Fall 2026 Conference: Imagination
Each Fall, MTSU Write celebrates its mission by hosting the Creative Writing Conference on the MTSU campus. The Conference brings together students, mentors, alumni, and members of the community for learning, networking, and recognizing program graduates.
Conference Theme
The 2026 conference theme is Imagination and will feature classes and presentations that will invite you to write both toward hope. This year’s conference will take place Friday, November 6 (virtual) and Saturday, November 7 (on MTSU’s campus).
Keynote Speaker: Cameron Mitchell
Conference Schedule
Noon-1:00pm (CT): Readings from MTSU Write Community
1:00pm-3:00pm (CT): For our afternoon virtual programming, you will be able to choose from among the three following sessions:
OPTION 1 – Kathleen Fields – Pocketknife Poetry: Imagination Unstuck
Pocketknife Poem: this is a term I use to describe a poem that helps a reader or writer out of a creative bind. In this session, we will look at poets whose work provides sharp poetic insight into the human experience like Dorianne Laux, Chen Chen and W.S. Merwin. We will use these pocketknife poems as a starting point to generate new work, allowing our imaginations new space to create.
OPTION 2 – Publishing Panel with moderator Allison Blevins – “Ask the Publisher” – Panelists: Dustin Brookshire, Ron Mohring, Courtney LeBlanc, Allison Blevins, and Catherine Esposito Prescott
Have you ever wondered what really happens on the other side of the submission queue? Ask a Publisher brings together five working publishers for an honest, practical conversation about how manuscripts and literary magazine submissions move from queue to publication. Panelists will begin with a brief introduction, including what they look for, how they work with writers, and what drives their editorial vision. The panel will then discuss the editorial process and what writers can do to prepare for publication. The final portion of the session is open to the audience, so come ready with your questions. Whether you’re preparing your first manuscript, weighing publishing options, or simply curious about how small presses and literary magazines operate, you’ll leave with a clearer picture of the publishing landscape and practical insight into working with publishers.
8:45am-9:00am: Refreshments & Welcome from MTSU Write Director Mary Leoson
Session 1 Options: 9:00am-10:30am
OPTION 1 – ACB 110 – Catherine Berresheim – Words That Heal: Writing to Transform Trauma into Art
The psychological work incurred when someone is writing about a traumatic experience is daunting. As the writer reports the event, they are also processing what happened and why. In many cases, this “dear diary” confessional journaling leads to self-healing. There are, however, additional creative writing techniques that embody the qualities of a healing narrative, thereby transforming an individual’s trauma into personal art. The “Words That Heal” combines lecture with generative creative writing prompts and discussion.
Ms. Berresheim earned an MFA in creative nonfiction from Spalding University’s Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing. Examples of her essay work appear in the HuffPost, Under the Gum Tree, Manifest Station, White Rabbits, Nashville Scene, Off Center, The Autoethnographer, SHIFT. In addition, her essay “Catlike” is featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Lessons I Learned from My Cat (2023). “Cancer: The Great Motivator,” appears in the anthology project There Are Writing Emergencies: Composing Ourselves in Times of Crisis was just released in June of 2026.
OPTION 2 – ACB 111 – Jackie Gilbert – MTSU Write: Obtaining a Mentor and Crafting a Product
This presentation will describe two semesters of working with a mentor in the MTSU Write Program. Crafting a product, working with feedback, reading exemplary literature, and refining our writing style will be explored.
Dr. Gilbert is a Professor of Management in the Jennings A. Jones College Business at Middle Tennessee State University. She received her PhD and MBA degrees from the University of Houston, and her BBA in Management from the University of Texas at Austin. Professor Gilbert is the author of How to Transform Workplace Bullies into Allies. She is also a fellow in the U.S. Academy on Workplace Bullying, Mobbing, and Abuse.
OPTION 3 – ACB 114 – Antsy McClain – Finding Humor and Meaning in Everyday Life
If we can laugh, we can heal. That’s Antsy McClain’s prescription for what ails us. Our fast-paced, modern world wants us to believe that producing and consuming is a direct pipeline to happiness and contentment. Social media has turned us all, writers and creatives, into content providers. But generations of young people are seeing those lies for what they truly are. Many are going back to basics to find their own sense of peace and contentment. Laughter is a basic need, and as a humorist, Antsy is happy to share what he has learned from working in the laughter industry.
Antsy McClain is hilarious. He is also insightful and heartwarming. Whether he’s performing solo or with his incredible band of musicians called the Trailer Park Troubadours, Antsy McClain will have you “laughing till your cheeks are sore,” and tearing up over “the good stuff:” love, family and friends. Antsy calls what he does “humor with heart.” Funny without ridicule. Sentimental without being saccharine. And never “punching down,” as folks in the business call humor that attacks or belittles. The friends of Antsy’s music (He’s made more than 20 albums to date) call themselves Flamingoheads, after the iconic plastic figurines that have adorned trailer park lawns for decades. The backdrop for these characters and stories is the mobile home community he created called Pine View Heights. It was designed after his own upbringing in several trailer parks where he lived with his blue collar family, raised by a truck-driving father and an Avon-selling Mom. Called a Renaissance Man by his peer (Antsy is also a graphic designer and illustrator, working with a who’s who client list consisting of The Atlantic Monthly, Simon & Schuster, Newsweek, Psychology Today among countless others.), Antsy has embraced the life of an artist, saying he wouldn’t have it any other way. An animated TV series based on the characters and stories of Antsy’s music is currently in development. “Way Cool World” is a series based on the world of Pine View Heights, “the trailer park that time forgot.” Antsy lives in Mount Juliet with his wife, best friend and road trip partner, Michelle Roy. She teaches yoga at Heart and Light Yoga in Nashville, TN and is a busy massage therapist.
