasonal allotment of plaid print dresses was a big excursion in the 60s,” she said.

As a kid, Teter coordinated theatrical productions for the neighborhood, headed up treehouse projects and designed putt-putt golf courses in the dirt. At Spartanburg Day she was MVP of the basketball team and editor of the literary magazine. From day one she knew she would be a writer.

Wake Forest degree in hand, Teter’s first job was at the Hilton Head Island Packet as an environmental reporter. She returned to the Upstate to write for the Greenville Piedmont and the Greenville News. In 1985 the New York Times bought the Herald Journal and brought in a new editor from Los Angeles who asked Teter to be the business editor.

“I came back to Spartanburg and covered all the big stories of the time like the Denny’s discrimination suit and the pursuit of BMW. I broke the BMW story,” she said.

Teter also had a controversial business column.

“People tended to get all riled up about my column. I’m a bit of a radical,” she said. After 12 years, Teter left the paper to spend time with her kids.

“I’m incapable of not working at a frenetic pace. It’s not in my constitution to hang out at the tennis court,” she said.

It was during this time Morgan Square Coffee opened. All of the writers in Spartanburg came out to congregate over cups of joe. It was there that Gary Henderson, John Lane and Teter masterminded the beginnings of Hub City.

“We thought it would be great if we spearheaded this book that would be written by writers in Spartanburg about the experience of living in Spartanburg. We called it the Hub City Anthology,” said Teter. “John was aware that Hub City used to be the moniker of Spartanburg years ago. He said we should reclaim this name and make Spartanburg a hub city for literature. From the moment the idea was planted, it became my life’s passion.”

Teter and Lane married six years later.

“He and I are soul mates, very clearly. My boys are kayakers and John’s a kayaker. Our family has gone on some great adventure travel together, paddling waterfalls in Mexico, rafting the rainforest in Costa Rica, sailing charters in the Abacos,” she said. “I’m going to Newfoundland this summer with John. I’ve always wanted to go there.”

Her boys, now 21 and 24, are both headed to Manhattan.

“Russell just graduated from Tulane and is going to work for Atlantic Yachting Co. in Manhattan. Rob is finishing his last two years of college and has an internship with a very cool music management company. They are very adventurous boys and very cool people.”

Teter says there is still a busy year ahead for Hub City.

“The support of the community has been behind this organization,” she said.

She points to a plaque listing the names of 300 people who gave money to start the bookstore, some of whom gave more than $20,000.

“This is a community that is focused on self preservation. We live in the shadow of one of the most successful cities in America. Greenville is a remarkable place. We have our work cut out for us in retaining our own identity here. We want Spartanburg to be Spartanburg.”

“You often hear there is nothing to do in Spartanburg, the truth is there is way too much to do in Spartanburg. I can’t get to all the things on my calendar that I want to do. So many people go home and put their car in the garage and turn on the TV set and that’s it, except when they go out to PTA or church on Sunday. You have to get out and experience the good things that are there. Get invested in the place you live.”

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