| The Writer's Loft: Our Mentors and Faculty The faculty of The Writer's Loft is staffed by the following talented writers and teachers who work with our students to help them improve as writers. Because of their own writing projects and deadlines, faculty may not teach during all semesters. In addition, faculty currently teaching will deliver lectures and readings and shall occasionally participate in panel discussions during Orientation Weekends. Betsy Woods Atkinson, from Slidell, Louisiana
MFA in Writing, Spalding University
BA English, History, Education, University of New Orleans Betsy lives on the edge of the Honey Island Swamp, just outside of New Orleans. Her fiction has appeared in The Louisville Review, and one of her short stories ("Volume of Monk") appeared in the Vol. 30, No. 2 issue of The New Orleans Review. She is a past columnist and feature writer for The Times Picayune, the greater New Orleans newspaper. She served as the assistant editor for the organic farming magazine Acres USA. Betsy is preparing her young adult novel [Strong Moon Tonight] for publication and is reveling in the unfolding of her novel-in-progress [The Alfalfa and the Omega]. Related Web Site: Bill Brown, from Greenbrier, Tennessee
Bill Brown is the author of three chapbooks, four collections of poetry and a writing textbook. His most recent titles are Late Winter (Iris Press 2008) and Tatters (March Street, 2007). During the past twenty years, he has published hundreds of poems and articles in college journals, magazines and anthologies. In 1999 Brown wrote and co-produced the Instructional Television Series, Student Centered Learning, for Nashville Public Television. He holds a degree in history from Bethel College and graduate degrees in English from the Bread Loaf School of English, Middlebury College and George Peabody College. For twenty years, Brown directed an award winning writing program at an academic magnet school in Nashville. He retired in 2003 and accepted a part-time lecturer position at Vanderbilt University. In 1995 the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts awarded him The Distinguished Teacher in the Arts. He has been a Scholar in Poetry at the Bread Loaf Writers Conference, a Fellow at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and a two-time recipient of Fellowships in poetry from the Tennessee Arts Commission. He and his wife Suzanne live in the hills north of Nashville with a tribe of cats.
Charlotte Rains Dixon, from Portland, Oregon
MFA in Writing, Spalding University
Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, University of Oregon 
Charlotte Rains Dixon is free-lance journalist, copywriter, ghostwriter, and author who also teaches and coaches writers. She is the author of a dozen books, including a book on fund-raising to be published by Atlantic Publishing, and Oregon Coast, for Beautiful American Publishing. Her fiction has appeared in The Trunk, Santa Fe Writer’s Project, Nameless Grace, and Somerset Studios. Her articles have been published in Vogue Knitting, the Oregonian, and Pology, to name a few. She is currently seeking an agent for her novel, Emma Jean’s Bad Behavior. As co-director of the Writer’s Loft, a mentor and a writing coach, she is passionate about helping writers to be the best they can be. Visit her blog at www.wordstrumpet.com. Jason Hunt, from Hopedale, Massachusetts
M.A. in English, University of Connecticut
B.S. in Management, Cornell University  | Jason is a consultant in communication Technology Services, part of Biogen Idec's Corporate Strategy and Communications group. He joined Biogen Idec in February 2005. Since then, he has been directly involved with the development of the corporate intranet. Jason began his career at Saturn Corporation, designing training courses for General Motors, as part of Saturn Consulting Services. He has designed and developed courses in Project Management, Process Improvement, Problem Solving, Conflict Resolution, Team Building, Leadership, Negotiation, Effective Communication, Effective Listening, and Customer Enthusiasm. His training designs have been puchased by organizations such as the U.S. Army, Saab, Zeneca Chemical, Delphi Packard, and the government of Singapore. Jason began his work with Intranets in 1998 as a consultant of Deloitte & Touche. He was part of the team that built Deloitte's first Intranet site to support users of SAP software. From there he went to ClientLogic, a top five global Business Process Outsourcing provider and industry leader in call center, fulfilment, and list management. Jason holds a Master of Arts