2025 Annual Conference | Appalachian Ink

Janisse Ray
Banquet Speaker and Nonfiction Session

Janisse Ray is an award-winning American author who has been publishing widely for over 30 years. Her first book, Ecology of a Cracker Childhood, is an environmental memoir that tells the story of growing up in the disappearing longleaf pine flatwoods That book has been followed by nine others, mostly creative nonfiction but also a novel and two volumes of poetry. She has won an American Book Award, Pushcart Prize, Southern Booksellers Award, Southern Environmental Law Center Writing Award, Nautilus Award, and Eisenberg Award, among many others. She leads writing workshops both online and in-person, where she teaches not only writing technique but how to access the mysteries that make writing great.

Workshop Leaders:

Charles Dodd White – Fiction & General Session

Charles Dodd White is the author of four novels, How Fire Runs, In the House of Wilderness, A Shelter of Others, and Lambs of Men, as well a short story collection and a memoir. He has received the Appalachian Book of the Year Award and the Chaffin Award for his fiction. He lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he teaches English at Pellissippi State Community College.

Cameron L. Mitchell – Poetry

Cameron L. Mitchell is an international artist known for his transformative storytelling, which raises awareness about mental health and ignites important conversations. A Tennessee-based teaching artist, Cameron was honored as the 2022 Poet Laureate of Murfreesboro. He is the founder of Free Fyre and is an actor, celebrated for his portrayal of Corey Maxson in the critically acclaimed Broadway play “Fences” (Nashville Rep).

Kristin O’Donnell Tubb – Young People’s Literature

Kristin O’Donnell Tubb is the award-winning author of eleven middle-grade novels, including Fowl Play; The Decomposition of Jack; Luna Howls at the Moon; Zeus, Dog of Chaos; The Story Collector series, and A Dog Like Daisy. Kristin lives near Nashville, Tennessee, with her bouncy-loud family. Just like her two dogs, she can be bribed with cheese.

Special Sessions:

Jennie Ivey – Inspirational Writing

Jennie Ivey has been writing for the inspirational market for more than thirty year, and has had dozens of stories published in Chicken Soup for the Soul collections and many stories and devotions in Guideposts publications. Since 1998, Jennie has written more than a thousand weekly columns for the (Cookeville, TN) Herald-Citizen newspaper.  She’s the author of three books, and has had two true ghost stories published by Howling Hills Publishing.

Kelle Jolly – Writing a Blues Song

Kelle Jolly, an accomplished jazz musician and captivating storyteller, is a seasoned educator and the host of “Jazz Jam with Kelle Jolly” on WUOT 91.9 FM. Kelle holds a Master of Arts degree in Communication and Storytelling Studies from East Tennessee State University, and a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from South Carolina State University. She has performed at TEDx ETSU and presented numerous workshops and clinics.

Fitting a Writing Practice into Your Busy Life

Terry Shaw has worked as a newspaper reporter and columnist, a copywriter and publicist, a freelance book editor, and content manager for a Fortune 500 company. In 2023 he and Brad Lifford cofounded Howling Hills Publishing, which focuses on nonfiction books from Greater Appalachia. The pair coauthored its first title, East Tennessee Garden Stories, and has since published two collections of Appalachian ghost stories and Open House: Mostly True Tales of Crazy in Southern Real Estate, by Suzy Trotta.

Jennie Ivey has been writing for the inspirational market for more than thirty year, and has had dozens of stories published in Chicken Soup for the Soul collections and many stories and devotions in Guideposts publications. Since 1998, Jennie has written more than a thousand weekly columns for the (Cookeville, TN) Herald-Citizen newspaper.  She’s the author of three books, and has had two true ghost stories published by Howling Hills Publishing.

Kristin O’Donnell Tubb is the award-winning author of eleven middle-grade novels, including Fowl Play; The Decomposition of Jack; Luna Howls at the Moon; Zeus, Dog of Chaos; The Story Collector series, and A Dog Like Daisy. Kristin lives near Nashville, Tennessee, with her bouncy-loud family. Just like her two dogs, she can be bribed with cheese.

Keith Stewart – Humor Writing

Keith Stewart’s book Bernadette Peters Hates Me: True Tales of a  Delusional Man was a finalist for the Independent Author Network’s Book of the Year Award and was named a Summer’s Juiciest Read by Queerty.com. He is an Erma Bombeck Humor Writer of the Month, a finalist in the national Mark Twain House Humor Writing Competition, and a multiple Pushcart Award nominee. His work has been published in several journals and anthologies.

.

Larry D. Thacker – Writing Short Stories

Larry D. Thacker’s fiction and poetry can be found in more than 200 publications. His three fiction collections include Working it Off in Labor County; Labor Days, Labor Nights: More Stories; and Everyday, Monsters (co-written with CM Chapman). He is also the author of four full poetry collections and two chapbooks, as well as the non-fiction folk history Mountain Mysteries: The Mystic Traditions of Appalachia. His MFA in poetry and fiction is earned from West Virginia Wesleyan College.

Joyce A. McDonald Writing Competition

Categories

(Insufficient response may result in cancellation of any category and refund for entries.)

Fiction

3,000 words maximum. Short story or novel portion (any selected section, for adults or youths). Please indicate “short story” or “novel excerpt” on the manuscript.

Children’s Literature

1,500 words maximum (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, etc.) written FOR children. NOTE: Novel portions written for adolescents/young people should be entered in Fiction category.

Fantasy/Sci-Fi

2,000 words maximum (any genre; if poetry, one poem)

Nonfiction

2,000 words maximum (essay, article, humorous, how-to, etc.)

Poetry

1 set of up to 3 poems (any form, style)

Entry Rules

Entries must be submitted via email attachment only. Send to contests@tmwi.org. Persons winning First Place in any TMW contest category are ineligible to enter that same category the following year. TMW workshop/specialty session leaders are ineligible to enter in the category they’ve taught. Any individual piece may be entered in one contest category only. Limit of two (2) entries per category per person. Entries must not have been previously published, accepted for publication, nor have won any award in a previous TMW contest.

 Entry Fees

Full conference attendees: No fee for first entry in each category, $10 per entry for additional entries. Must be paid registrant by Feb.1, 2025.

Part-time or non-conference participants: $15 per entry.

Entry Deadline

Entries must be emailed by midnight (EST) February 1, 2025, to contests@tmwi.org, with payment made through the PayPal options on our registration page. Print our contest submission checklist.

ENTRIES NOT FOLLOWING ALL RULES WILL BE DISQUALIFIED; FEES WILL NOT BE REFUNDED.

Winners for each category will be announced and awards presented during the TMW banquet Saturday, April 5, 2025.

This project is funded in part under an agreement with the Tennessee Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. Tennessee Mountain Writers, Inc. (TMW) is a non-profit, non-political organization which promotes Tennessee literary arts and supports the work of Tennessee writers. Our goal is to provide opportunity for people interested in the craft of writing to become better writers. TMW is a member of the Oak Ridge Arts Council and is funded in part under an agreement with the Tennessee Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. Membership is open to all writers interested in furthering these objectives, regardless of geographic location. All interested individuals are welcome to participate in activities of the Tennessee Mountain Writers, Inc. No individual shall be excluded from or denied benefits, subjected to discrimination, or denied participation in any TMWI programs because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation or belief.