Stephanie Cassell- participated in the Fall 2006 Creative Writing class at MECC. She has a degree in Writing for Media from Birmingham-Southern            College and is currently a fulltime mom to two boys in Norton, VA.

Robin Charles- resides in Dickenson County, VA, and teaches English at Haysi High School.  She was a member of the fall Creative Writing class at MECC.

Roy Davis- is a General Studies major at MECC who plans to transfer and study Illustration after graduation.

Shane Flanary-of East Stone Gap is a Graphic Design major here at MECC.

Tanya Hale- is a very well-known local photographer from Fort Blackmore, VA.

.Rita Justice – is a Guidance Counselor at Haysi High School.  She has been involved with the Appalachian Writing Project at UVA-Wise and a student in MECC’s
Creative Writing class.

Valerie Kelly – received a certificate in Photography from MECC in 2003.  She’s currently pursuing an education degree.

Loretta Lester-Dorton- is a Liberal Arts major here at MECC who is an avid reader and a lifelong story writer. She was a member of Rita Quillen’s Creative           Writing class in the fall. She received prizes in both literature and art categories.

Sharyn Martin-from Kingsport, TN, is retired from a career in broadcasting. She’s the Winner of the 2003 Lonesome Pine Short Story contest, a previous             Explorations  winner, and has been published in Jimson Weed at UVA-Wise.

Candace Miller

Angie Orndorff- attended MECC and is now at James Madison University.

Aaron Robinson- from Clintwood, VA, is a General Studies major at MECC.

Carolyn Scalf- from Nicklesville, VA, is a very well-known local photographer.

Chris Starnes- is a professional photographer from Gate City, VA. You can see more and purchase  his work at www.starnesphoto.com.

Teresa Ward – is a 1977 graduate of MECC. She recently retired from the Wise County School System to spend time writing, traveling, and playing with her first
grandchild.

Neka Wilson- is an MECC alumni and  the college’s resident photographer in the Office of Public Relations, a founder of the Hotshots Photography Club here at the college, and a very well-known local photographer.

Short Fiction – Neela Vaswani
Neela Vaswani lives in New York.  Her short stories have appeared in numerous literary journals, including the Prairie Schooner.  The recipient of the 1999 Italo Calvino Prize, her first book, Where the Long Grass Bends, published by Sarabande Books in 2004 has received wide critical acclaim.  She has been a faculty member in the MFA program at
Spalding University.

Personal Essay – Amy Clark

Amy Clark is an assistant professor at UVA-Wise who earned her master’s degree from
Virginia Tech and a Ph.D from Indiana University in Pennsylvania.  Her dissertation was recently named among the six finalists of the 2006 James Berlin Dissertation of the
Year awards given by the national College Composition and Communication Conference.  She’s currently working on a book about Appalachian dialect.

Poetry – Leatha Kendrick
The author of two books of poetry:  Heartcake and Science In Your Own Back Yard,
Leatha Kendrick has taught creative writing at the University of Kentucky, the Carnegie
Center for Literacy and Learning, the Appalachian Writer’s Workshop, and many others.
A former editor of Wind magazine, her work has been widely published in such places as
The American Voice, The Louisville Review, and  in anthologies from the University Press of Kentucky and Helicon Nine Editions.

Drawing and Painting – Anita DeAngelis
Anita DeAngelis has been an ETSU faculty member since 1994.  She received her BFA from the University of Texas at Austin and her MFA from Arizona State University. She has exhibited nationally and her work can be found in many  places, such as
Berea College, the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris.  She also serves as the Associate Dean for the College of Arts and Sciences at ETSU.

Photography – Claude Kelly
An award-winning photographer, photography judge, and teacher for over 30 years, Claude Kelly has a large exhibit currently on display at the Renaissance Center in downtown Kingsport.  He received the Northeast Tennessee Tourism Pinnacle Award in 2005 in the Cultural History Category for a book he photo-illustrated entitled Lydia’s Gift.    His work has received awards from the Virginia Highlands Festival, the Arts Council of Greater Kingsport, and the Southeastern Council of Camera Clubs.