UTC will host the Meacham Writers’ Workshop from Sept. 24-27, a four-day series of free readings, discussions and literary events that connect nationally recognized authors, local voices, students and the community.
The Meacham Writers’ Workshop, created through an endowment established by the late Jean Meacham in memory of her husband, Ellis K. Meacham, has long connected UTC with the Chattanooga community while promoting writing as an expressive art.
All events are free and open to the public, with books available for purchase at most sessions. Event details and registration links are available at go.utc.edu/meacham.
“This is a great opportunity for people to meet and celebrate writers while also improving their own writing if they want,” said UC Foundation Professor Sybil Baker, workshop director and associate chair of the UTC Department of English. “Because all of our events are free and open to the public, the workshop is accessible to people of all ages and interests.”
This fall’s workshop places a spotlight on community, highlighting new book releases from UTC faculty and celebrating the work of alumni and local writers alongside visiting voices.
A centerpiece of the schedule is a Sept. 25 reception and book launch featuring UTC faculty Karen Babine and Andrew Najberg, and this year’s Stove Works Meacham Fellow Andrea Jurjević.
Jurjević, born in Rijeka, Croatia, is a bilingual poet, translator and visual artist. Her collections include “In Another Country,” “Small Crimes,” and “Nightcall,” and her translations have been shortlisted for national awards. Her work has appeared in The Believer, The Missouri Review and The New Republic, among others. She teaches at Georgia State University and serves as poetry editor of Josephine Quarterly.
“We’re thrilled to have Andrea as our Stove Works Meacham Fellow,” Baker said. “She’s a talented cross-genre writer who also works as a visual artist, and her perspective as an immigrant and bilingual writer brings something unique to this year’s program.”
The workshop schedule includes:
- Wednesday, Sept. 24: Sequoya Review Reading, 5:30-7 p.m., Guerry Center Reading Room.
- Thursday, Sept. 25: Reception and book launch, 5-7 p.m., Roth Reading Room (fourth floor, UTC Library), featuring Karen Babine, Andrea Jurjević and Andrew Najberg.
- Friday, Sept. 26: Reading, noon-1:30 p.m., Lupton Hall lobby, with Justin Wymer, Alex Quinlan and Kris Whorton.
- Friday, Sept. 26: Reading and reception, 5-7 p.m., Stove Works (1250 E. 13th St.), with Edwin Murillo, Gwen Mullins and UTC alum Jared Steiman.
- Saturday, Sept. 27: Lupton Hall first floor, 9-10 a.m. individual conferences; 10-11 a.m. Walnut Street Publishing panel; 11 a.m.-noon Narrative 4 Story Exchange facilitated by Gwen Mullins.
Baker said the 2025 lineup features multicultural and multilingual voices. Murillo, a professor of Spanish at UTC, writes and publishes in both English and Spanish. Steiman will present translations from Spanish, and Jurjević adds another global perspective through her Croatian heritage and translation work.
Sponsors for the Fall 2025 Meacham Writers’ Workshop include Stove Works, UTC English Department, College of Arts and Sciences, Advancement, Alumni Affairs, Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures and the Honors Program.