Presentations included readings of their works to workshops focusing on elements of writing, style, character and story development. A new feature at this year’s conference is the opportunity for writers or other interested participants to meet with professional literary agents to discuss any aspect of the literary trade, and their own works or projects.

Austin Peay State University’s  Morgan Center’s third floor served as the hosting location of the annual two-day conference. From the opening hours where participants picked up their conference credentials packet at the registration table, attendees gathered to await the beginning of the conference’s first sessions with eagerness. Breakfast snacks were enjoyed in the break room as authors and participants arrived and were shown to their perspective presentation rooms. The APSU Bookstore set up a table featuring the works of the conference authors.

Registration attendants await conference participants check-in

Authors appearing at this year’s conference included

• John Egerton, a self-proclaimed “professional South-watcher”
• Bernis Terhune, poet, playwright, storyteller and author
• P. M. Terrell, author of the suspense/thrillers Exit 22 and Ricochet
• Christopher Burawa, poet, translator and author of Small Mystery of Lapses and director of the APSU Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts
• Susan Gregg Gilmore, journalist and author of “Looking for Salvation at the Diary Queen”
• Katherine Sands, NYC literary agent and author of “Making the Perfect Pitch: How to Catch a Literary Agent’s Eye.”
• Darnell Arnoult, author of “Sufficient Grace,” and the poetry collection, “What Travels With Us: Poems.”
• Earl S. Braggs, poet, University of Chattanooga Foundation professor of English, author of “Hat Dancer Blue,” and “In Which Language Do I Keep Silent.”
• George Singleton, author of often humorous stories of the rural South including “Work Shirts for Madmen,” “Pep Talks,” “Warnings,”  “These People Are Us,” “The Half-Mammals of Dixie,” and “Why Dogs Chase Cars.”
• James O’Connor, president of O’Connor Communications- a marketing  company specializing in book promotions and author of “Cuss Control: The Complete Book on How To Curb Your Cursing.”
• Lynda O’Connor, executive vice president of O’Connor Communications, a principal of O’Connor Communications specializing in book and author promotions.

Author Darnell Arnoult explains the 'Sublime Fiction Triangle.'

The first sessions set the tone for the conference with two instructional  workshops and appointments with a literary agent.The O’Connor’s  spoke on how to maximize benefits from your book tour. Darnell Arnoult gave a guide to writing quality fiction titled, “The Sublime Fiction Triangle.” Literary agent Katherine Sands was available for appointments. Potential writers and budding writers alike were engaged in lively discussions that delved into the mechanics of writing as an endeavor and the means of gaining beneficial representation in the literary arena.

While sitting in on Ms Arnoult’s session,  she recommended that writers should write every day. She said that the ‘Sublime Triangle of Fiction’ consisted of Character, Action and Language. Character gives the reader someone to care about or be curious about, Image gives the writer and the reader an opening to walk through, Action makes the story live on the page. Additional elements also include Energy which keeps us engaged, Language makes the experience rich and evocative, Shadow makes the story stay with us, Plot gives the story a shape and Theme is the last thing you worry about.

James and Lynda O'Connor, literary agents.

The second round of sessions saw the O’Connor’s give a presentation on, “How to sell Oodles of Books by Promoting Yourself and Your Books.” Ms Arnoult spoke on “Writing Prompts: How to Get Them and How to Get the Most Out of Them.” Ms Sands continued with scheduled private appointments with conference participants.  Both of these sessions were well attended with many participants continuing on from the first sessions, respectively and being joined by later arrivals.

Ms Arnoult again provided guidance for authors in creating their writing. She provided a handout of using applied characterization (term from Noah Lukeman’s The Plot Thickens). The guide urges the writer of fiction to use short assignments to get your characters moving, doing or saying. See what they do, how they interact with space, place, other characters, their fears, etc.

Here is a small sample from her list of writing prompts for fiction:

• List all things your character loves to do. List something he or she loves to do but can’t. Why?
• List things your character would never do or hates. Write about the character doing something from the second list. (Instant conflict!)
• Write about your character from another character’s point of view.
• Write about your character from a child’s point of view.
• Write about your character from an elderly person’s point of view.
• Have your character do a physical activity he or she has never done before.
• Write a scene where your character touches five things.
• Write about hunger. Write about something your character hungers for.
• Write about a mistake your character made.

Susan Gregg Gilmore, journalist and author of “Looking for Salvation at the Diary Queen” speaks at the luncheon during the 2009 Clarksville Writer' Conference

A catered lunch was served in the Morgan Center’s Ballroom, where author Susan Gregg Gilmore was the keynote speaker. Ms Gilmore is a Nashville native who has written for the Los Angeles Times, The Christian Science Monitor and the Chattanooga News-Free Press. Her writing has focused on ‘Life in the South’ and the quirks that are peculiar to living in the South, its hardships and its unexpected surprises and simple pleasures.

Listening to James O'Connor

The afternoon sessions opened with James and Lynda O’Connor conducting the literary agent appointments while Katherine Sands spoke on what writers can do to attract the attention of literary agents. She drew upon her own book, ‘Making the Perfect Pitch: Catching a Literary Agent’s Eye,’  a collection of pitching wisdom from leading literary agents. She likes books that have a clear benefit for the readers’ lives in categories of food, travel, lifestyle, home arts, beauty, wisdom, relationships, life challenges or popular culture.

Susan Gregg Gilmore spoke on “From Twittering to Blogging: A Novelist Online,” where she shared her experiences as a novelist discovering how to utilize the modern digital communication world as a means of increasing her exposure and awareness among the reading public. Authors are being caught up in the online  world of personal communication that uses the phenomena of Twitter and Facebook.

Images from the 2009 Clarksville Writers’ Conference

[Show as slideshow]

1234►

[Uncredited photos by Turner McCullough Jr.]

Rossington-Minor House at corner of Chapel and Beech Streets

Day Two of the annual Tour of Historic Homes took participants to divergent parts of the city in celebration of its Tobacco Heritage. Participants again gathered at the Riverview Inn parking lot at nine o’clock. Once abroad the tour bus, they crossed the Red River and traveled to the New Providence area where hidden treasures of the tobacco era where visited and their heritage made known. First stop on the tour was the Rossington-Minor House at the corner of Chapel and Beech Streets. Next was the Wider-Pettus House at 411 Beech Street followed by the Herndon-Cunningham House at 501 E. Street.