degree in English from the University of Connecticut, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Management from Cornell University. In his free time, Jason writes mystery novels about Deke Rivers, a country music songwriter turned detective. His latest book is "So Lonesome I Could Die" was published in 2007. River Jordan, from Nashville, Tennessee River Jordan is a novelist and playwright. She is the founder of W.O.R.D. (Writing for Ourselves and Reading for Discovery), a writing and reading program designed to introduce and inspire a new generation to the power of story, and she teaches writing workshops and promotes literacy around the country. River's Novel The Messenger of Magnolia Street was published in January 2006. A native of Panama City, FL, River and her husband now live in Nashville. Related Web Sites: Alvin E. Knox, from Murfreesboro, Tennessee
MFA in Writing, Vermont College
B.A. in English, Tennessee Technological University Alvin is an instructor with the Department of English at MTSU, where he has taught Composition and Introduction to Literature, and he has taught college-level English courses at many Middle Tennessee schools. He is widely published with his work appearing in such literary venues as Southern Indiana Review, Frisk Magazine, and Best Poems of 1995. Related Web Sites: Randy O'Brien, from Nashville, Tennessee Randy is the News Director at WMOT Radio, MTSU's campus radio station, and he's a Board Member of the Tennessee Writers Alliance. His novel (Creations Fire) was accepted for publication by Online Originals in London, England. His short fiction and screenplays frequently come in as finalist or winners in many major contests. And one of his screenplays was a semi-finalist in the Nicholl, a yearly fellowship sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Related Web Sites: Linda Busby Parker, from Mobile, Alabama
MFA in Writing, Spalding University
Ph.D. in Communication Studies, University of Michigan
M.A., University of Michigan
B.A. in English and Creative Writing, University of South Alabama Linda has taught on the faculties of Eastern Michigan University, Iowa State University, and the University of South Alabama. She is the author of two college-level textbooks. Her novel, Seven Laurels, was published in April 2004 by SEMO press (Southeast Missouri University Press). Seven Laurels (under the title The Sum of Augusts) won the 2002 James Jones First Novel Fellowship. Linda has served as a student editor of The Louisville Review and was the publisher and editor of Mobile Bay Monthly. She is a book reviewer for The Mobile Press Register and her short fiction appears frequently in publications and journals. She has studied at the Sewanee Writers Conference at The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. Related Web Sites: David Pierce, from Murfreesboro, Tennessee
B.S. in Communication/Journalism
M.A. in English David Pierce is a novelist and writer, with published short stories, magazine articles, journal articles, two children's books (Zonderkidz), and more to his credit. He is signed with William K. Jensen Literary Agency, based in Eugene, OR and managed by EzLu Entertainment Group, Inc. David is an adjunct professor in MTSU's English Department. His short fiction has appeared in such publications as Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. His new book, Don’t Let Me Go, a memoir about climbing mountains with his teenage daughter, will be available from WaterBrook Press on March 17 of 2009. Related Web Site: J. Terry Price, from Springfield, Tennessee
terry@terryprice.net
MFA in Writing, Spalding University
J.D., Nashville School of Law
B.S. in Mass Communications, Middle Tennessee State University  | Terry earned his B.S. degree in Mass Communications from Middle Tennessee State University, received his Doctor of Jurisprudence from the Nashville School of Law, and received his MFA in Writing from Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky. His work has been published in the online magazine The New Southerner and included in the anthology Best of New Southerner. A graduate of the Writer’s Loft program, he won the inaugural Loft creative writing contest for short fiction and has had work published in Writers Notes Magazine, in the online journal BloodLotus.org. The short story Eminent Domain appeared in the March 2007 issue of the Timber Creek Review and has been nominated for a 2007 Pushcart Prize. He is currently revising his short story collection, Strandings, and Other Stories and working on a novel set along the Appalachian Trail. Related Web Site: |
