Dr. Randy Mackin
Associate Professor

 Office: KOM 155; Phone/Voice Mail: 904-8155

A member of the faculty since 1997, Dr. Mackin earned the M.A. at Austin Peay State University and his D.A. at MTSU. His dissertation was on the East Tennessee poet George Scarbrough. He teaches courses in general studies English, contemporary Southern literature, and beginning Spring 2009, a Special Topics in Writing course (English 4670), titled the “Tennessee Literary Project.” Students will research the lives of Tennessee writers, compose biographies and bibliographies, and conduct interviews with the state's authors. The student work will be available online through a partnership with the Tennessee Humanities Council.

A professional journalist since 1982, he still serves as editor of the Buffalo River Review , a weekly newspaper in Linden, Tennessee. In that capacity he is a five time recipient of the Meeman Foundation/UT Press Institute Award for editorial writing, a two time recipient of the Tennessee School Board Association award for education writing, and received a National Newspaper Association award for editorials.

Dr. Mackin is a member of the Tennessee Writers Alliance board of directors, and editor of the TWA online literary journal, Maypop . His poetry has appeared in numerous literary magazines.

Tennessee Literary Project--MTSU
English 4670, Special Topics in Writing

Scholarship

Publications:

• "By Way of the Word." Iron Mountain Review 16 (Spring 2000): 14-19.
• George Scarbrough biographical entry. Southern Writers: A New Biographical Dictionary. Ed. Joseph M. Flora and Amber Vogel. LSU Press, 2006.

Presentations:

• "By Way of the Word." George Scarbrough Literary Festival, Emory and Henry College, Emory, Virginia, October 21-22, 1999.d