Upland Hall, 149 Plum Street

By 9:45 AM the tour stopped at Upland Hall, 149 Plum Street and retracing its steps back across the Red River, continued on to Colonel Forbes’ House at 610 N Second Street at 10 AM. Next stop on tour was the Gracey-Tarpley House at 331 Franklin Street.  The history of these homes belies the state of their present surroundings, astounding many of the tour participants. Leaving the Gracey-Tarpley House, participants dined on lunch at the Customs House Museum.

The tour resumed at 12:45 PM with a stop at the Old Clarksville High School at the corner of Greenwood Avenue and Madison Street. Robert Penn Warren graduated from this school in 1921. He would go on to wrote the novel, Night Rider, which depicted the battles of the Black Patch Tobacco Wars. This was followed with a stop at the Johnson-Hach House at 403 Greenwood Avenue. This home once served as the boys dormitory for Clarksville High School. Next on the tour was the Johnson-Tyler House which sits at 409 Greenwood Avenue.

The Johnson-Tyler House, 409 Greenwood Avenue

Shortly after 2 PM the tour visited Tip Top Mansion at 15 Trahern Terrace. Then it was on to the grounds of the former Hachland Hills Bed and Breakfast Retreat for the relocated log cabin of Mary Neely who was taken captive by Shawnee Indians at Fort Nashborough in 1780. Tour participants were treated to a period actress welcoming them to the grounds and talking about the history of the cabin’s famous namesake. From here the tour proceeded to the last stop, the Smith-Trahern Mansion at the corner of Spring and McClure Streets. The Smith-Trahern’s view to the Cumberland River provided a refreshing backdrop to the story of its richly steeped history.

With the conclusion of the Smith-Trahern visit, the participants ended the day with the return to Riverview Inn parking lot. The next day would see the start of the two-day Writers Conference at Austin Peay State University.

2009 Writers Conference Tour Photo Gallery

[Show as slideshow]

12►

Historic Homes Tour participants leaving the Frech-Buck House at 102 Union Street.

Two days of presentations and visits of historic homes of the area raises the bar. Despite the rainy weather, the fifth annual Clarksville Writer’s Conference opened to a warm and welcoming flourish with its Historic Homes Tour. This year’s historic homes tour is completely sold out, a first for the Arts and Heritage Development Council annual event that opens its annual writers’ conference.

Attendees assembled at the Riverview Inn parking lot and were transported to the Customs House Museum and Cultural Center. Sign-in, registration and name tag pick-up were accomplished in the lobby. Dr. Howard Winn gave a lecture with slide show and power point presentation on the Tobacco Heritage of Clarksville.

Leaf Chronicle Enlargement of Tobacco Heritage History used by Dr. Winn during his lecture

Attendees were also treated to portraits, tobacco displays and a discussion on the heritage of Robert Penn Warren and his novel, Night Rider, about the tobacco wars. The homes listed on this year’s historic homes tour all relate to that era and the people made prominent by Clarksville’s tobacco past and the Black Patch War.

Lunch was served at the Museum and participants spent the afternoon visiting the tobacco heritage sites scheduled for Day One of the Heritage Tour. Sites visited included the Grange Tobacco Warehouse at Riverside Drive and Adams Street, the Oneal-Townley House at 103 Union Street, the Frech-Buck House at 102 Union Street, the Cooper-Howell House at 202 Madison Street, the B. O. Keesee House at 502 Madison Street; the Winn-Williams House at 1123 Madison Street and the Magnolia House Inn at 1231 Madison Street.

The Magnolia House Inn, 1231 Madison Street

Participants were returned to the Riverview Inn parking lot at the end of the day’s tour. The Riverview Inn is serving as the guest lodging host for the Tobacco Heritage Tour and the Writers’ Conference. For more information on the tour or the conference, visit their web site.

This is the first of several articles to come on the ongoing Clarksville Writers Conference.

Tour Photo Gallery

Photos by Turner McCullough Jr.

[Show as slideshow]

12►

The Clarksville Country Club Dining Room was the host site for this year’s Writers Conference Buffet Dinner, which featured John Seigenthal Sr. as their keynote speaker.

In listing his many life achievements, one must acknowledge his 43 years as an award-winning journalist of Nashville’s The Tennessean being editor, publisher and CEO; his tenure as president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors; serving as the founding editorial director of USA Today; and being an administrative assistant to Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and chief negotiator with the governor of Alabama during the Freedom Rides. In 1991, he founded the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University, whose mission is creating national discussion, dialogue and debate about First Amendment rights and values. Seigenthaler is also the author of the 2004 biography of American President James K. Polk. He currently hosts a weekly book-review program, “A Word on Words” on Nashville public television station WNPT.

Seigenthaler’s address emphasized the prevailing theme all the authors had dwelt on during the day’s many presentations- despite personal doubts of skill, worth and ability, everyone has a story to tell. He said that the writer takes the step to record that story and through this process self discovery, challenge and completion are realized. The budding writer should yield to the desire and let their thoughts flow and guide their efforts to express that which is hidden inside them. It may be seem strange and alien to your normal existence. Perhaps the story mght not be about any personal experience or reference to one’s self. The subject may even come as an exterior assignment or delegation but we each have at least one story seeking to be told. The successful writer is the person who listens and lets it out. In essence, he urged everyone to,”Tell the Story!”

Following Mr. Seigenthaler’s address, Conference Chairperson Patrica Winn gave recognition to the Arts and Heritage Development Council, its members and Austin Peay State University faculty and staff who had worked so diligently to make the conference a successful event. A call for volunteers was also made at this time as the conference is a massive event and there is always a need for assistance of all kinds. Acknowledged sponsors include the City of Clarksville, The Leaf Chronicle, Austin Peay State University, Tennessee Arts Commission, F&M Bank, The Riverview Inn, Dr. Howard and Patricia Winn.

The club’s chef and staff is to be commended for preparing a very sumptuous meal for the evening. From the variety of fresh tossed salad, cucumber/tomato salad, a Waldorf salad, the options were delightfully varied. The vegetable choices included roasted new potatoes, green beans, a wild rice blend, and a broccoli/cauliflower mix. The entrees included Stuffed Chicken Florentine, a roasted baby spinach stuffed boneless chicken breast dish. It was both succulent and delicious. The star entree however was the Slow-Roasted Carved Beef which was deliciously seasoned, tender and generously served. The dessert choices were equally delightful indulgent temptations. Key Lime Pie, Chess Pie, Apple Strudel, Fudge Pie and a very devilish-looking American Chocolate Layered Cake were among the varied selections from which to choose.

