AGT Monthly Meeting for April 2026 

The Authors Guild of Tennessee held its monthly meeting on Thursday, April 2, 2026, at Faith Lutheran Church, Farragut, from 10:30 until noon.

The following members were present:

Bill Barbour, Gary Butler, Bobbi Chapman, Pat Crumpler, Gayle Curtin, Carmen Flores, John Forcum, Kaye George, Leoma Gilley, Jim Hartsell, David Johnston, Ernie Lancaster, Jerry Morton, Kathy Parr, Cheryl Peyton, Nancy Pressley, Ron Pressley, Nolen Rollins, Chuck Roseberry, Kit Sexton, Art Stewart, Becky Tucker, Victoria Winifred, and Curt Young.

Visitors: Marty Shoffner, Jilaine Burley, Shirley Harkins, Pete Wyatt, Charles Reeves, Brian Mulliner, Vickie Jordan, and Jack Jennings

 

Welcome – Cheryl

 Treasurer’s Report – Bill

Beginning Cash Balance	$       4,517
Ending Cash Balance	$      3,820
Less:	$       (962)	Writing Competition
	$           (5)	Outstanding checks
Net Cash Available	$      2,853
Income
Author Payment	$            14
Expenses
Business filing	$           20
Storage Rental	$           29
Fairs Festivals Balance	$      (424)

 

Committee Chairs.

Fairs and Festivals – Nancy: A third person is needed at Paws for a Cause on April 25, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., $11 per person. If there are festivals that you are interested in that weren’t listed on the last email she sent, let Nancy know so she can investigate them.

Student Writing Contest – Art: The contest is underway now. The topic is fiction. The winners should be determined in the next few weeks. Prizes will be given in the class, not at the end of the year.

Opportunity: There is a small publishing press available. It comes with the name and reputation, and it might not cost anything, as it can be inherited. Talk with Art for more information.

Cheryl sent out a list of emotions that can be expressed through body language. Gary has a very comprehensive book called The Emotion Thesaurus that includes 130 emotions, with a page of tips for each of them. Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi are the authors. There is a series of these thesauruses. They are about $20 each.

Kaye recommended online courses by Mary Buckham on describing emotions, humor, and other expressions.

Leoma recommended PublishDrive https://publishdrive.com/ “Self-publishing made simple with tools for every step of your journey. Publish ebooks, print, and audiobooks, and reach readers worldwide through 50+ stores and 240,000+ libraries, including Amazon, Apple Books, Google Play, Kobo, and more—the widest distribution network in the industry.” The author receives 100% royalties. The cost for 3 books is $14/month.

There is a Creative English class in Clinton High School. Jerry wants to investigate if we could work with them. If anyone has contacts, that would be helpful.

Kit reported on a bookstore for mainly children’s books that would like more titles. Melanie Maples Harris is the Farm South Owner, 1603 Tipton Station Road, Knoxville, 37920. farmsouthknox@gmail.com

We can’t meet at the Lutheran Church at our regular time next month because it is a polling place. We will meet the SECOND Thursday in May.

Program

Our guest speaker was Pete Wyatt, a Tennessee native and retired game warden. Pete is the author of three books recounting humorous adventures in his 37 years’ work as Boating Officer, Game Warden, Wildlife Biologist, and Regional Wildlife Manager, titled An Appalachian Gamekeeper’s Soliloquy of Humorous Tales, Vols. 1-3.

His latest work, Restless Spirits, is a collection of 22 supernatural tales rooted in the folklore, ghost stories, and cryptid legends of East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and Western North Carolina. This book explores the eerie mysteries of the Southern Appalachian Highlands.

Readers will encounter cryptid creatures (an animal or being whose existence is claimed but not proven by science) like the Beast of Wolf Hills and the Black Panther of Hells Canyon, as well as tales of witches, Civil War ghosts, and ancient curses. Equal parts historical and haunting, this compendium captures the raw magic and horror of Appalachia, where superstitions still thrive in the modern world.

Our speaker captivated the audience with many stories from his life. For example, he pointed out the earliest short story written on a tree:

D Boon cilled a bar on tree in year 1760 (Daniel Boon killed a bear in this tree in (the) year 1760).

He began to write short stories during COVID as he considered his mortality. He wanted to leave something behind, and these delightful stories and books are the result. He has also spoken at numerous storyteller events, including the Front Porch at the Russell Theater. Be sure to listen to the video for his stories.

 Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 12:00. The next meeting will be on May 14, 2026 at the Faith Lutheran Church.

Respectfully submitted,

Leoma Gilley, Secretary