Creative Writing

In cooperation with the Department of Languages and Literature, the Center of Excellence for Creative Arts supports a comprehensive range of creative writing initiatives, publications, and programs designed to nurture literary talent and engage the broader community.

Publications

• Zone 3, an international literary journal that sponsors annual awards in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.

• Zone 3 Press, a literary press that sponsors two book competitions, the Zone 3 Press First Book Award in Poetry and the Zone 3 Press Creative Nonfiction Book Award.

• The Red Mud Review, a literary magazine produced by APSU students.

Programs and Events

The Visiting Writers Series

Brings writers of regional, national, and international renown to campus for readings, panel discussions, and book signings. Notable past participants include Richard Wilbur, Gary Snyder, Mary Oliver, Yusef Komunyakaa, Robert Haas, Carolyn Forché, Mark Jarman, Eavan Boland, Lorrie Moore, Stephen Dunn, Rebecca Walker, Ann Patchett, Michael Blumenthal, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Nicole Walker, Louise Erdrich, and Dorothy Allison.

Tennessee Young Writers' Workshop

In collaboration with Humanities Tennessee, Austin Peay State University hosts the Tennessee Young Writers' Workshop, providing high school students ages 14-18 with a unique overnight summer camp experience focused on creative writing.

• Dates: June 15-21, 2025
• Location: APSU campus in Clarksville, Tennessee
• Fee: $350 per student (financial assistance available)
• Activities: Writing workshops, evening activities, and summer camp experiences

Register here

Tennessee's Emerging Creative Writers Contest

Zone 3 Press and the Creative Writing Program at Austin Peay State University sponsor this contest designed to encourage high school creative writers from across the state and foster their growing literary voices.

• Eligibility: High school students grades 9-12
• Categories: Poetry, fiction, and personal essay
• Awards:
  • Three winners per category for grades 9-11
  • Five finalists for grade 12, with two winners receiving $1,500 APSU scholarships
• Recognition: Publication in Red Mud Review and invitation to read at Zone 3 Writers' Festival
• Deadline: March 2, 2025

Submit here

Zone 3 Writers Festival

An annual literary festival hosted on Austin Peay State University's Main Campus in Clarksville, TN.

• Dates: April 10-12, 2025
• Theme: HUMANITY
• Activities: Craft talks, readings, workshops, panels with professional writers and APSU faculty
• Special Events:
  • Visiting Writers Series presentation
  • Tennessee's Emerging Creative Writers Contest Ceremony
  • Zone 3 Bookfair

Submit proposals here

APSU Department of Languages and Literature

One of the largest departments on campus, the Department of Languages and Literature offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as core classes taken by all APSU students. Students benefit from small class sizes, classrooms equipped with smart technology, and a diverse faculty whose members are widely published.

Critics say…

Unlike many literary magazines, whose quality ebbs and flows with the ages and regimes, Zone 3 continues to keep an even profile…What the reader gets is carefully crafted poetry and prose that ride close to the bone of life and truth.

– The Iconoclast, December 2007

Known primarily for its proximity to the Fort Campbell military base, Austin Peay State University hardly seems a likely hotbed for the contemporary poetry scene. But its Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts has been attracting heavyweight poets for years now—everyone from Gwendolyn Brooks and Allen Ginsberg to Galway Kinnell and Eavan Boland.

– The Nashville Scene, October 2004