The authors reception and book-signing preceded the dinner. Authors were present for conversation and, to those who brought copies of their available works, autographing their purchases. There was a lively hum about the receiving area as people gathered and milled among the authors and conference attendees.

Among the dinners’ attendees were Stan Darnell, Susan and Alex Darnell, Phil and Shelia Kennedy, their daughter Katie Kennedy, Richard and Meredith Gildrie, Minoa Uffleman, Diane Batson-Smith, APSU President Tim Hall, City Mayor Pro Tem Barbara E. Johnson, E. Taylor Emory, Mary Nell Wooten, Joe and Starlene Sykes, Jean and Wendall Gilbert and Linda Nichols. Along with John Seigenthaler Sr., authors Suzanne Hudson, Joe Formichella, Sonny Brewer, Karen Spears Zacharias, Barry Kitterman and Bert Randall were also in attendance.

[Show as slideshow]

12►

Patricia Winn describes Bernis as a born storyteller with stories that are hilarious, sensitive, imaginative, packed with unexpected situations, vivid description, and colororful eccentric characters. She says Bernis uses accurate diction of the day and experiences tell the story of a time that is fading quickly.

Bernis now lives in San Jose, CA, and worked many years as an educator helping children with special needs. She is a founding member of a playwright’s theatre in San Francisco.

With permission to reprint from the author here is an exerpt from The Way Home by Bernis Calvin Terhune:

The Representative from Heavenly Rest Cemetery Comes A-Calling

“It’s like pickin’ fruit.” The old woman squints toward the visitor from Heavenly Rest Cemetery as her calloused feet start the rocking chair; then she gently rubs swollen knuckles trying to whiten age spots and smooth wrinkles. “Now that tree out back. Should have died. Didn’t.” A little smile. “Was already 12 years and ugly when we bought the place. Ever’body said, ‘Cut that one down. It got sumpun’. Might give it to others.’ ‘Naw,” I tole um. ‘Ain’t cutting nothing just cause it’s old and ugly.’” The old woman chuckles and squints again, this time down at her hands. Fingers push one at a time until each has four turns.

“Forty plus 12. Fifty-two years. That’s old for a apple tree. I ain’t gittin’ any younger neither. Seems like it gits harder ever’ year to stay ahead that old tree. That’s why I need to be careful when pickin’ so’s others don’t meddle and take what’s not theirs. ‘Sides, it’s bad luck to plan too far for the angel of death. He’s coming when he’s ready. Mustn’t stir him up.

“Stubborn hang-on-tight apples am the sweetest.” ….”Today’s the last pickins (of apples). It’s for neighbors. Eben for that ol’ woman across the street. Yells at my dog, and Chigger don’t eben bark back. So if you want me to sign up, maybe some other day. First there’s others like you to have a chance. Now you take this dog here. Should be in dog heaven, but she got a job to do. Scare the coons or nobody gits apples. Jist a pound dog. Chose her out of a mess of eber kind of dog. Big, little, pretty. Some show dogs eben. But it were like she already knew me. Knew old Buster had done broke my heart and I needed her. Spite her mother not knowing who her father was. And she were right. I needed exactly her.

“Just like I told you before. You come too early. It’s like pickin’ fruit, and I ain’t ripe.”

Bernis is part of a writing group where one of the members told her to write a book and she’d publish it. I haven’t seen this book in our town yet but maybe we can git it here. The small press publisher is Frog on the Moon Small Press, 7925 Rainbow Drive, Cupertino, CA 95014, 408-873-8848,

Thanks go out to the Clarksville Arts & Heritage Development Council and its Executive Director Diane Batson-Smith for putting on the Clarksville Writer’s Conference. The Conference was developed by Chairman Patricia Winn, Registrar Katie Kennedy, Banquet Chairman Jean Gilbert and Tour Chairman Minoa Ufflelman.

Karen Spears Zacharias: Author of Revelation from a Potty Mouth Believer and Where is Your Jesus Now

Where is Your Jesus Now is taken from the crime story about a grandma being taken hostage by her son. Tied up to a chair with a gun pointed at grandma’s head he said to her, Where is your Jesus now? She looked him in the eyes and said calmly, He’s right here. Karen said that in the midst of all that danger, threatened with death, she answered with love and faith, not fear.

Karen said that is true belief. Since 9/11 our community of faith has reacted opposite to grandma. Everyone has been under the gun. They don’t know the answer to where Jesus is. The answer has become hyper fear and chaos.

Awhile back Karen interviewed a few war widows living in Clarksville. One woman liked living in a cul-de-sac so that she could see who is coming. She worried that her son would be attacked at school by terrorists. Karen said one widow supported attacking Iraq and she thought they should stick bombs in the bodies of dead Iraqi children to blow up all who retrieved them. Iraq is the 7th ring of hell, the woman said.

Karen is very religious but is very outspoken about the fear that Christians are spreading around. Fear that justifies dehumanizing Iraqis and Muslims. She sees Christians believing that the white guys are good guys and the bad guys are Islamic. Preachers here keep their congregations in terror while offering some safety at the same time. It’s like a child dependent on an abusive parent she said. Christians behave as though they are the best worshipers of god. She said God serves us, all of us. God isn’t about favoritism.

The media has done its part praying on fear and guilt. People believe that you have to support the war or you’re not supporting the soldiers. But you can’t impose democracy on someone she said.

Karen’s father was killed in Vietnam. She does not want to be told that her father died in vain. He did not. He died to guarantee their freedom. She lived the lack of support that was offered to her family for their sacrifice. She said that a soldier gives all and Congress should not exploit that sacrifice. They should have a good reason for going to war. She said that during no war has there ever been a designated fund for Vets.

Karen says what we have now is “certainosity”. Certainosity is a religion about people having to be right instead of being redeemed. There are a lot of people stuck in certainosity, not just with religion reasons. Underlying Certainosity is fear. When she was a young Southern Baptist she experienced a profound fear when Elvis died. It took her over and she looked at life and death through fear glasses. She knows that when people think in fear, they are not right in the head. They will be as bright as a burnt out bulb. They will experience a case of the simples.

