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Greetings! Every year, the creme de la creme of today’s literary scene gather in Tennessee for the Clarksville Writers Conference, paying homage to the state’s rich history as the birthplace of the southern Renaissance.
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For almost two decades, the conference has been a sanctuary for those who hold the written word dear. The conference is a time of creativity, friendship, and limitless opportunities. And for those fortunate enough to be in attendance, it will be an unforgettable experience.
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Come join us, and tell us a story. Hope to see you there.
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Warmest regards,
Laurina Isabella Lyle, PhD, conference chairperson
A little bit of history about our story. Clarksville, Tennessee, was a pivotal center of the Southern Renaissance of the 1920s and ’30s. Writers of the era living in Clarksville included Robert Penn Warren, Evelyn Scott, Caroline Gordon and Allen Tate. Additional writers, including Thomas Mabry, Cleanth Brooks, Ford Madox Ford, Donald Davidson, Katherine Ann Porter, Robert Lowell, Andrew Lytle, Malcolm Cowley, Frances and Brainard Cheney and others gathered to write and discuss their work at “Benfolly,” Tate and Gordon’s home overlooking the banks of the Cumberland River. Their Clarksville home became a Mecca for writers of the Southern Renaissance, and from that site poured literature which enriched the American scene. In that great tradition, we offer you the Nineteenth Annual Clarksville Writers Conference.
Our founder. Patricia Winn
taught English for 33 years on the college level and at the high school level to both AP and at-need students. Her debut novel, Bells for Eli (Mercer University Press, March 2020; paperback edition March 2021), has been selected the Gold Medal (first place) winner for Best First Book—Fiction in the 2021 IPPY (Independent Publisher Book Awards), a Foreword Indie Book Award finalist, a Winter 2020 Okra Pick by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, a 2020 Notable Indie on Shelf Unbound, a 2020 finalist for American Book Fest Best Book Awards, and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize for 2021. Susan has won numerous awards for her short fiction, including winning the South Carolina Fiction Prize twice. Her second novel, The Girl From the Red Rose Motel, published September 5, 2023, by Mercer University Press, has been chosen a finalist in the American Book Fest Awards, a Shelf Unbound Notable Indie 100, was highlighted in Kirkus Magazine, and nominated for a Pushcart Prize. The author lives in Spartanburg, SC.
This workshop will teach how to polish your manuscript to a shine by using simple techniques (sometimes called tricks!). These will help you easily enhance your work.
We all have an activity, an idea, or a passion that resides at the core of our being. So . . . how do we record the stories of our eccentricities — journal entries, scrapbooks, shoeboxes filled with mementos? This one-day workshop will introduce simple bookmaking methods to assist in the creation of a unique, handcrafted structure designed to keep and present the narratives you hold dear.
Writing can help us process experience, integrate love and loss, understand ourselves, and reclaim our voices. In this one-day workshop, we will discuss and practice writing and wellness methods like inquiry, framing, mindfulness, and compassion to bring clarity to aspects of our lives that feel sensitive or painful. Whether you are interested in resolving trauma or forgiving yourself for not creating more or sooner, this extended session will provide prompts and opportunities to shed light on the stories you tell yourself and to consider how they might more authentically represent you.
During this session, panelists will delve into the lives of women found in Clarksville’s history. By opening pages from their dairies and other accounts, these women will be able to tell us their stories. Some may be difficult to hear, but they are important stories that provide insight into our city’s challenges and demonstrate how attitudes have changed. While revisiting the voices in Clarksville’s history can be uncomfortable, the necessity to learn from the past is always with us in the present.
Panelists: Ellen Kanervo, Minoa Uffelman, Phyllis Smith, and Shana Thornton
A presentation concerning the timeline to publish a novel. It doesn’t start nor end with a finished manuscript or published book. This will include interactive exercises to help writers determine the best path to consider: traditional, small/indie press, hybrid, or self-publishing.
The way your fictional characters speak is a crucial aspect of their identity. Their dialogue can reveal important details about their background, such as where they grew up, their social class or economic status, and even their age. Not only should dialogue move the plot forward, but it also helps with pacing the story.
Join this hands-on workshop where we’ll deconstruct the art and science of humor writing together in a fun and supportive environment.
Andrew will conduct a workshop on comic book writing essentials and best practices, blending fiction with nonfiction elements, using his acclaimed Captain America short story “Home of the Brave”.
Sharon will talk about how to spin out a plot of a mystery while clearly defining the characters and having things happen to them in the meantime.
This workshop will focus of the difference between romance novels and women’s fiction and break down the difference between the necessary components.
The Muck Island box: poems and images from ‘a place apart.’ Adrian will present a slideshow of the Muck Island Box, and talk about his collaboration with artist, Ross Wilson, and their motivation in this unusual and stimulating enterprise.
When is it safe to say that you went too far as an author? Is there such a thing as too far in writing? We’ll consider the act of revelation looking at both fiction and nonfiction.
The concept of “Doors” will be explored. Doors open for us throughout our lives through our relationships with others. Participants will be guided to acknowledge opening doors and how that may be woven into a story.
During this captivating plenary session, Andrew will share the origin story of the Trilogy March co-authored with congressman John Lewis. His partnership with Lewis began in 2007 as they recognized the powerful impact comics had had on their own lives. In 2016, book three won The National Book Award in Young People’s Literature topping the New York Times bestseller list for graphic nonfiction for six consecutive weeks. Andrew will reflect on the valuable lessons he has learned while creating nonfiction comics (graphic books) for the next generation.
