Dean of Humanities and Fine Arts

Dr. Lynn Alexander

Chair of the Department of English and Modern Foreign Languages

Professor Jenna Wright

Writing Center Coordinators

Anna Clark and Jenna Wright

Writing Center Consultants

Mary Beard has a B.A. in English and History from Murray State University and an M.Ed with a concentration in English from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She has also had training in teaching English as a second language.  Mary has been writing and teaching English in Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Georgia, Tennessee, and Korea since 1965.  She has taught Intensive English and composition courses at UT Martin. In addition to working in the Writing Center, Mary owns a stained glass business, Glass by Mary. Other activities include First United Methodist Church Chancel choir, the Philharmonic Music Guild, and the UTM Rifle Team. One book that Mary likes to use is Fawcett and Sandberg's Grassroots because it explains grammar clearly, shows "how to get started," and provides essays that encourage readers to respond to them in writing.

Tiffany Olasunloye graduated from UT Martin as a University Scholar. She has an B.A. in English and Spanish, and an M.S. in Education. She also has an M.A. in English from Murray State University in Murray, KY. In addition to working at the Writing Center, she is currently an adjunct instructor in the Department of English and Modern Foreign Languages at UT Martin. She typically teaches first-year composition classes. She has been working at UT Martin for more than five years. Previously, she was an English Learning Specialist for UT Martin Student Support Services and has taught English as a second language. She enjoys reading, writing, teaching, tutoring, and helping students to reach their academic and writing goals.

Steve Flowers majored in English with a minor in history at UT Martin.  He taught English, history, and communications classes for over thirty years in the Humbolt City School System.  He continues to be active in The Tennessee Retired Teachers Association. Steve is married to Patty Flowers, a senior research associate in UT Martin's Office of Research, Grants, and Contracts. Their daughter Stephanie, an English major, graduated from UT Martin in 2004. Their son Will received his MFA in Creative Writing from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in 2009. Steve says that Elements of Style by Strunk and White has long been a favorite resource while The Lie That Tells a Truth by John Dufresne is a new favorite.

Di Ann Perry, a graduate of UT Martin, is from Union City, TN. She has taught in both the Obion County School System and the Union City School System. She is a member of Second Baptist Church where she serves as organist and handbell director. Mrs. Perry is married and the mother of Meredith Brown, a certified nurse practitioner, and Cheryl McCaw, a neonatal intensive care nurse. She enjoys spending time with her two grandsons, Caleb and Nathan, and enjoys attending their soccer games! She also enjoys reading, traveling, and attending Brodway productions. A book located in the Writing Center that she finds to be very helpful is A Writer's Resource.

Beth Walker has worked in the English Writing Center since 1998 while teaching a variety of writing and literature classes for UT Martin, Dyersburg State, and Jackson State.  She graduated from UT Martin with a B.A. in English in 1991, and from UT Knoxville with an M.A. in English with a creative writing emphasis in 1994, and from California State University with an M.A. in the Humanities in 2009.  She is a published poet whose works have appeared in  numerous books and journals.  Beth says, "Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style is a brief, easy-to-use classic used by generations of college students and professional writers alike. I re-read this handbook every year and feel strongly that our English majors and minors should do the same. Although it’s only eighty pages or so, The Elements of Style can explain almost any grammatical rule or usage problem, and I defer to its wisdom often in the Writing Center. Applying the simple advice from this book will certainly improve your writing. You can access the original 1918 text at bartleby.com/141/, or you can browse our new fourth edition in the Writing Center, but then you will want your own copy, available cheaply at bookstores everywhere."

Student Assistants

Cody Jarman is a sophomore pursuing a double major in Theatre and English. After he graduates from UT Martin, Cody hopes to find work as an actor or to attend graduate school for an advanced degree in English. He enjoys his work in the Writing Center, and he is also proud of his work with the Vanguard Theatre and the Alpha Psi Omega theatre society. For additional assistance during academic writing, Cody recommends utilizing the information available at the Purdue Online Writing Lab.

Paige Mason is currently a fifth-year senior pursuing degrees in English (Writing), Secondary English Education, and Philosophy with a minor in Japanese. She will graduate in Fall 2013 and plans to seek out her master’s and doctoral degrees in order to teach at the collegiate level. She graduated from the University Scholars program in Spring 2012. Her Scholars’ Senior Project included a first draft of a novel entitled The Esoteric Gospels as well as a critical reaction paper titled “A First-Time Writer’s Experience: A Commentary and Critical Analysis on Writing the First Draft of The Esoteric Gospels.” Her hobbies include swimming, writing, and reading, though her real passion falls in helping others, especially through teaching. For writing and creative projects, she loves Stephen King’s On Writing as a resource since King shamelessly illustrates the gritty struggles of the writing process. She feels as though there is a writer in everyone, and all it takes is a gentle guiding hand to bring that writer into the world.