She asks if Christians are of faith or fear. Can they look fear in the face and say, Jesus is right here with me?  God did not give us the spirit of fear, she said. Since 9/11 she sees only despair. People send out messages of entitlement. They say God is devoted to us, not we are devoted to God. God loves wealthy children. That’s fear-controlled and a bad case of the simples, she says. When we make decisions based in fear we are already defeated. There’s no question that these are troubling times but we’ve plum forgotten that we’re supposed to be encouraging one another. The Bible says so.

Karen grew up in the South and now lives in Oregon. She said that in Oregon she’s considered an extreme conservative. Here she’s an extreme liberal. Why is she a writer? At lunch she told us a touching story about the time she wrote a eulogy about a man who had died. About two years later, the son of the man told her how very much that writing had meant to him. That’s why I write; on the chance that it may say what needs to be said.

Barry Kitterman: Editor, playwright, professor of literature and author of The Baker’s Boy

Always exposing Clarksville to creative writing through his classes at APSU and the visiting writers series is Barry Kitterman. He told us the background of and read a passage in his book, The Baker’s Boy. It is a story set in Belize where we explore the world of a school teacher Tanner Johnson, who is in the Peace Corp. Taking the first steps into the school Tanner saw two boys fighting and it wasn’t even breakfast yet. He sees a boy disciplined by being beaten with a rope. The 15 boys in his class are wild birds suddenly in a cage when they are indoors. Out doors they re-energized as if fingers were in sockets. Tanner is a man who is painfully aware of his personal limitations and who, in present time, is incapable of being very responsible because of the doubt in himself. This is his story of how the past follows him.

Barry’s poetry writing shapes his choice of words and one imagines a second meaning to many phrases. Each part of the story makes a vivid scene in my mind. Barry was in the Peace Corp in Belize. He taught at a school for children.

Barry said that what you may think is absolutely ridiculous in this story is probably completely true and what seems true is probably made up. This book was a ten year writing process. When asked if it has to be difficult to write a book, Barry said he believes that poets put a lot of thought into each word and that should be true of fiction writers too.

Barry admitted that part of the time working on a historical novel like this is sorting out the emotions and affect the experiences had on him. Also I found out that Barry’s main character does a lot of things that Barry never did. In the main character, Tanner, Barry is working out not only his experiences in Belize but why other people did what they did. He puts himself in their shoes.

Like the ghost that haunts main character Tanner, Barry’s well chosen words paint haunting images.

Besides teaching at APSU and having an active family life, Barry has hosted Bread and Words at APSU for 14 years running to raise money for Loaves and Fishes. He is a Blues musician and writer. He will be in the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville this October.

Sonny Brewer: Author of The Poet of Tolstoy Park and editor of Stories from the Blue Moon Cafe: An Anthology of Southern Writers.

Known to be quite a character and an easy talker (tells a two day story that could have been told in four hours), lively Sonny told us the story of how he fell into writing The Poet of Tolstoy Park. He became fascinated with a Henry Stewart, a man who died several years before Sonny was born. Sonny writes Henry’s story which starts when Henry is told by his doctor that he has a short time to live. Henry abandons wearing shoes and moves to warm Alabama. One thing he does there is build a round house out of cement blocks.

Sonny’s research of Henry Stewart gives up interesting and bizarre things about Henry. Sonny was able to lease the still existing round house so he could restore and study it. From newspaper articles, writings and dates of the cement blocks made by Henry, Sonny surmised that Henry had a major transformation (wake-up) which changed his life.

Listening to the story of how Sonny researched and wrote about Henry, one can’t help feeling they are made of similar stuff. Sonny sees the beauty in this human spirit who transformed religious studies to a love of nature. The book quotes Chief Seattle several times. He would have known about him, says Sonny, and he was a lover of Tolstoy, who was a fan of Henry George. You can google it, says Sonny to most questions. Sonny has had similar transformations in his life and people have even told him that maybe he is the reincarnation of Henry Stewart. Sonny won’t go that far but cannot explain his fascination with Henry’s life.“Takes one to recognize one”, I surmise.

In another session Sonny talked about a nonfiction book he wrote about his dog being lost. It was such an involved episode in his life that Sonny’s editor told him to write a book about it. Sonny says that writing nonfiction is more difficult than fiction and you still have to be careful about changing the names and such.

Sonny’s trouble these days is that his editor is waiting for him to “get to” his writing. Sonny’s editor is ready to promote a book that Sonny hasn’t written yet. Knowing that most writers are struggling to get noticed, Sonny knows he is living well. Having a deadline helps him get ‘er done. He tells us to believe in saying “I’m going to write a masterpiece and I’m going to do it in 6 weeks.” Just do it. On cue from his editor, he rewrote his Cormac book in a month. He got his start in writing when a college teacher told him that what he had written was sweetness and light. That convinced him to change his major to journalism. Getting together with other writers has fueled him tremendously. While speaking at lunch he said his writing group had just picked a better title to another book he is writing.

Suzanne Hudson: In the Dark of the Moon

Suzanne Hudson said she started writing books because Sonny bugged her into it. While at college together, she had won prizes for her writing including first place in a Hackney Literary award with 3,000 entries. Winning scared her out of writing and 30 years later Sonny talked her into writing again. Her books have a dark side, she said. She cannot write sweet stories, even when she tries. Her mom begged her to write a nice story and it started out that way, but then the dark side moved in. Coming from a profession of being a guidance counselor at a Middle School, Suzanne starts writing and the story takes over.

It sounded to me as if she asks a question of the character and the answers come to her. Suzanne has written In the Dark of the Moon (Secrets and Lies Exploring the Cross Generational Darkness) and In a Temple of Trees. She says her books are not for the faint hearted. There’s even (bad) language. In a Temple of Trees involves a boy witnessing a murder.

Most of her stories involve big secrets. We all have secrets Suzanne says. It’s a fun exercise to just start writing about that.

Suzanne’s secret now is that she hates to present her books to the public. It makes her very nervous. Though that may have been true for her, none of her audience suffered. We laughed with her and followed her every word.

Suzanne has another writing name of Ruby Pearl Sapphire. Ruby is everything free that I secretly want to be, says Suzanne. Ruby has a low brow humor and insists that she knows what is best for her and for us. Ruby plans on writing such books as a child raising book titled: If you Insist on Having Little Monsters, at Least Raise Them Like This. And Pros and Cons of Thongs. Suzanne Hudson is the author of In a Temple of Trees, In the Dark of the Moon, and Opposable Thumbs.

