Film, Workshops Highlight Mildred Haun Conference

Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, will teach a fiction-writing workshop at 12:15 p.m. on Friday as part of the Mildred Haun Conference. Her debut novel, “Even As We Breathe,” was published to critical acclaim in 2020.

Film, Workshops Highlight Mildred Haun Conference

Walters State Community College will host leaders in Appalachian literature, culture and scholarship during the 15th annual Mildred Haun Conference Feb. 2-3 on the Morristown Campus. Admission to the conference is free.

At the conference, Walters State will kick off its celebration of Black History Month with a showing of the documentary, “An Extraordinary Man: Dr. Dennis Branch of Newport.” The film was made by the late Dr. Marc McClure, a professor of history at the college at the time of his death. Branch spent 50 years caring for the health of people in Cocke County. He overcame racial barriers to become a beloved member of the community. The film will be shown at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.

Melissa Helton, literary arts director of Hindman Settlement School, will be the keynote speaker. She previously served as an associate professor at Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College. Her work has been widely published, and she editor of the forthcoming anthology “Troublesome Rising: A Thousand-Year Flood in Kentucky.” She will speak at 2:30 p.m. on Friday.

Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, will teach a fiction-writing workshop at 12:15 p.m. on Friday. Her debut novel, “Even As We Breathe,” was published to critical acclaim in 2020. It was a finalist for the Weatherford Award and received the Thomas Wolfe Award. She previously served as executive director of the Cherokee Preservation Foundation and as a teacher at Swain County High School.

Randi Ward will teach a narrative photography workshop at 10:15 a.m. on Friday. She is the recipient of Shepherd University’s Appalachian Photography Award, and her collection is housed at Cornell University. She is also a poet, translator and lyricist.

Jeff Barbra and Sarah Pirkle will lead a songwriting workshop on Feb. 3 at 10:15 a.m. The couple have released two albums, one bluegrass and one gospel. They host a live radio show called “Behind the Barn” which originates every Thursday on WFIV. The two will perform at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Award-winning poet Jane Hicks will teach a workshop on poetry on Saturday at 12:45 p.m. Her first book, “Blood and Bone Remember,” received much critical acclaim. Her second book of poetry, “Driving with the Dead,” was published in 2014 and named Poetry Book of the Year by the Appalachian Writers Association and was a finalist for the Weatherford Award. Her third book, “The Safety of Small Things,” was just released.

The conference receives funding from the Tennessee Arts Commission.

All events will be held in the Clifford H. “Bo” Henry Building on the Morristown Campus. All events are free. For more information, visit http://tinyurl.com/y6u8n9ds. Registration forms are available at that link. Those attending may also register either day at the conference. PD points are available for educators, with many sessions being of special interest to middle and high school humanities teachers.

For more information, contact Gayle Nelson at Gayle.Nelson@ws.edu or 423-585-6922.

In the photo: Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, will teach a fiction-writing workshop as part of the Mildred Haun Conference, planned for Feb. 2-3 at the Walters State Community College