W@W 2026 Events
All event times eastern
Book-Club-in-a-Bag Giveaway
TUESday
February 17, 6-8 PM EST
Location: The Daily Ration (1220 Dartmouth St, Chattanooga, TN 37405)
Founded in 2011, W@W offers people in the greater Chattanooga area opportunities to interact with some of the best Southern authors alive today. Over the last 15 years, we've hosted Terry Kay, Rick Bragg, Tayari Jones, Ron Rash, Robert Morgan, Daniel Wallace, Jericho Brown, and many others. This April, we are hosting Christian J. Collier, a Black, Southern writer, arts organizer, teaching artist and Chattanooga native, for a pair of free public events. In anticipation of his appearances, W@W wants to offer readers like you the chance to get a complimentary set of his poetry collections to enjoy with your book club in preparation for our W@W 2026 celebration in April.
Register your book club at this link to receive a book-club-in-a-bag — a commemorative tote with up to ten copies of your chosen title. The books will be available for pick up on Tuesday, February 17 at The Daily Ration (1220 Dartmouth Street) between 6-8pm. The person who submits the form must be present to collect the bag of books. We'll have delicious snacks, too. Come hang out!
We hope you will join us in this common read and in our Writers@Work events detailed below, all part of our celebration of exceptional literature by authors in the South! (The deadline for survey completion is Wednesday, February 4.)
Inside the Mind of Christian J. Collier: The Behind-the-Writer Interview
TUESDAY
APRIL 7th, 6-8 PM EDT
Location: The Hunter Museum of American Art (10 Bluff View Ave, Chattanooga, TN 37403)
Enjoy beautiful views of the Tennessee River from the lobby of the Hunter Museum during Writers@Work's annual interview night. Erica Lux, Chattanooga State Associate Professor of English and W@W Program Co-Director, will interview Christian Collier about his life as a writer and his experience as a Southern author. Join us at the Hunter Museum of American Art to ask questions, get your books signed, and mingle with other readers from the community while enjoying delicious bites at our author’s reception. The event is free, but tickets are limited. Registration TBA.
The Craft of Writing with Christian J. Collier
Thursday
APRIL 9th, 6-7:30 PM EDT
Location: TBD
Attention writers! W@W invites you to attend a craft talk with Writers@Work's visiting author for 2026, Christian J. Collier. His award-winning poetry tackles difficult topics while remaining accessible. Come listen to a discussion of how he balances a writing life with a career and family, what brings him inspiration, and what he’s working on now. Bring your questions and be prepared to take notes! Light refreshments will be served. The event is free, but tickets are limited. Registration TBA.
Christian J. Collier
Christian J. Collier is a Black, Southern writer, arts organizer, and teaching artist who resides in Chattanooga, TN. He is the author of Greater Ghost (Four Way Books, 2024), and the chapbook The Gleaming of the Blade, the 2021 Editors’ Selection from Bull City Press. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, Poetry, December, and elsewhere. A 2015 Loft Spoken Word Immersion Fellow, he is also the winner of the 2022 Porch Prize in Poetry and the 2020 ProForma Contest from Grist Journal.
Thank you for your continued support of the ChattState Humanities Department's Writers@Work program.
History of Writers@Work
In 2011, the Chattanooga State Community College Humanities Department founded Writers@Work (W@W) to enhance the practice of literary analysis in its Composition II classes through the reading of a common novel with a focus on Southern culture and people. It quickly transformed into an annual arts experience that touches the lives of countless people in the greater Chattanooga area.
W@W chooses Southern authors whose works center on life in this region, giving participants a new understanding and appreciation for the culture and arts offered in the South, in their own city, and through the community college that serves it. In a media-driven world that shows a limited, and often stereotyped, view of the South, W@W actively works to showcase and celebrate the diversity and rich culture of the Southern people.
Since its beginnings, W@W has expanded to provide more opportunities for public interaction with visiting authors through dynamic events that are always free to attendees. These events take place in various spotlight locations across the city such as the Chattanooga Aquarium, Bessie Smith Cultural Center, and the Hunter Museum of American Art, where the community can interact with the authors in settings that highlight the best of Chattanooga.
W@W has been privileged to Host the following authors:
2012 - Terry Kay
2013 - Ishmael Reed
2014 - Jill McCorkle
2015 - Rick Bragg and Lila Quintero Weaver
2016 - Ron Rash and Robert Morgan
2017 - Tayari Jones
2018 - George Singleton
2019 - Tom Franklin and Beth Ann Fennelly
2020 - Daniel Wallace
2021 - Jericho Brown
2022 - Karen Russell
2023 - Ariel Francisco
2024 - Harrison Scott Key
2025 - Lorrie Moore
Contact Us
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Please enjoy the slideshow below of all thirteen
author-signed Writers@Work commemorative posters.