Tracy Barrett: Advisor for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators; author of nine plus books.

Tracy Barrett started us off with an energized talk about writing for young adults and children. She was prepared with handouts, rapid fire information, and list of frequently asked questions with answers about this avenue of writing. She has an intense love of history and has written fiction and nonfiction. The handout listed essential bookshelf books like Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market by Writers Digest. Everything she said was so useful so we listened intently and I wrote furiously.

Is it easy or difficult to get published in this area?  She said it’s not impossible but it’s difficult. Between five and six thousand books are published a year, no one can estimate how many submissions are sent in. Even so, don’t worry so much about that number because editors have good quick judgment to sort out the “bad” stuff. Editors read submissions looking for reasons to title you an amateur, throw your letter out and get on to the next one. So don’t give them a reason. For example, in a submission letter do not say your children or grandma liked your book. Unless you are an educator, editors do not want to hear who liked it and saying that screams amateur.

Do you need an agent in this field? In the adult market, yes, definitely, she said. Any time you have contract questions an agent is so helpful. Her agent got her bigger advances and percentage of book sales, so she was worth that 15%. Agents are also drowning in submissions but when your agent sends in a submission to an editor, that editor may feel that there is a reason to be more interested. Submissions without an agent are also accepted all the time.

Tracy said that editors cannot tell us exactly what they want, but they do know what they do not want. For the 2- to 5-year-old group books are usually 200-500 words. If you are not an author/illustrator do not, in your submission, suggest an illustrator. If your submission is accepted, then you can suggest to your editor someone you know. Editors have files of illustrators just waiting to be picked. You do not have to worry about or pick your own illustrator.

Do not do rhyming picture books unless they are perfect rhymes. Read them out loud to make sure it reads well. Have someone else read it and every place they stumble, circle that and change it.

Editors do not like talking animals unless there is a reason for it. Peter Rabbit, for example, has to be a rabbit. If it can be a child instead of an animal, then it should be.

No talking body parts. Tracy laughed at this one; she didn’t know why it was such a problem.

The Middle Grade readers have two levels: early readers and middle grade. Know your audience. Young adult age 12 to college is the biggest category and has the most readers. Fifteen-year-olds have dilemmas that don’t match 10-year-olds. Don’t talk down to them. You can stretch the vocabulary. There is no topic you cannot touch. Murder, abuse, anything that is life experience. Length can be 30,000 words or twice that.

Barrett suggests having a critique group; nothing beats it. Share chapters with each other and get honest opinions back. In this field is it best to query editors first before writing? Tracy’s answer was straight: Write the Damn Book (WTDB)

Tracy filled us up with valuable information. She is a dynamic writer and speaker and she balances her writing and teaching Italian at Vanderbilt University by leaving her work at work and keeping her office and home completely organized. She said she is not naturally neat but she has no choice. Here is a list of books she has published: Anna of Byzantium; The 100-Year-Old Secret (Book I of “The Sherlock Files”); The Ancient Chinese World; On Etruscan Time; Growing Up in Colonial America; Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky in the series Celebrate the States; The Trail of Tears: An American Tragedy; “The Children’s Crusade”; and Cold in Summer.

Tracy is Advisor for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and organizes their fall conference in Nashville (this September 20 and 21) and she hopes to see all of us there.

I was once told by a mentor that if I needed to learn something, I should go to the children’s section of the library and get a book on it there. Children’s books are written to be understood and applied to life. I have never had a disagreement with that.

Poet Leigh Anne Couch: Managing editor of The Sewanee Review and author of Houses Fly Away

It was said earlier that poets are the masters of words. Using the least amount possible they describe feelings in a most powerful way. That is certainly true of Leigh Anne Couch. Her words and images flowed like fondue chocolate.

In Beast, she describes the pretty bird in his mouth that he would like to let go, let tongue out of its cage.

In Nest she describes a woman in the hospital who is hiding. Her tests show nothing. Outside the window is a hornet’s nest, the color of something dying for years.

Opposite of Helium (for Milton the beloved dog)

…Love was a helium balloon, in a room with open windows.

Leigh Anne told us that she used to have a thesaurus next to her at all times, looking for better words to use. But she wrote awful poetry and now instead she uses a dictionary, looking up the meanings and roots of words and finding satisfaction in their use.

Palm Reader

…See the crows hammering inside her chest?

To Be Fire

…I wanted the stones to wear me like a blouse.

Camel Stamp

…This camel has a very long neck to feel the shiver of words for a very long time.

Blas Falconer: Creative writing teacher at APSU and author of The Perfect Hour and A Question of Gravity and Light

Blas had the chairs arranged in a square and asked each one of us why we were there. It immediately loosened us up. He gave us a handout of several types of poetry and we read each one. His point was that we don’t have to relate to or like every type of poem, but like looking at fine art, there is a style that we can relate to. And just like fine art where we don’t know the exact meaning that the artist is trying to convey, so it is with poetry. We did a writing exercise, taking a poem and changing the words to be our own. Blas does this type of writing when he hits a wall and can’t write anything.

He asked each of us what we thought of the poems that he handed out.

Rita Read, who taught English for 27 years, noticed that no matter what people said about the poems, Blas was sure to validate their opinion. He wasn’t threatened if someone didn’t like a poem. He maintained that they could find some poetry that they would like. Rita said that if she were a college student she would take his class. When you have a teacher who loves what they do, it makes you want to love it too.

Blas commented that a good poem is someone having an epiphany. If you know where you are going when you start out, then you’re probably not going to do well. He said to let your insides speak. The mind makes amazing leaps and associations when we don’t try to control it. Bernis Terhune gave us a chuckle when she said that in her writing group they try to make everything perfect, and it drives her crazy.

Karen S. Zacharias at the Clarksville Writers Conference

July 11th was the first day of presentations at the 2008 Clarksville Writers Conference. With registration completed and name tags attached, attendees moved onto their choices of the various author presentations of the morning. Karen Spears Zacharias, current author-in-residence for the Fairhope Center for the Writing Arts, in Fairhope, Alabama, proved a most intriguing introduction to the conference. She told of not starting her own writing career until age 40 as a way of allaying the fear that anyone is too old to become a writer. Karen titled her presentation after her book, “Mama, Mayhem and Memories.” A breakdown of the primary elements showed her admiration for her mother as she struggled to sustain her family, the mayhem that struggle incorporated and the memories that grew out of their collective struggles.

