GREENEVILLE – A highly regarded poet, essayist and teacher will read some of his writing and celebrate the literary talent of Tusculum University students during one of the higher education’s treasured annual events.
Dr. Martin Lammon
Dr. Martin Lammon, who is also an anthology editor and journal co-founder, will delight the audience with readings of his work Thursday, March 30, at 7 p.m. in the Brotherton Boardroom on the third floor of the Meen Center. Then, he will announce the winners of the annual Curtis ’28 and Billie Owens Literary Prize, which honors student writing in the genres of drama, fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Dr. Lammon judged the entries, and winners in each category will receive a monetary award.
The event is presented by the English and Languages Department and the College of Civic and Liberal Arts. It is free and open to the community.
“Tusculum is thrilled to host standouts in literature on our campus and enrich the lives of our students and the community,” said Wayne Thomas, dean of the College of Civic and Liberal Arts. “Dr. Lammon epitomizes exceptional writing talent, and his mentorship has impacted my career considerably. Our students and the community will benefit from listening to his work, and his comments on the entries will provide valuable advice for our emerging writers on campus.”
Dr. Lammon is professor emeritus at Georgia College, where he held the Fuller E. Callaway endowed Flannery O’Connor Chair for 21 years. At that institution, he developed the university’s Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing.
He is the author of the poetry collections “News from Where I Live” and “The Long Road Home” and editor of the anthology “Written in Water, Written in Stone: Twenty Years of Poets on Poetry.” He founded two journals – “Kestrel,” a journal of literature and art, for which he served as editor from 1992-1997, and “Arts & Letters,” a journal for formal and experimental fiction, nonfiction and poetry and other work that does not fit a specific classification, for which he was editor from 1999-2015.
Thomas noted that as editor, Dr. Lammon made room for essays and interviews on craft, commentary on ethos and translations of international authors well before it was fashionable and the internet made that work financially viable. While he published many established authors, Dr. Lammon had the knack to recognize up-and-coming writers and print their work as well.
Dr. Lammon authored “The Long Road Home.”
“It’s apropos that Marty’s first major work, ‘Written in Water, Written in Stone: Twenty Years of Poets on Poetry,’ collected contemporary voices in poetry and for many years so often served as a signpost into craft for aspiring writers,” Thomas said. “Dr. Lammon has given more than three decades in service to poetry and prose, teaching and mentoring, editing and administering – all with a philosophy and an approach that evidence a person who’s both altruistic and community-concerned.”
Previous winners of the Curtis and Billie Owens Awards include Justin Phillip Reed, a 2013 Tusculum graduate and winner of the National Book Award for poetry in 2018.
Curtis Owens, who was a professor and held a variety of administrative assignments at Pace University, and his wife, Billie, established the awards at Tusculum in 1995. He was a 1928 graduate of Tusculum, where he played football, debated, won an award for philosophy and two awards for poetry as well as wrote the class poem for the 1928 annual.
“We are proud of the creative writing program at Tusculum and have enjoyed watching our students develop their skills in this craft,” said Dr. Anne Acker, chair of the English and Languages Department. “With opportunities to participate in the publication of ‘The Tusculum Review,’ our international literary journal, and take the lead on ‘Sit Lux,’ our student-led publication, they grow into confident, well-rounded writers who are ready to make their mark on the profession. This event is an outstanding way to celebrate their achievements.”
More information about the university is available at www.tusculum.edu.