How the secrets of our past can surprise, delight, educate, and inspire the writing of a novel. The author will present background on how she found the story of the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania in her family history and why it inspired her to write her debut historical fiction, The Unlocked Path. Includes an exploration of how to find stories through genealogy research, the importance of being authentic to a time period and how character voices to tell their story, by reading from the novel, and open Q&A.
Originally from Belfast, now entering his twentieth year living in Hickory, NC, Adrian shares the story of how these different places have shaped the content, scope and style of his poetry.
From illustration to ekphrasis, art can augment texts and vice versa. This workshop will discuss some advantages and considerations for multimedia creations. Writer, collage artist, and visual essayist, Amy Wright will offer examples from works that find a happy medium between mediums to facilitate deeper, fuller forms of expression.
Sharon will read sections of her new memoir, The Blue Box and Memories that Live in the Bones. Types of memoir and how to have emotional truth come through in writing.
Drawing from personal experiences of living in the Red River Watershed, Robertson County, Tennessee, Rick will share river stories. Participants will explore their own nature stories and how they influence their Writing.
To register for the conference, please “Download Registration” and print the page. Check the appropriate boxes and fill out necessary areas of information. Once finished, mail the completed Registration Form and a check to: Clarksville Arts & Heritage Development Council Attn: Katie Kennedy, Registrar PO Box 555 | Clarksville TN 37041
or contact
Laurina Isabella Lyle
[email protected] | 931.206.0317
This year marks the establishment of the Thomas Dabney Mabry, Jr. Creative Writing Award. Throughout the year, writers from across the country submitted their works for consideration. We are privileged to have writer, Bren McClain as our head judge. The winner of the award will be announced at the 19th Clarksville Writers Conference.
Listed below in non-ranking order are the top ten finalists
1. W. Jeffrey Bagley / Overwatch
2. Dale Allison-Lemon / Sgt. Alvin ‘Cat’ York
3. George Mauldin / Once Upon a Claxton Fruit Cake
4. Chrissy Hicks / Overshadow
5. Jim Myers / Mudpuppies
6. Chris Ross / My Fathers Castle
7. Stacey Weiss / Creature
8. Julie Lomax / Southern Blooms and Hidden Thorns: A Kudzu Chronicles
9. Heather Bell Adams / Quarter Rest
10. Carol Webster / Angry Iris
Top Three Winners of the Thomas Mabry Creative Writing Award (Non-ranking order)
1. Dale Allison-Lemon / Sgt. Alvin ‘Cat’ York
2. Chrissy Hicks / Overshadow
3. Carol Webster / Angry Iris
About Thomas Dabney Mabry, Jr.
Thomas Mabry has gained recognition as a prominent author originating from Montgomery County, Clarksville, Tennessee. His short stories are known for their themes of self-discovery and often include references to individuals from his hometown.
Thomas Dabney Mabry, Jr. was born in Clarksville on July 22, 1903 to Thomas Dabney Mabry and Nellie Barnes Runyon. The family home, located at 816 Franklin Street, was where Thomas, Jr. and his two sisters, Nellie and Iris, grew up. This would later become the background for Thomas’ literary works.
He graduated from Clarksville High School and then went on to earn his degree from Harvard University in 1925. He continued his education at Vanderbilt University, receiving a master’s degree in 1931. After graduating, he was hired as the executive director at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, in 1935. Seven years later, Thomas married Ethel Haven. They had two daughters together, Susan and Elizabeth. During World War II, Thomas served in the Office of War Information before working as an editor at Time magazine from 1952-1953. In 1957, he moved with his family to Allensville, Kentucky where he worked as a farmer until his unexpected passing on September 29, 1968.
We are grateful to Lawson Mabry and family for underwriting this award.
Presented by
Clarksville Arts and Heritage Development Council
Ellen Kanervo,
Executive Director
Laurina Isabella Lyle,
Conference Chair
Patricia Winn,
Conference Creator
Sharon Barnes,
Conference Committee Member
Jacqueline Crouch,
Conference Committee Member
Pam Gray,
Conference Committee Member
Kathy Houston,
Conference Committee Member
Colin Isotti,
Conference Committee Member
Cindy Marsh,
Conference Committee Member
Shana Thornton,
Conference Committee Member
Katie Kennedy,
Registrar
Mike Fink,
Graphic Design
Sponsored by
Clarksville Arts & Heritage Development Council
Austin Peay State University
Tennessee Arts Commission
City of Clarksville
Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts at APSU
Beachhaven Winery
Hudubam Booktraders
F & M Bank, Clarksville
Additional funding support provided by
Dee Boaz
Jacqueline Crouch
Kris and Charlie Foust
Joan R. Harris
Jan Hodgson
Laurina Isabella Lyle and Family
Lawson Mabry and Family
Dottie and Jim Mann
Nick Nicholson
Carmen Reagan
Sherri and Jeff Robinson
Additional funding support provided by
Dee Boaz
Jacqueline Crouch
Kris and Charlie Foust
Joan R. Harris
Jan Hodgson
Laurina Isabella Lyle and Family
Lawson Mabry and Family
Dottie and Jim Mann
Nick Nicholson
Carmen Reagan
Sherri and Jeff Robinson
Music provided by
Colin Isotti, APSU – Adjunct Professor,
Musician, and Guitarist
Thomas Mabry Creative Writing Contest Committee Members:
Sharon Barnes
Jacqueline Crouch
LaCresha Kolba
Shana Thornton
Paula Paxton
Sponsor Writing prize-winners baskets:
The Thomas Mabry Family
Red Clay Potter
The Clarksville Connection
Sharon’s Writing Corner
Nancy’s Quilting
DB Originals
Anonymous Sponsors
A special thank you to all the judges and head Judge, Bren McClain