Having been reared in a military family setting for the first half of her young life, she chronicles the upheaval that followed her father’s death as the family struggles to adjust to this new reality. Everything from having to vacate on-post housing to the sudden lack of structure and support the family faced when they could no longer utilize the military family support system. The family underwent anger, depression, rebellion, resentment and more as they had to process their grief along with the cruel realities of unexpectedly living life as civilians. Every family member underwent some form of chaos and mayhem. Her mother bore the greatest burden. She had to contend with life as the breadwinner and as a newly single woman whose only work experience had been as a military spouse, a homemaker. She was a single mother with children, chief among them a son angry at not having his father as a mentor just as he approached his formative teenage years. Her efforts to keep her family intact, physically and psychologically, and lead a life are primary to the story. Ms Zacharias relates how her family learned extended family cannot always be counted on to lend support, more specifically, positive support, to a struggling family.

Her book, ‘After the Flag Has Been Folded,’ also details the chaos and turmoil her family endured as a result of her father’s dying in Vietnam. But more emphasis is given to her desire to resolve some mysteries surrounding the circumstances of her father’s death. A part of the need to write her book grew out of her struggle to get at the true circumstances of her father’s death.

Aspects of her father’s death had always troubled her and the book details her own quest to learn the true circumstances of her father’s death. As a grown woman she began to research his death and sought the official records. This led her into the murky world of Army bureaucracy and official denial. She would encounter, not a dark conspiracy, but rather the fragile and shaky structures humans will contrive to deal with a truth that is sometimes too awful to acknowledge in its naked form.

The desire to write, to tell a story, will influence the style and tone of the writing that follows. Making the time to write is more accurately described as taking time back to get the writing done. In writing a family memoir, the writer will likely come to realize that his or her recollections will differ vastly from other family members. Some family members will not want certain details revealed or even the story itself shared. All of these things are impediments to be encountered along the way in writing a story that compels one to ‘get it out!’

Ms Zacharias is an earthy, honest wordsmith. She is not afraid to express life on a realistic level. She is a prime example that where one starts out in life is no predictor of when you may end up. Life is not always sweet and pretty. In fact, it is often those ‘untidy bits’ that give life its real zest and flavor. The human story is ever enriched when chaos and mayhem rear their untimely and ugly heads. It’s not the arrival at one’s destination, but rather the journey one must take to get there that marks the travel as memorable.

Ms Zacharias’ works include, ‘Mama, Mayhem and Memories’, ‘After the Flag Has Been Folded,’ and the forthcoming ‘Where’s Your Jesus Now?’ Check local bookstores for her work. Visit her online at http://www.heromama.org/.

The story is of Charlie Lurton, a Clarksville boy.  The play follows Charlie (Brad Vile) and his companion Peter (Humberto Figueroa) through their escape from a Union prison camp, to their fate when they arrive back home. The story also follows Mrs. Lurton (Jill Whittinghill) as she makes her way to secure authorization for the release of another son, Horace (Joe Sonenshein) who was suffering from tuberculous.

I will say it was very nice to see so many familiar faces from the community performing parts in the show. The play was tied in with the Writer’s Conference Bus Tour and that helped make the story more personal to the attendees.

Clarksville Mayor Johnny Piper narrated the play, and we commend him for helping out! Whit McMahan portrayed a believable president Lincoln, and Judi Sinks, his wife Mary Todd. Leslie Green made a surprise appearance in the role of Millie Dunlop; she showed once again why she is the grande dame of Roxy actresses! Clarksville Online Author Debbie Boen played the role of a Kentucky farm wife; and her husband David, a wagon driver. Nathaniel Taylor provided mood with his haunting a cappella vocals. Rubye Patch from Tip Top reprised the role of Petinka, in the saga of the fuss cakes.

Sadly this was the only showing of this play, perhaps they will consider bringing it back at some point in the future for the general public.

[Show as slideshow]

The Roxy is currently showing the Elvis Presley musical All shook up. As with all of the Roxy musicals, shows are very likely to sell out, so get your tickets soon!

The tour was organized by Dr Minoa Uffelman, a history professor at Austin Peay State University; and guided by Taylor Emery and Dr. Ellen Kanervo, who both did an excellent job keeping the group on plot and on schedule. As the tour progressed they read aloud excerpts from the diary of Nannie Haskins Smith about her life in Clarksville during the Civil War era.

Monday Morning February 16th `63
Again I have commenced a journal. I used to keep one but two years ago when the war broke out, I ceased to write in it just when I ought to have continued. Yes! Our country was then perfectly distracted; To arms! To arms! was echoed from every side; volunteer companies were being gotten up all over the country to fly to her rescue; and of course Clarksville did her part….

Haskins goes on in this to describe the mustering of two Clarksville regiments, the fall of Fort Donelson, Clarksville’s occupation, it’s brief reprieve from Woodward’s raid, and Col. S. D. Bruce’s recapture of the city.

Riverview Cemetery

At Riverview Cemetery Dr. Richard Gildrie spoke about the history of Clarksville during the Civil War and the period directly following it. He also took the tour group to view the Confederate memorial located at the cemetery.

The Memorial remembers 164 confederate dead, and two African American nurses (Mary and Susan Bibb) who died from disease contracted from soldiers in their care, and honors Miss Blanche Lewis at the Clarksville Female Academy for her dedicated care of the soldiers before they died.

More than 305 Confederate soldiers who died in Confederate hospital in Clarksville, Montgomery County, Tennessee, were buried in the garden behind the Clarksville Female Academy. Two African-American women, sisters, who contracted a disease and died while caring for the ill and wounded the soldiers at hospital are also buried there.

The initial graves were marked with wooden headboard but in time these deteriorated and specific knowledge of burial locations was lost. In 1897, a landslide exposed some of the soldiers’ remains. One hundred and twenty seven [127] unidentified remains were found, disinterred, and re-interred in the Clarksville City Cemetery [present-day Clarksville Riverview Cemetery]. The remains of the other 180+ Confederate soldiers were not disturbed

Trinity Episcopal Church

After the tour left the cemetery, it proceeded to Trinity Episcopal Church where the Rector of the church Reverend R.H. “Mickey” Richaud gave a detailed accounting of it’s history, from its founding in 1875, to the damage it received in the 1999 Tornado, and it’s subsequent reconstruction.

