New Release by David Johnston

AGT member, David Johnston, has just released his second book of poetry titled More Poems & Musings from Walden Ridge. 

In this follow-up to Poems & Other Musings From Walden Ridge, find yourself lost in our spiritual connection to the forests, mountains, and rivers that make up our beautiful world. Enjoy another peek into life on Walden Ridge and immerse yourself in a place where time moves more slowly, the music of nature is ever-present, and the morning coffee just tastes better.

New Release by Cheryl Peyton

How did Adam and Eve talk to each other? How were people able to speak different languages after the Tower of Babel was brought down? How many Greek words are in our English vocabulary? How many Latin, French, German, and Spanish? What were the influences on American English in various parts of our country, manifested in regional accents?

These and other similar questions will be answered in this book by tracing the roots of American English from Biblical times to the Norman Conquest, to the waves of immigrants who arrived on our shores and shared their language and social traditions. All these influences have converged to create a rich and heterogeneous American language and culture.

New Release by Bill Barbour

In Barriers, the author examines the reasons why people may not attend church. As he points out, some attended a church in their youth but stopped going for various reasons. Some still attend church but do not have a complete understanding of the theology and meaning of Jesus’ teachings. Others reject all religions because they consider anything unseen and unheard to be fantasies, or that God did not act the way they expected.

The author writes that his own faith journey grew as he learned more about God and Jesus by studying the Bible.

Through the topics discussed in this book, he hopes to bring people to, or back to, Christianity, and enhance their knowledge so that their faith grows stronger.

Latest Release by the Chota Writers Circle

The Chota Writers Circle has released their latest anthology of eleven short stories.

A thirty-two-year-old divorcee is excitedly making plans to move in with the man she is dating. What could go wrong? She couldn’t imagine what would happen next.

Making a movie in the “Halloween” series with Jamie Lee Curtis brings more scary moments to the prop man than were on the screen.

A short hospital stay for a football injury brings a visitor who will change a high school boy’s life.

These and eight other short stories by members of the Chota Writers Circle will entertain, surprise, and enlighten you with stories covering a range of genres.

Authors Guild of Tennessee’s Next Meeting

September 4, 2025

AGT will meet at the Faith Lutheran Church in Farragut on Thursday, September 4, from 10:30 to noon. Our special speaker will be Erica Englehaupt, whose talk will be “AI — 101 for Writers,” which addresses a timely and controversial issue.

Erica is a freelance science writer and former online science editor at National Geographic. Her writing has appeared in magazines and newspapers, including National Geographic, NPR, Scientific American, Popular Mechanics, Science News, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Boulder Daily Camera, and more.

She writes about various science topics,  but gravitates toward the weirder phenomena, as well as covering forensic science and overlooked aspects of women’s health.

Erica lives in Knoxville, TN, and is based part-time in Washington, DC.

Guests are welcome to attend.

Knoxville Voyager Magazine Interview

“Life and Work with Jim Hartsell”

The Knoxville Voyager magazine, an LA-based bi-monthly publication, features an interview with AGT member Jim Hartsell in its latest issue.

In this entertaining article, Jim discusses his childhood in Tennessee and his career in education, which involved working with troubled teens. He also commented on other challenges in his life, including being present during a church shooting.

Jim discussed his writing, with emphasis on his Boone Series, a coming-of-age story set in Appalachia, which spans six books, and spoke of his collection of children’s books, also comprising  six volumes, matching his six grandchildren.

Here’s the link to the article. Jim’s Interview

Guest Speaker J. Laurie Byrne Video

Laurie presented her historical fiction book, Beyond The Trees. She spent years researching her family history which she reveals in the stories within. Relatives migrated to America through the years, beginning as early as 1620 on the Mayflower. She told us about the violent history and struggles to survive in the new nation.

Sean Mitchell, Silver Falchion Award Finalist

Congratulations to AGT member Sean Mitchell, who has just been named a finalist for The Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award in the category of Best Short Story Collection/Anthology, for his book Six Lane Highway. The awards are given each year to recognize and honor the best books of the previous year (novels, novellas, collections and anthologies, and non-fiction).

The 2025 Finalists are a diverse collection of the Top Silver Falchion manuscripts of 2025, as determined by our judges, representing the best books published in 2024. t

The winners in each category and the top 3 winners overall will be announced at the Killer Nashville Awards Dinner on August 23, 2025, in Nashville, Tennessee. Best of luck to Sean.

New Anthology by the Chota Writers Circle

In “Summer Winds,” by John Forcum, a family sits down to dinner on a quiet summer evening, when suddenly the father excitedly orders everyone to seek shelter in the crawlspace. The family is saved when a tornado rips through the area, but how did the father sense it was coming when it wasn’t predicted?

These, and nine other intriguing and entertaining stories, are in this anthology written by the Chota Writers Circle that includes ten members of the Authors Guild of Tennessee.

Authors Guild of Tennessee Presents

Prizes to Winners of LCHS 2024-2025 Writing Contest

AGT president Cheryl Peyton and Writing Contest Co-ordinator Dr. Jerry Morton presented awards to the first and

second place winners at the Lenoir City High School Awards programs on Monday, May 5 at 11:00 a.m. for the Underclassmen, and on Tuesday, May 6 at 6:00 p.m. for the Seniors.  First Place winners received an engraved plaque and a monetary gift. Second Place winners received a Certificate of Achievement.

Underclassmen winners: 

1st pl., 1st period, Abby Holm for “The Teacup Cruiser”

2nd pl., 1st period, Vanessa Singletary for “Apocalypse on Zephyr”

1st pl., 5th period, Vinncent Taylor for “A Desperate Grasp”

2nd pl. 5th period, Xander Brock for “Plague”

Senior winners:

1st pl., 2nd period, Maxx Brown for “Appreciation”

2nd pl., 2nd period, Natali Ortega for “Eternal Summer”

1st pl., 4th period, Isabelle Mayes for “Superstitions — Here Comes the Tide”

2nd pl., 4th period, Ruby Bridges for “Dead Together Forever”

We congratulate all the winners and wish them much success in the future.

Creative Writing Contest

Lenoir City High School

2nd Semester 2023-24

In the second semester of the 2023-4 school year, Angela Crabtree, teacher of the junior/senior writing classes at Lenoir City High School, selected poetry as the literary form for the Creative Writing Contest sponsored by the Authors Guild of Tennessee.

The first- and second-place winners in Ms. Crabtree’s two classes are linked under this notice. Again, the students were not assigned particular subjects but were encouraged to write from their personal experiences and viewpoints. The poems are honest and personal and sometimes reflect harsh realities in each student’s life. They are all well-written and create word pictures of place and time.

The Authors Guild of Tennessee is proud to publish these outstanding literary accomplishments on our website with parental consent for students who are minors.