Mildred Haun Conference Coming Feb. 7-8
January 2, 2025
Mildred Haun Conference Returns for 16th Year
Walters State Community College will celebrate Appalachian literature, culture and
scholarship during the 16th Annual Mildred Haun Conference Feb. 7 and 8. This year’s
theme is “But the Creek Did Rise: Heroism, Resiliency and the Appalachian Spirit.”
The conference is free, but pre-registration is requested and can be made at ws.edu/mildred-haun.
“The Mildred Haun conference this year has an array of incredible writers, artists,
speakers and scholars that will reflect the Appalachian community in positive and
wonderful ways,” Dr. Paul Ludwig, associate professor of English and co-chair of this
year’s conference, said. “Additionally, the focus of this year’s conference is especially
timely, given the recent hurricane flooding in our area. The conference seeks to assuage
our grief, and to celebrate the resilience of our Appalachian spirit.”
The conference honors the legacy of Haun, one of the first critically acclaimed Appalachian
writers. She called Cocke and Hamblen counties as her home and published “The Hawk’s
Done Gone” in 1940.
Poet Jane Hicks will deliver the keynote address on at 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 7. Her first
poetry collection, “Blood and Bone Remember.” This book was acclaimed for its focus
on Southern and Appalachian traditions. Her second collection, “Driving with the Dead,”
was published by the University of Kentucky Press and was named Poetry Book of the
Year by the Appalachian Writer’s Association and was a finalist for the Weatherford
Award. In 2024, her third collection, “The Safety of Small Things,” was published.
Hicks is also known for her quilting talent, creating literary quilts illustrating
the works of Appalachian authors Sharyn McCrumb and Silas House.
Friday events include a roundtable discussion on this year’s theme: “But the Creek
Did Rise.” This originally chosen as a theme to reflect the 2023 flooding in Hindman,
Kentucky, home of the Hindman Settlement School. The theme took on new meaning following
the September flooding in eastern Tennessee and western Kentucky. This discussion
will take place at 12:45 p.m.
A fiction workshop led by Robert Gipe will be held at 10:15 a.m.
Saturday events are highlighted by a songwriting workshop and a concert by bluegrass
legend Tim Stafford. As a member of Alison Krauss and Union Station, he performed
on the grammy-winning “Every Time You Say Goodbye.” In 1994, he formed Blue Highway
with Wayne Taylor, Shawn Lane, Rob Ickes and Jason Burleson. The band went on to be
nominated for a Grammy and to win a Dove Award and 32 International Bluegrass Musicians
Association awards. He has recorded with over 75 artists including Willie Nelson,
Kenny Chesney and Marty Raybon. Stafford is also an in-demand music educator. The
workshop is at 10:15 a.m. and the concert at 2:45 p.m.
A poetry workshop led by Danita Dodson will be offered at 1 p.m. on Saturday. All
events will take place in the Judge William H. Inman Humanities Complex on the Morristown
Campus.
Lunch will be provided free to those who register in advance. In return, those attending
are asked to bring children’s books, young adult books, school supplies and canned
goods to be distributed to those affected by Hurricane Helene flooding.
The conference is a recipient of a Tennessee Arts Commission ABC Grant.
For more information, contact Gayle Nelsen, executive aide, at Gayle.Nelson@ws.edu
or 423-585-6922.