The highlight of this historic church is 18 incredibly rich and detailed stained glass windows including the Bishops’ window which was installed in 2007. As the brochure for a self guided walking tour states “Trinity Church is an embodiment in stone and wood of an ancient faith and a still developing tradition. You are welcome here.” I suggest you take them up on their offer.

Madison Street United Methodist Church

After leaving the Episcopal Church we traveled a few blocks to the Madison Street United Methodist Church where we were welcomed by Phil Whittinghill the Business Administrator. The church features ethereal bell towers erected in memory of the 1999 tornado during which it was almost completely destroyed.

At approximately 3:45am on Friday, January 22, 1999, a massive tornado hit Clarksville and Madison Street United Methodist Church. The Sanctuary was completely destroyed and the educational wing and chapel sustained considerable damage. It goes without saying that members of the congregation were devastated by the destruction of the church. On June 8, 1999, the administrative board of the church accepted a bid from the architectural firm of Everton-Oglesby-Askew of Nashville to design a new building. On September 19, the architects displayed their preliminary drawings of the church as it now stands. The reconstructed church includes a six-hundred person sanctuary, fellowship hall and kitchen, educational and administrative offices, Christian Life Center and gymnasium, and space for community/outreach services.

The most striking feature of the new church, and one it should rightly be proud of is it’s pipe organ. The organ was built by Rieger – Kloss, Euro Musik Corporation from Krnov in the Czech Republic. The 47-rank organ has over 3500 pipes, and took approximately 18 months to construct in Europe, before being transported to the United States for assembly. Tour members were treated the performance of a piece of classical music on the organ by Rev. Jared Wilson (Minister of Music), and it was heavenly.

Immaculate Conception Catholic Church

The third stop on our tour was the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church which is on the National Registry of Historic Places. Our tour guide at this location was Deacon John B. Carroll, SFO. The church which was constructed in 1880 is a place of peace, beauty, and serenity. Outside the Church is lovely meditation gardens including statutes of the Virgin Mary, Saint Francis of Assisi, a rose garden, and a memorial to the innocents souls lost by abortion.

The church inside is striking. Starting with the altar which is packed full of symbolism: the colors of the veil; the symbol of the lamb; the vigil light; to the angels which flank the tabernacle and adorn the sanctuary dome. The stained glass window behind the altar depicts the Virgin Mary and the Immaculate Conception. The church also features another 15 stained glass windows, each one showing a different image and designed to teach us different lessons. Take it from me, you can spend hours studying each of the glorious windows, and a lifetime learning each of the lessons enshrined within these walls. There are many more treasures waiting inside for you to discover but I leave to you to find them during your own tour of this unique church.

Tip Top

The final stop on the tour Tip top, the home of Rubye and Elwyn Patch.

Waiting for us on the front lawn was Hugh Dunlop (APSU President Tim Hall), he was joined soon after our arrival by Sarah Pennington Williams (Rubye Patch), and Boy (Elwyn Patch) who treated each of us as if we were members of their family.

Sarah related the story of their home, including the recent marriage of Hugh to Mattie (County Trustee Brenda Radford). We were then treated to the experience of Hugh serenading Mattie (who was on the balcony) from the front lawn while Sarah’s 14 year old son Fred (Brenda’s real life brother Scott Emerson) played the violin. The song was “Beautiful Dreamer,” by Stephen Foster. Afterwards we were invited inside by Sarah who then formally introduced us to Mattie and Fred, Colonel S. D. Bruce (Jerry Ross) of the Union Army, and of course to her maid.

Sarah persuaded Mattie to serenade us with another lovely Stephen Foster song which was enhanced by utilizing the acoustics created by the grand spiral staircase.

I must compliment both Tim Hall and Brenda Radford on their singing ability, and their willingness to take time out of their busy schedules to perform for us on this day. We must also not forget Scott’s talent with the violin. They were also each excellent actors who drew us into their performance.

Sarah also told us the saga of the Fuss Cake, and that we would soon be treated to a sample of this delicious cake. She invited to walk about the home and then when we finished to join them for a snack in the dining room.

Petinka Bailey Foskett loved to cook as did her best friend, Mary Dunlop. In the late 1920’s (or there about) Petinka returning from a trip brought back a “NEW recipe” which she then served to Mary, asking her not to divulge the secret to this coveted “recipe” until she had had a chance to serve it at a planned bridge party, two weeks later. Mary agreed giving Petinka her solemn word.

One week later while Petinka was at a high society tea in the antebellum dining room of Mrs. Will Daniel Clarksville’s grande dame, she spotted her friend Mary, the co-hostess coming through the swinging door with a silver tray bearing her prized “secret” cakes/cookies.

Petinka exploded, spouting to her-used-to-be best friend, Mary “HAIL COLUMBIA” right there in Mrs. Daniel’s dining room filled with all of Clarksville’s white-gloved, party-mannered society dames.

Before dark the same day, an additional telephone operator had been brought in to handle “business” as the phones all over Clarksville stayed busy until past bedtime divulging to everybody Petinka’s “secret recipe.”

After this Petinka (nickname for pretty thing) was know sub rosa as “PeStinka!”

For me Tip Top was the highlight of the day’s tour. As of this time Mrs. Patch does not intend for Tip Top to be one of the locations on the Clarksville Writer’s Conference tour next year. I am sure that whatever locations are placed on the tour next year will make that tour just as memorable as this year’s tour was!

Fuss “Cakes” (cookies)

Here is the Rubye Patch’s recipe for fuss cakes.

You need:

• 3-1/2 cups flour
• 2 sticks REAL butter (softened almost to room temp)
• 5 tablespoons of sugar
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla
• a tart jelly such as Crab Apple or Damson preserves (Mrs Patch uses whatever she has on hand Raspberry, Strawberry, Apricot preserves, etc. She actually prefers apricot or orange marmalade)
• pecan halves
• sifted powdered sugar
• A paper sack

Directions.

