Texas Association of Creative Writers
TACW Annual Conference
October 1-3, 2026
Hosted by Tarleton State University
Dora Lee Langdon Cultural and Education Center
308 E. Pearl St.
Granbury, TX 79409
We welcome individual submissions of creative work as well as proposals for group panels involving pedagogy, craft skills, publishing tips, collaborations, and university programs. Panels should list all presenters and offer a summary of the panel’s proposed topic. Panels should not include more than four presenters. Individual writers should simply provide the genre they would like to read. Send all applications to President Steven Moore at tacwt14@gmail.com by July 1, 2026. Acceptances to the program will be announced shortly thereafter. (Submissions are now open.)
Like our other conferences, the 2026 TACW gathering will begin just after lunch on Thursday, October 1st, and will run through Saturday, October 3rd, at noon. We will hold a reception on Friday late afternoon, after our keynote presentation by the 2025 Texas State Poet Laureate, Octavio Quintanilla, who will share his gifts with us.
All panels and the Friday reception will be held on the grounds of the Dora Lee Langdon Cultural and Education Center, 308 E. Pearl Street, and will include microphones, podiums, and AV equipment. If you wish to use AV equipment, please let us know with your request to present.
Granbury is a beautiful, charming, enchanting place, making it a popular destination for many visitors, especially for conference participants like us. It was named USA Today’s “Best Historic Small Town in America” three years in a row, and it has plenty of incredible hotels and B&Bs to meet the needs of your school and/or personal budget (click on attached document). Make your lodging reservation today.
Please help us promote our gathering by sharing the information with any writer currently or formerly working within the state. We are particularly interested in engaging writers who teach at universities in Texas who have never participated in TACW or haven’t for a very long time. If you know of a writer outside of Texas, feel free to invite them as well. Also, we’d love to connect with writers in your community who do not have an academic affiliation. Many of those writers often feel isolated. Graduate students are especially encouraged to apply. d the Thursday night e held at the enter will include microphones, podiums, and AV e
Conference fee: $105 ($65 registration + $40 membership dues)
Student Registration: $35 total (membership free/discounted registration)
FYI: 2025 Conference Schedule
All panels will take place at the Langdon Center
located at 308 E. Pearl St., Granbury, TX 79409.
Thursday, September 25, 2025
1:00 Registration |
Gordon House at the Langdon Center
1:30 Welcome | Concert Hall
Steven Moore, President
Texas Association of Creative Writers
1:45 Session 1 | Blending the Boundaries, Part 1 | Concert Hall
A Panel of Poets, Storytellers, and Truth-Tellers
Terry Dalrymple, Angelo State University
Chris Ellery, Angelo State University
Leslie Jill Patterson, Abilene Christian University
Daniel Mendoza, South Texas College
2:45 Break
3:00 Session 2 | Blending the Boundaries, Part 2 | Concert Hall
A Panel of Poets, Storytellers, and Truth-Tellers
David Carren, University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley
Shelly Sanders, Abilene Christian University
Christopher Morrow, University of Texas-Permian Basin
Dan Williams, Texas Christian University
4:00 Break
4:15 Session 3 | Poetry Readings | Concert Hall
Shape of a Voice: The Musicality of Marginalized Identities
Daniel Ooi, Abilene High School's Creative Writing Program
Daniel Garcia, San Antonio
Derrick Byrd, Abilene Christian University
Steven Moore, Abilene Christian University
5:15 Session 4 | Spotlight | Concert Hall
Teaching and Writing in the Age of AI
Micah Heatwole, Abilene Christian University
Session 5 | Original Work/Readings | Studio C
Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry
Allison Grace Harmon, Winner, Graduate Fiction
Allison Grace Harmon, Winner, Graduate Nonfiction
Roy Gomez, Winner, Undergraduate Creative Nonfiction
Kylee Lookabaugh, Abilene Christian University
