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)
2026 Conference Schedule
All panels will take place at the Langdon Center
located at 308 E. Pearl St., Granbury, TX 79409.
Thursday, October 1, 2026
1:00 Registration |
Gordon House at the Langdon Center
1:30 Welcome | Concert Hall
Dr. Steven Moore, President
Daniel Mendoza, Vice President
Dr. John Schulze, Editor of Writing Texas
Dr. Moumin Quazi, Treasurer and 2026 Program Chair
2:00 Session 1 | Where Words Meet, Part 1 | Concert Hall
Poets, Storytellers, Memory-Keepers & Truth-Tellers
Dr. Leslie Jill Patterson, Texas Tech University, moderator
Dr. Moumin Quazi, Tarleton State University
Dr. John Schulze, Midwestern State University
Matthew Baker, The University of Texas at Dallas
Session 2: Where Words Meet, Part II | Studio C
Poets, Storytellers, Memory-Keepers & Truth-Tellers
Dr. Patricia Clark, Grand Valley State University, Moderator
Susanne Davis, Coast Guard Academy
Robert Kuehnle, R. J. Lee, Oxford, Mississippi
3:00 Break
3:15 Session 3 | Where Words Meet, Part III | Concert Hall
Poets, Storytellers, Memory-Keepers & Truth-Tellers
Dr. Chris Ellery, Angelo State University, Moderator
Daniel Mendoza, Texas A&M University at McAllen
Kale Hensley, Texas State University
Dr. Jacob Brewer, Tarleton State University
Session 4 | Where Words Meet, Part IV | Studio C
Spoken Word Poetry
Zoe Ramos, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Moderator
Michael Guinn, North Richland Hills
Bryan Jones, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
Deo Grace Tshilumba Musue, Abilene Christi University
4:15 Break
4:30 Session 5: Poetry Readings | Concert Hall
Notes from Our Mothers' Kitchens: Poems on
Creation, Consumption, and Colonization
Derrick Byrd, Abilene Christian University, Co-Chair
Daniel Ooi, Abilene High's Creative Writing Program, Co-Chair
Daniel Garcia, San Antonio Texas
Dr. Steven T. Moore, Abilene Christian University
5:30 Session 6 | Pedagogy Panel | Concert Hall
From Scribbles to the Book on the Shelf: Our Journey of
Writing, Illustrating, and Publishing Children's Books
Marilyn Robitaille, Romar Press, Panel Chair
Chloe Brooke, Texas Tech University
Danna Dawson, Texas Tech University
Session 7 | Pedagogy Panel | Studio C
Taking Up the Pen: Protest Poetry in Texas and Beyond
Dr. Laurence Musgrove, Angelo State University, Panel Chair
Jim LaVilla-Havelin, San Antonio, Texas
Cindy Huyser, Austin, Texas
6:30 Dinner on Your Own
Friday, October 2, 2026
8:15 to 10 Light Breakfast | Gordon House
8:45 Session 8 | Pedagogy Panel | Concert Hall
A Pedagogical & Creative Panel Showcasing the Final
Creative Assignment Inspired by Flannery O'Connor
Dr. Shelly Sanders, Abilene Christian University, Panel Chair
Troy Wade, Abilene Christian University
Shelly Hale, Abilene Christian University
Kylee Lookabaugh, Abilene Christian University
Alicia Capers, Abilene Christian University
Session 9 | MasterClass | Studio C
The Doctor as Writer: Making Room for Creativity,
Reflection, and the Written Word
Dr. Goutham Rao, Case Western Reserve University
9:45 Break
10:00 Session 10 | Poetry and Fiction Readings | Concert Hall
David Estringel, Central Texas College, Moderator
Alan Berecka, Sinton, Texas
Dr. Marilyn Robitaille, Romar Press
Dr. Brendan Stephens, West Texas A&M University
Session 11 | Nonfiction Readings | Studio C
Dr. Kaila Lancaster, Stephen F. Austin State Univ, Moderator
Tui Snider, Texas Christian University