1. Preheat your oven to 325 Degrees
2. Sift then measure 3-1/2 Cups flour, separate out the 1/2 cup.
3. Sift the flour a second time.
4. Cream butter and sugar thoroughly (Mrs Patch does this by hand with a pastry cutter as it makes the cakes crispier)
5. Add the vanilla
6. Work in the 3 cups of sifted flour with the pastry cutter, 1 cup at a time.
7. If the dough is workable you might want to add in some of the last 1/2 cup of flour, a little at a time (Mrs. Patch seldom uses it all)
8. Roll the dough into balls and place on a cookie sheet.
9. Make indentions in the top of each ball with your thumb.
10. Fill the indentions with jelly or preserves.
11. Top with a pecan half.
12. Bake in the 325 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.
13. Take out of the oven, let cool a bit, and check to see if one is crisp. If not crisp place all back into the oven for a few more minutes.
14. When done cooling place the cookies into a paper sack with your sifted powered sugar, then shake gently up and down until covered.
15. Rub off any excess sugar and let cool completely.
16. Store in a tightly closed container. (these freeze well on paper plates in tightly sealed ziploc bags. In fact freezing may make the cookies a bit crispier.)

Note: If you use a sweet jelly, such as strawberry, you might want to cut the granulated sugar to 3 or 4 tablespoons instead of 5. Be sure to use real butter.

The Clarksville Arts & Heritage Development Council

Every true supporter of the arts should already be a member of this worthy organization. They help make Clarksville’s culture richer by promoting the local arts. In addition to the yearly Writer’s conference they are a driving force behind many of the art programs in our community (Art Walk, Youth Chorus, Arts in Motion, Youth Orchestra, Open Studio Tour, Poetry Reading Evenings, Collaborative Workshops, Writer’s Conference, Livable Community Fair, Traveling Quilt Show, Speakers Bureau, Student Art Gallery, and Public Art in general) So if you are not yet a member consider joining, or at the least volunteering your time to assist them in their worthy endeavors.

You can contact them via mail at

or via telepone at (931) 551-8870; or fax (931) 553-5179. Their web page is at http://www.artsandheritage.us/

[Show as slideshow]

1234567►

Joining Seigenthaler will be Young Adult author Tracy Barrett (Anna of Byzantium), author/editor Sonny Brewer (The Poet of Tolstoy Park, Stories from the Blue Moon Cafe: An Anthology of Southern Writers), poet/editor Leigh Anne Couch (Houses Fly Away, The Sewanee Review), poet Blas Falconer (The Perfect Hour, A Question of Gravity and Light), fiction and nonfiction author Joe Formichella (Murder Creek: The “Unfortunate Incident” of Annie Jean Barnes), and novelist Suzanne Hudson (In a Temple of Trees, In the Dark of the Moon).

The conference also features editor/novelist Barry Kitterman (The Baker’s Boy), religious scholar Bert Randall (Holy Scriptures as Justification for War) and author Karen Spears Zacharias (After the Flag Has Been Folded).

This year’s conference opens on Thursday, July 10, with a new tour of beautiful historic downtown Clarksville, based upon the play Headin’ South, Goin’ North by John McDonald, Artistic Director and founder of the Roxy Regional Theatre.  The play, based on the story of lost Clarksville Civil War Confederate hero Charlie Lurton, will premiere as a reader’s theatre version for conference participants and will feature Clarksville’s own Mayor Johnny Piper as narrator, along with a cast of professional actors and local figures.  The accompanying tour, which features authentic sites mentioned in the play, will include historic churches and buildings with unique architecture and stained glass windows, a cemetery dating from the Revolutionary War and Civil War, and a pre-Civil War (1859) Southern Mansion, “Tip Top,” the home of Mrs. Elwyn (Rubye) Patch. 

The conference tour is followed by two days of workshops and presentations at Austin Peay State University’s Morgan University Center, as well as a banquet at the Clarksville Country Club on Friday, July 11, with the authors and keynote speaker John Seigenthaler, Sr.

The complete conference schedule and registration forms can be found online at www.artsandheritage.us/writers.  Teachers and students in the Clarksville/Montgomery County School System can attend the Friday and Saturday conference presentations for the deeply discounted rate of $50.  Contact Patricia Winn, Conference Chairman, at or 931.645.2317, with any questions.

Writers and readers are encouraged to attend this three-day event which addresses a wide variety of literature, including historical fiction, journalism, poetry, biography, short stories, storytelling, writing for young adults and children, fiction and nonfiction.

Conference holders are honored to have as this year’s keynote speaker John Seigenthaler, Sr. (at left), renowned journalist, editor, publisher, political figure and current host of WNPT’s book-review program “Word on Words.”The conference banquet, held on the evening of July 11 at the Clarksville Country Club, will feature Seigenthaler and include a “Meet the Authors” reception and book signing.

Conference participants can also take part in sixteen different workshops/presentations given by such talented authors as young-adult author Tracy Barrett (Anna of Byzantium), editor and novelist Sonny Brewer (Stories from the Blue Moon Cafe, The Poet of Tolstoy Park), poet and editor Leigh Anne Couch (Houses Fly Away), poet Blas Falconer (The Perfect Hour, A Question of Gravity and Light), fiction and nonfiction author Joe Formichella (Here’s to You, Jackie Robinson), novelist and short story writer Suzanne Hudson (In a Temple of Trees, In the Dark of the Moon), novelist and creative writing instructor Barry Kitterman (The Baker’s Boy), professor of philosophy and religious scholar Bert Randall (Holy Scriptures as Justification for War) and journalist/author Karen Spears Zacharias ().

In addition, this year’s conference features the premiere of John McDonald’s play Headin’ South, Goin’ North, based on the story of lost Clarksville Civil War Confederate hero Charlie Lurton. Preceding the play at the historic Roxy Regional Theatre, participants will be taken on a tour of beautiful downtown Clarksville churches and other historic sites mentioned in the play.

The complete conference schedule and registration forms can be found online at www.artsandheritage.us/writers. Conference costs vary by package, and discounted prices are offered to those who register by June 25, 2008. Late registration ends July 3.

Packages offered include (along with early and late registration prices): Complete (all workshops/presentations, two luncheons, banquet, tour and play) – $250/$270; Two-Day Workshops/Presentations (Friday and Saturday Workshops/Presentations, two luncheons) – $165/$175; One-Day Workshops/Presentations (Friday or Saturday Workshops/Presentations, one lunch eon) – $85/$95; Banquet Only – $40/$50; Tour and Play Only – $50/$55.