'Oak and Ink' held at Tusculum

September 24, 2026 @ Tusculum University

GREENEVILLE– Community members can experience firsthand the mastery of regional and national writers and artists in the creative space during presentations conducted throughout the academic year as part of “Oak & Ink: The Creator Series atTusculum University.”

The university’sEnglishandart and designprograms have lined up six individuals to share their perspectives on subjects that will enrich the lives of audiences. They will discuss everything from the writing of novels, plays and short stories to life as a woodworker and horseman to development of fabric art.

All of the talks are free and take place on campus.

“This series will celebrate many forms of the written and spoken word and different art media that have a profound impact on readers and viewers,” said Kelsey Trom, professor of English, the creative writing program coordinator and the Harriett Reaves Neff ’21 Chair of Fine Arts at Tusculum. “We are delighted to have such an impressive group of people who are constantly innovating within their fields. They can remind us how to create rather than merely consume.

“Providing access to these high-caliber writers and artists reinforces Tusculum’s role as a locus for creativity in the community. We encourage the community to mark their calendars and absorb what these speakers have to teach us all about living a creative life.”

Here is the lineup of speakers:

• Serina Marshall, an author, journalist, playwright, director, producer and songwriter, will present “From Page to Stage and Beyond” Thursday, Sept. 24, at 7 p.m. in Behan Arena Theatre. This Tusculumalumnawill draw from her experiences in publishing, journalism, theater, film and music to discuss the practical steps involved in developing, publishing, producing and sharing creative work with an audience. She has authored two books – “Handpicked” and “The 412 Lounge” – and has written plays and songs and served as a freelance writer for several area newspapers.
• George Wurtzel will recount his inventive spirit as a woodworker, horseman, Paralympian and teacher in “The Creative Life of George Wurtzel” Thursday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m. in the Behan. He has started and run several woodworking companies, built custom furniture and commercial fixtures, designed and produced triangular wood cases for veterans’ burial flags and renovated an art building for Lighthouse for the Blind in Napa, California. He acted in Subaru’s 2019 “See the World” commercial. He is blind and works and teaches in a downtown Greeneville building.
• Penda Mbaye Z. Smith, this year’s poetry chapbook prizewinner, will read some of her work and will be joined by Lois Cunningham, whose artwork will be featured in Volume 22 of “The Tusculum Review,” Thursday, Nov. 19, in the Behan. That event will serve as the launch of “The Tusculum Review,” the university’s international literary journal. Smith is a Senegalese American writer, educator and scholar whose work explores the role of pleasure in the search of and movement toward Black liberation.Cunningham is a multidisciplinary visual artist from North Carolina.
• Lakesha Lee will have a solo exhibition of her artwork starting Monday, Feb. 8, in the Clem Allison Gallery and will speak at a “Celebrating Black Voices” event on a date and at a time and location to be determined. Her artwork combines found and handmade materials, ceramics, quilting traditions and photomontage that explores memory through visual storytelling in order to preserve African American histories, reimagine family legacies and challenge perceptions of Black identity and heritage. Her work has appeared widely in group exhibitions across the Southeast.
• Shuly Cawood will read from her fiction and announce the winners of the annual Curtis ’28 and Billie Owens Literary Prize competition, which she is judging, at a ceremony Thursday, April 15, at 7 p.m. in the Behan. She is a teacher, writer and editor. Her works include the poetry collections “Something So Good It Can Never Be Enough” and “Trouble Can Be So Beautiful at the Beginning,” the flash essay collection “What the Fortune Teller Would Have Said,” the short story collection “A Small Thing to Want.” She has also written an advice book “52 Things I Wish I Could Have Told Myself When I Was 17” and the memoir “The Going and Goodbye.”

Tusculum’s English program has an extensive history of producing quality writers who have pursued the craft further as professionals or as a side interest in their careers. One of the highest achievers has been Justin Phillip Reed, winner of the 2018 National Book Award for Poetry. The art program has fostered an environment of creativity in the studio art and visual art realms and provided opportunities for students to display their work and use it as a vehicle for civic engagement.

“We have a great art program and an excellent writing program at Tusculum and have mentored some talented students in those fields who have used their education with us as a springboard for future success,” Trom said. “Part of the way we accomplish that is by bringing outstanding writers and fantastic artists to interact with our students while also giving the community an opportunity in their own backyard to see and learn from these professionals.”

Additional details about the English and art programs are available athttps://site.tusculum.edu/english-2/andhttps://site.tusculum.edu/art-and-design/, respectively. To learn more about the university,visitwww.tusculum.edu.

Category: Art, Lecture, Literature