Jannie Reed is a senior English literature and History major. After graduating in May 2014, she plans to gain a doctoral degree in English in order to teach at the collegiate level. She also hopes to one day to become a published author. In addition to working in the Writing Center, Jannie is on the Beanswitch editing staff. She has a passion for writing short stories and poems, drawing from her family life and small hometown. When writing an academic paper, she highly recommends referring to A Write's Resource.

Lyndsay Riggs, a senior Secondary Education major with an emphasis in English, is from Lewisburg, Tennessee. After graduating in May 2014, she plans to teach English abroad before settling down to teach high school English in middle Tennessee. Her aspirations also include one day becoming a published author of novels. Besides working as a student assistant for the Writing Center, Lyndsay is a member of the Honors program, a staff writer for the on-campus newspaper, The Pacer, the treasurer for the English Honor Society (Sigma Tau Delta), and a member of the BeanSwitch editing staff. Her hobbies include reading, writing, and cooking. For other students to read, Lyndsay recommends such novels as Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried , Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, and The Journal of Hélène Berr.

Allison Sprague is a senior English major (Writing Option) and German minor. After she graduates in May 2013, she hopes to pursue a career in creative writing, although she is also considering spending time abroad to teach English as a second language. In addition to being the senior student assistant in the Writing Center, she is a University Scholar, works as a supplemental instructor for German, and is involved with the UTM Baptist Collegiate Ministry. For reference during academic writing, Allie recommends A Writer’s Resource.     

Stanton Watson is a senior English (Writing Option) Major and Communications Minor from Martin, Tennessee. He plans to pursue a career in the field of Public Relations after graduating. His long-term aspirations include becoming a published author and a Hollywood screenwriter.  In addition to working in the Writing Center on campus, Stanton is an intern at the Interfaith Student Center and a member of Kappa Alpha Order.  When writing, he draws influences from literature and films that he enjoys. He is particularly fond of writing short fiction and creative essays. Stanton’s recommendations for other students to read include Rick Bragg’s All Over But the Shoutin’ and Kaye Gibbons’ Charms for the Easy Life.

Writing Center Coordinators

Anna Clark, who views reading, writing, teaching, and travel as creative acts, is a faculty member in the Department of English and Modern Foreign Languages at The University of Tennessee at Martin where she also serves as co-coordinator of the Hortense Parrish Writing Center, a position she has held since 1986. Anna received an M.A. in English from The University of Missouri and has done additional graduate work at The University of Mississippi. She teaches composition, literature, and advanced grammar courses at UT Martin and has led travel-study experiences to Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, France, and New England. Anna has also traveled throughout Europe and in Asia and South America. Intensely involved in the development of the Writing Center at UT Martin, Anna has given presentations about Writing Center issues at the meetings of the Southeastern Writing Centers Association and the International Writing Centers Association. She is a writer and published poet; she has received several teaching awards, including the 2003 University of Tennessee National Alumni Association Outstanding Teaching Award. One book she recommends is Reading Culture, a text for composition classes edited by Diana George and John Trimbur.

Jenna Wright, co-coordinator of the Hortense Parrish Writing Center, teaches advanced grammar, fiction workshop, and creative nonfiction workshop at UT Martin. She has a B.A. in English from UTM, an M.S. in Education from UTM, and an MFA from Murray State University. She has received numerous teaching awards and honors including the following: 2009 Smith Professorship; 2007 Reagan Leave Recipient; 2004 UT Martin Coffey Outstanding Teacher Award; 2002 University of Tennessee National Alumni Association Outstanding Teacher Award; 2005 and 2002 University of Tennessee at Martin Outstanding Educator Award; 2003 Alpha Omicron Pi Teacher of the Year Award; 2002 Kappa Alpha Outstanding Faculty Member Award; 2003 First Annual Apple Award for Motivating Teachers, Phi Delta Kappa; 1999 Excellence in Education Award from the UT Martin Student Government Association; 1998 UT-Martin PACE Program Outstanding Teacher Award; 1992 The Pacer UT Martin Outstanding Teacher Award; and recognition in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers for 2006, 2004, 1998, and 1996. She serves as UT Martin's representative on the University of Tennessee Faculty Council (2011-2014) and has served as President of the UT Martin Faculty Senate, President of Phi Kappa Phi, and Secretary of the Southeastern Writing Center Association. Her writings have been featured in several publications, including Tennessee English Journal, Kentucky English Bulletin, Southern Discourse, Poetry Analysis: Understanding and Critiquing Poetry, and Calliope. Wright is chair of the Department of English and Modern Foreign Languages.