6:15 Dinner on Your Own
Friday, September 26, 2025
8:15 to 10 Light Breakfast | Gordon House
8:45 Session 6 | MasterClass | Concert Hall
The Zen of Seeing
Earl S. Braggs, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga
Session 7 | Fiction and Nonfiction Readings | Studio C
Amit Verma, Houston, Texas
Kimberly Parish Davis, Director/Founder, Madville Publishing
Laurie Champion, San Diego State University
Antonina Duridanova, San Antonio, Texas
9:45 Break
10:00 Session 8 | Poetry and Fiction Readings | Concert Hall
Chloe Tilley, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
Paul McCann, Del Mar College
Matt Byars, Lubbock Christian University
Micah Heatwole, Abilene Christian University
Session 9 | Nonfiction and Fiction Readings | Studio C
David Carren, University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley
Brendan Stephens, West Texas A&M University
Jessica Walker, Texas A&M International
Joseph Haske, South Texas College
11:00 Break
11:15 Session 10 | MasterClass | Concert Hall
The Book Journey
Sidney Balman, Sul Ross State University
Session 11 | Fiction Readings | Studio C
Jim Sanderson, Lamar University
R. Scott Yarbrough, Collin College
Sherry Rankin, Abilene Christian University
Earl S. Braggs, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga
12:15 Lunch on Your Own
2:00 Session 12 | Pedagogy Panel | Concert Hall
Embodied Writing: Guiding Students
to Claim Their Authentic Voices
LeeAnn Olivier, Tarrant County College
Cat Stevens, Tarrant County College
Audrey Towns, Tarrant County College
Session 13 | Curated Panel | Studio C
The Sowell Collection:
Archive as Hope in an Emergency Time
Kristin Loyd, Texas Tech University
Taylor Light, Southern Methodist University
William Brown, Texas Tech University
Gregory Calabro, University of Florida
Jak Kurdi, Dallas, Texas
3:00 Break
3:15 Session 14 | Poetry Readings | Concert Hall
Marilyn Robitaille, Romar Press
Zoe Ramos, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
Austin Allen James, Texas Southern University
Kevin Clay, Independent Writer
Session 15 | NF, Fiction, Memoir Readings | Studio C
Moumin Quazi, Tarleton State University
Goutham Rao, Case Western Reserve University
Bruce Overby, Mountain View, California
Jim Sanderson, Lamar University
4:20 Business Meeting | Concert Hall
5:00 Plenary Address | Amanda Johnston | Concert Hall
5:45 Book Signing and Reception, Gordon House
6:30 Dinner on Your Own
Saturday, September 27, 2025
8:15 to 10 Light Breakfast | Gordon House
8:45 Session 16 | Empowering Students | Concert Hall
Sustainability in Managing a Print and Digital
Publication: Letting Students Take the Lead
Zoe Ramos, Texas A&M Univ-Corpus Christi
Robin Carstensen, Texas A&M Univ-Corpus Christi
Dylan Lopez, Texas A&M Univ-Corpus Christi
JayneMarie Linguist, Texas A&M Univ-Corpus Christi
Lilly Chandler, Texas A&M Univ-Corpus Christi
Charlie Zehr, Texas A&M Univ-Corpus Christi
Session 17 | Pedagogy Panel | Studio C
Writing Beyond Limits:
The Advantages of Being a Multi-Genre Author
Brendan Stephens, West Texas A&M University
Daniel Kennedy, Angelo State University
Jessica Walker, Texas A&M International
Laura Biagi, Baylor University
9:45 Break
10:00 Session 18 | Reading Memoirs | Concert Hall
Debbie Williams, Abilene Christian University
Tui Snider, Texas Christian University
Robin Carstensen, Texas A&M Univ-Corpus Christi
Heather Cathleen Cox, Univ of Texas-Rio Grande Valley
Session 19 | Inspiring the Classroom | Studio C
Ferdos Heidari, San Francisco State University
Beyond Inspiration: Marginalized Voices as
Creative Infrastructure in the Writing Classroom
Austin Allen James, Texas Southern University
Painting the World with Art and Poetry
11:00 Break
11:15 Session 20 | Fiction and Poetry Readings | Concert Hall
Danny Young, Winner, Undergraduate Fiction
Amaya Gauche, Winner, Undergraduate Poetry
Chase Adair, Abilene Christian University
Alicia Capers, Abilene Christian University
Session 21 | Poetry Readings | Studio C
R. Scott Yarbrough, Collin College
Chloe Tilley, Texas A&M Univ-Corpus Christi
Dylan Lopez, Texas A&M Univ-Corpus Christi
Roy Gomez, Texas A&M Univ-Corpus Christi
12:30 End of Conference