Authors Guild Next Meeting on August 7th

The Authors Guild will meet this Thursday, August 7th, at the Faith Lutheran Church in Farragut from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Our special speaker will be AGT member Danita Dodson.

Danita is the author of three books of poetry: Trailing the Azimuth (2021) and The Medicine Woods (2022), and Between Gone and Everlasting. (2024) She is currently writing her first novel, set in the hills of Appalachia during the Civil War era and inspired by family history.  Danita has been a Fulbright-Hays fellow in Turkey, a university professor in Nicaragua, an amateur archaeologist in the Southwest, and a high school Spanish teacher in Appalachia.

As one critic wrote, “From the mountainous landscape of Appalachia to the jungles of Jamaica and the streets of Nicaragua and Turkey, Danita Dodson’s range of style and subject reveals a poet who writes with the keen understanding of the beauty that can found anywhere and everywhere.”

 Danita will be speaking on the topic, “The Vitality of Poetry.”

Visitors are welcome.

Knoxville Voyager Magazine Interview

“Life and Work with Jim Hartsell”

The Knoxville Voyager magazine, an LA-based bi-monthly publication, features an interview with AGT member Jim Hartsell in its latest issue.

In this entertaining article, Jim discusses his childhood in Tennessee and his career in education, which involved working with troubled teens. He also commented on other challenges in his life, including being present during a church shooting.

Jim discussed his writing, with emphasis on his Boone Series, a coming-of-age story set in Appalachia, which spans six books, and spoke of his collection of children’s books, also comprising  six volumes, matching his six grandchildren.

Here’s the link to the article. Jim’s Interview

Danita Dodson at Union Avenue Books

First Fridays Poetry Night

 August 1 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

AGT member, Danita Dodson, will appear with two other poets, David Cazden, and Joe Seale,  at the bookstore in downtown Knoxville to read from their poetry and discuss the literary art.

Danita is a poet, educator, and literary scholar. Between Gone and Everlasting (2024) is her third book of poetry. Her debut collection is Trailing the Azimuth (2021), followed by her second collection, The Medicine Woods (2022). Dodson’s poems are anchored in the landscape and people of East Tennessee and have appeared in Salvation South, Amethyst Review, and elsewhere. At the Poetry Society of Tennessee’s annual festival in April 2024, her poem “Bits and Pieces” was awarded the first-place Best of Fest prize.

Stop by to be inspired by this special discussion of poetry.

Guest Speaker J. Laurie Byrne Video

Laurie presented her historical fiction book, Beyond The Trees. She spent years researching her family history which she reveals in the stories within. Relatives migrated to America through the years, beginning as early as 1620 on the Mayflower. She told us about the violent history and struggles to survive in the new nation.

Sean Mitchell, Silver Falchion Award Finalist

Congratulations to AGT member Sean Mitchell, who has just been named a finalist for The Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award in the category of Best Short Story Collection/Anthology, for his book Six Lane Highway. The awards are given each year to recognize and honor the best books of the previous year (novels, novellas, collections and anthologies, and non-fiction).

The 2025 Finalists are a diverse collection of the Top Silver Falchion manuscripts of 2025, as determined by our judges, representing the best books published in 2024. t

The winners in each category and the top 3 winners overall will be announced at the Killer Nashville Awards Dinner on August 23, 2025, in Nashville, Tennessee. Best of luck to Sean.

Latest Release by the Chota Writers Circle

In “Summer Winds,” by John Forcum, a family sits down to dinner on a quiet summer evening, when suddenly the father excitedly orders everyone to seek shelter in the crawlspace. The family is saved when a tornado rips through the area, but how did the father sense it was coming when it wasn’t predicted?

These, and nine other intriguing and entertaining stories, are in this anthology written by the Chota Writers Circle that includes ten members of the Authors Guild of Tennessee.

New Release by Kaye George

Someone is stalking Darla.

She has a lot on her plate already. Dealing with a breakup. Her best friend shutting Darla out of her life. A handicapped mother. Her career as a hospital nurse. She doesn’t need slashed tires, threatening notes, or, least of all, a brick through her window.

She suspects her tormentor could either be her ex or her own father, who attacked and crippled her mother years ago. But she’s just not sure, and there’s no one but her dog to turn to.
Soon, she’s forced to rely on her own wits to protect her and her mother as the frightening threats become more and more frequent.

And are progressively more dangerous.

Authors Guild of Tennessee Presents

Prizes to Winners of LCHS 2024-2025 Writing Contest

AGT president Cheryl Peyton and Writing Contest Co-ordinator Dr. Jerry Morton presented awards to the first and

second place winners at the Lenoir City High School Awards programs on Monday, May 5 at 11:00 a.m. for the Underclassmen, and on Tuesday, May 6 at 6:00 p.m. for the Seniors.  First Place winners received an engraved plaque and a monetary gift. Second Place winners received a Certificate of Achievement.

Underclassmen winners: 

1st pl., 1st period, Abby Holm for “The Teacup Cruiser”

2nd pl., 1st period, Vanessa Singletary for “Apocalypse on Zephyr”

1st pl., 5th period, Vinncent Taylor for “A Desperate Grasp”

2nd pl. 5th period, Xander Brock for “Plague”

Senior winners:

1st pl., 2nd period, Maxx Brown for “Appreciation”

2nd pl., 2nd period, Natali Ortega for “Eternal Summer”

1st pl., 4th period, Isabelle Mayes for “Superstitions — Here Comes the Tide”

2nd pl., 4th period, Ruby Bridges for “Dead Together Forever”

We congratulate all the winners and wish them much success in the future.

Creative Writing Contest

Lenoir City High School

2nd Semester 2023-24

In the second semester of the 2023-4 school year, Angela Crabtree, teacher of the junior/senior writing classes at Lenoir City High School, selected poetry as the literary form for the Creative Writing Contest sponsored by the Authors Guild of Tennessee.

The first- and second-place winners in Ms. Crabtree’s two classes are linked under this notice. Again, the students were not assigned particular subjects but were encouraged to write from their personal experiences and viewpoints. The poems are honest and personal and sometimes reflect harsh realities in each student’s life. They are all well-written and create word pictures of place and time.

The Authors Guild of Tennessee is proud to publish these outstanding literary accomplishments on our website with parental consent for students who are minors.