Renae Green, Tarleton State University
Kim Horner, The University of Texas at Dallas
11:00 Break
11:15 Session 12 | Pedagogy Panel | Concert Hall
Getting a University Creative Writing Journal Off
the Ground in the 21st Century: Tips & Obstacles
Dr. Moumin Quazi, Tarleton State University, Panel Chair
Dr. Walter Moore, Tarleton State University
Renae Green, Tarleton State University
Dr. Jacob Brewer, Tarleton State University
Session 13 | Pedagogy Panel | Studio C
Taking Off and Landing: Teaching Beginnings and
Endings in Creative Writing Prose
Dr. Laura Biagi, Baylor University, Panel Chair
Dr. Sarah Destin, Austin Community College
Dr. Daniel Kennedy, Angelo State University
12:15 Lunch on Your Own
2:00 Session 14 | Poetry Readings | Concert Hall
Dr. Emma Aylor, Stephen F. Austin State Univ, Moderator
Dr. Dan. Williams, Texas Christian University
Dr. Leslie Reed Senter, Abilene Christian University
Dr. Laurence Musgrove, Angelo State University
Session 15 | Fiction & Poetry Readings | Studio C
Dr. Britt Haraway, Moderator
Dr. William W. Woods, Schreiner University
Dr. Wade Crowder, The University of Texas at Dallas
Dr. Stacia Neeley Campbell, Texas Wesleyan University
3:00 Break
3:15 Session 16 | Poetry and Nonfiction Readings | Concert Hall
Dr. Terry Dalrymple, Angelo State University, Moderator
Dr. Laurie Champion, San Diego State University
Caleb Queen, Abilene Christian University
Selina Humphrey, Texas Christian University
Session 17 | Pedagogy Panel | Studio C
Behind the Pages: Literary Magazine Editors on Publishing
Dr. Brendan Stephens, West Texas A&M Univ, Panel Chair
Dr. Leslie Jill Patterson, Texas Tech University
Dr. Emilee Kinney, West Texas A&M University
Dr. Laura Biagi, Baylor University
4:20 Business Meeting | Concert Hall
5:00 Plenary Address | Octavio Quintanilla | Concert Hall
5:45 Book Signing and Reception, Gordon House
6:30 Dinner on Your Own
Saturday, October 3, 2026
8:15 to 10 Light Breakfast | Gordon House
8:45 Session 18 | Pedagogy Panel | Concert Hall
From Screen to Page: Building Bridges Between Popular
Culture and Contemporary American Literature
Dr. Stacia Neeley Campbell, Texas Wesleyan Univ, Panel Chair
Dr. Steven T. Moore, Abilene Christian University
Daniel Ooi, Abilene High's Creative Writing Program
Session 19 | Poetry Readings | Studio C
Dr. Emilee Kinney, West Texas A&M University, Moderator
Cindy Huyser, Austin, Texas
Dr. Marlon L. Fick, The University of Texas Permian Basin
Dr. Chantel L. Carlson, Texas Christian University
9:45 Break
10:00 Session 20 | Nonfiction and Poetry Readings | Concert Hall
Dr. Debbie Williams, Abilene Christian University, Moderator
Dr. Jim Sanderson, Lamar University
Kim Davis, Madville Press
Larry Mayfield, Independent Writer
Session 21 | Featured Poetry Reading | Studio C
Dr. Walter Moore, Tarleton State University, Panel Chair
Paul Juhasz, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Hank Jones, Tarleton State University
11:00 Break
11:15 Session 22 | Poetry and Fiction Readings | Concert Hall
Dr. Jeffrey DeLotto, Texas Wesleyan University, Moderator
Rachel Wilson, Abilene Christian University
Student Winner, Undergraduate Fiction
Session 23 | Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry | Studio C
Daniel Mendoza, Moderator
Student Winner, Graduate Fiction
Student Winner, Undergraduate Nonfiction
Student Winner, Graduate Nonfiction
Student Winner, Undergraduate Poetry
Student Winnder, Graduate Poetry
12:30 End of Conference