Session 2: 10:45am-12:15pm
OPTION 1 ACB 111 – Shan Overton – Haiku Workshop
Join this group for connection and word generation through the Haiku form! Shan Overton runs an ongoing Haiku group for MTSU Write; both returning and new participants are welcome.
OPTION 2 – ACB 111 – Jackie Gilbert – Launching Your Book: Editing, Polishing, and Marketing
The process of writing, multiple rounds of edits, working with copyeditors and graphic designers, incorporating vignettes, obtaining permissions, launching a book, and post publication marketing will be discussed.
Dr. Gilbert is a Professor of Management in the Jennings A. Jones College Business at Middle Tennessee State University. She received her PhD and MBA degrees from the University of Houston, and her BBA in Management from the University of Texas at Austin. Professor Gilbert is the author of How to Transform Workplace Bullies into Allies. She is also a fellow in the U.S. Academy on Workplace Bullying, Mobbing, and Abuse.
OPTION 3 – ACB 114 – Mary Leoson – Mingle & Create
This session is an informal space to engage in creative activity and network with fellow writers.
Dr. Mary Leoson is the Director of MTSU Write and author of The Butterfly Circle and Devil’s Oak: Waking the Feminine Wound. She teaches creative writing, literature, and composition at MTSU. She holds a D. Arts. in English Pedagogy & Literature, an MFA in Creative Writing (Fiction), an MA in English, and an MS in Psychology. You can learn more at www.maryleoson.com.
12:15-2:30pm: Lunch & Keynote Address
We will have lunch in ACB 106, followed by readings from MTSU Write members and a keynote address from the keynote speaker. There will be time to buy books (and get them signed) after the keynote!
Keynote: Cameron Mitchell – Access: Leave Your Fingerprints Behind
In this powerful and interactive keynote, participants will learn how to leave a lasting impact—one that goes far beyond money. Through personal stories and transformative insight, this keynote will introduce five impressions that will challenge participants to reimagine how we influence and connect with others. More than a talk, this is an experience. Come ready to reflect, create, and discover how to leave your own meaningful mark.
Cameron L. Mitchell is a literary painter known for his transformative storytelling. He is the Founder and Executive Director of Free Fyre and the 2022 Poet Laureate of Murfreesboro. He is the author of Breaking the Block: Building a Path to Write the Story, empowering individuals to overcome creative, mental, and emotional barriers in life. His work has taken him around the world, speaking for organizations that include the Legacy Foundation in Japan, Nafasi Art Space in Tanzania, Disney, PBS, Vanderbilt University, and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem among others. An award-winning actor, Cameron is widely recognized for his role as Corey Maxson in Fences (Nashville Rep), part of a production honored for Best Contemporary Drama. He also stars in the feature film Dating My Past, which premiered internationally in Curaçao and is now streaming globally on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and Tub which has reach a million views. Cameron uses creative expression to strengthen emotional intelligence, amplify voice, and inspire personal and professional growth.
Session 3: 2:30pm-4:00pm
OPTION 1 – ACB 110 Taffeta Chime – Creative Resources for the Creative Writer
Come learn about some out-of-the-box tools that you can utilize in all phases of the writing process, from gathering inspiration, reading and researching, drafting, keeping writer’s block at bay, building community, monetizing your craft, publishing, and marketing.
Taffeta Chime, a lifelong fabulist and logolept, has two published novels (Stoodie, 2007, and The Last, 2011) and several short stories, poems, and articles printed across many publications (including Rattle, Complex, Meetinghouse Magazine, and MeChat Interactive Stories). She received a BA in English and Creative Writing/Theatre and an MA in English and Foreign Language both from Middle Tennessee State University. She currently works as a multigenre writer and editor on a myriad of projects. She lives in Murfreesboro with her husband, two daughters, and three cats.
OPTION 2 – ACB 111 – Bryanna Licciardi – Balancing the Strange with the Story
As writers, we often get so caught up in pushing ourselves to create something new that we forget to stop and ask, “What do I already know how to do well?” This workshop-style session will explore the important balancing act between imagination and narrative through weird, playful prompts designed to uncover your creative strengths, and push beyond them. Come ready to write, experiment, and get a little strange.
Bryanna Licciardi is a college educator and writer who’s lived in too many places to claim one home. She’s the author of poetry chapbook Skin Splitting (Finishing Line Press, 2017) and full-length poetry collection Fish Love (Alternating Current Press, 2024). When not teaching English and Women & Gender Studies, her favorite hobbies include cuddling cats and consuming anything horror. Find out more at bryannalicciardi.com or follow her on IG at @bryanna.poet.
OPTION 3 – ACB 114 – Haiku Group Meetup: This is for existing members of the Haiku Group and also for those who are curious about Haiku!