Rachel M. Hanson
October 16, 2025 | 7 pm @ Tusculum University
GREENEVILLE– An award-winning author whose work has been published in multiple literary outlets will read some of her prose and answer questions during an appearance atTusculum University.
Dr. Rachel M. Hanson, whose writing includes the “The End of Tennessee: A Memoir,” which is set in Kingsport and Rogersville, speaks Thursday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. in Behan Arena Theatre. The community is invited to attend this free presentation, which is sponsored by “The Tusculum Review,” the university’s international literary journal, and the institution’sEnglishand languages program.
The content of Hanson’s presentation is best suited for adults and mature teenagers.
“We are pleased to have such a distinguished author, whose inspiring and well-constructed writing is making a mark on the literary profession,” said Kelsey Trom, professor of English at Tusculum. “Our program takes great pride in bringing compelling authors to campus, whose writing gives audiences material of great substance to contemplate. Dr. Hanson will continue this tradition with impressive insight and impactful words on some extremely difficult life situations.”
An essayist, poet and fiction writer, Hanson also serves as executive director of Punch Bucket Lit, which she founded,and a faculty director of Temple University’s University College Bachelor of General Studies. She received the Olive B. O'Connor Fellowship in Nonfiction at Colgate University.
Her work has won Best of the Net and the University of Minnesota’s Walter Allen essay prize. Her essay “Ways of Leaving” earned notable mention in Best American Essays, and her other essays can be found in “Creative Nonfiction,” “The Iowa Review,” “Ninth Letter,” “North American Review” and many other literary journals. Her poetry was selected for “Best New Poets” and has been published in “The Minnesota Review,” “Juked,” “New Madrid” and other literary spaces.
“The End of Tennessee: A Memoir,” published in 2024, discusses growing up impoverished, uneducated and surrounded by violence.
”In lyrical, fragmented prose, she lays bare the impossible choice between self-preservation and her love for five younger siblings for whom she had become a second mother,” states a summary of the book by The University of South Carolina Press, which published it. “As the years pass, Hanson struggles with guilt for leaving her siblings as she slowly realizes she could not save them.‘The End of Tennessee’is a testament to a sister's love, resilience and determination, a book for anyone who has left one life to create another.”
Trom said she could not stop reading the book once she started reading it.
“This is not a tell-all,” she said. “Instead, Dr. Hanson conjures the trapped feeling of her younger self, brings to life her siblings and parents in nuanced moments of both innocence and ruin and notes other adults who tried to help as well as those who didn't. She embeds the grueling child care for five younger siblings that began when she was 7 and continued until she ran away at 17 in the Rogersville and Kingsport communities. This book is a masterclass in writing nonfiction.”
Hanson earned a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Utah and a doctorate in English literature and creative nonfiction from the University of Missouri. She also holds bachelor’s degrees in political science and international studies from the University of Utah.
Her presentation at Tusculum is free, but donations are welcome. In addition to reading her work and answering questions, people can speak with her further and enjoy fellowship at a reception afterward.
Behan Arena Theatre is located on the lower level of Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Center.
Anyone with questions can email Trom atktrom@tusculum.edu. More information about the English and languages program is available athttps://site.tusculum.edu/english-2/. Additional detail about “The Tusculum Review can be accessed athttps://ttr.tusculum.edu/. People can learn more about Dr. Hanson athttps://rachelmhanson.com/.
Category: Literature