The Tusculum Review

“During the middle of my sophomore year, I was sucked into the Tusculum College creative writing program.  I can’t imagine a better place to express myself and to find places to grow on both intellectual and imaginative levels.  Each person who enters into this program is encouraged to find her personal writing niche, whether it be composing outlandish fiction or crafting profound poetry.  The professors are quirky and welcoming; they’re there for you as friend and mentor beyond simply serving as instructors.  It’s not a carefree and easy path to take, but the sky is the limit here, and that’s why it’s the best place to learn, flourish, and bring one’s inner creativity to fruition during that crucial stage in each student’s life.”

 — Brittany Connolly (’11)

The Tusculum Review
 

We are one of a handful of colleges in the United States that offers our undergraduate students the opportunity to work for an international literary journal. Our journal allows students to learn and refine their skills as reviewers of literature, critics of visual art, and as editors of the written word. Students learn the ins and outs of navigating a publications office, from database management to pagination and layout. These opportunities provide our students with unique qualifications for graduate studies and employment in publishing.

Awards & Prizes
 

Our students compete for substantial monetary prizes in an in-house literary competition. The Curtis-Owens prizes, endowed by a distinguished Tusculum College alum, are awarded annually in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and scriptwriting. The prizes are judged by established, award-winning writers who visit the campus to give a reading and to announce their selections at an awards ceremony in the spring. Past judges include playwright David Muschell, poet Sally Keith, fiction writer Kellie Wells, essayist Patrick Madden, and poet John Hoppenthaler.  For 2012, essayist Erin Tocknell will serve as esteemed judge.

Creative Writing in the Classroom

Our students complete workshop intensive courses in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and scriptwriting in addition to introductory and intermediate creative writing courses. Additionally, students present a senior capstone project in a genre of their choosing.

Our creative writing students also take interest-based literature courses, including Women in Literature, American Modernism, Classical Mythology, Concepts of Language, and Genres in Shakespeare, along with hip special topics courses and independent studies created by Tusculum creative writing professors.

Ben Sneyd (’13) reads his poetry at a creative writing student showcase.

Reading & Travel Opportunities

The Creative Writing Program sponsors periodic public readings to showcase the creative projects of students. Frequent open mic nights are hosted at the college.  Senior creative writing students are honored annually with a formal public reading as part of Tusculum College’s Humanities Series.

Many of our students are rewarded with a trip to the annual Association of Writers & Writing Programs convention. Our students have attended the Meacham Writer’s Workshop at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga.  We also often provide our students with field trips to attend readings, workshops, and craft lectures.

Recent Publications/Students in Grad School

Amanda Harmon (’09) is pursuing a Master’s Degree in English/Professional Writing at the University of Memphis.

David Roncskevitz (’11) had his play, House of Autumn Fire, published by Connotation Press.

Elizabeth McDonnell (’11) is pursuing a full-residency MFA in Creative Nonfiction at Chatham Univeristy.