From ceramics to sculpture, you’ll find all kinds of art – and artists – at Austin Peay.

The Center of Excellence and department of art sponsor exhibitions and lectures by accomplished professional artists, student art shows and faculty exhibitions throughout the year.
The Nashville Scene has hailed the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts for “attracting heavyweight poets for years…everyone from Gwendolyn Brooks and Allen Ginsberg to Galway Kinnell and Eavan Boland.”

In addition to the visiting writers series, the Center supports Red Mud Review, a literary magazine produced by APSU students and Zone 3, a professionally produced international literary journal that sponsors poetry and fiction awards.
Though you won’t see them on stage, visiting artists and artists-in-residence have a visible impact on APSU theatre and dance students.

Sponsored by the Center, these artists share their experiences and knowledge through lectures, workshops and one-on-one interaction.
The Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts sponsors the annual Clarksville Community Concert Series, which includes lectures and performances by renowned musicians such as classical guitarist Philip Hii, the American Brass Quintet and Grammy Award-winning ensemble Chanticleer.

Additionally, the Center sponsors the Dimensions New Music Series, Mid-South Jazz Festival and Young Composers Competition.

Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts
Music/Mass Communication Bldg, Room 165
P.O. Box 4666
Clarksville, TN 37044
(931) 221-7876
abdullahr@apsu.edu

Creative Writing

In cooperation with the Department of Languages and Literature, the Center of Excellence for Creative Arts supports:

The Visiting Writers Series, which brings writers of regional, national, and international renown to campus for readings, panel discussions, and book signings. Notable past participants include Richard Wilbur, Gary Snyder, Mary Oliver, Yusef Komunyakaa, Robert Haas, Carolyn Forché, Mark Jarman, Eavan Boland, Lorrie Moore, Stephen Dunn, Rebecca Walker, Ann Patchett and Michael Blumenthal.
Zone 3, a professionally produced international literary journal that sponsors two poetry awards and a fiction award.
- Zone 3 Poetry Awards
- Zone 3 Fiction Award
- Zone 3 Press First Book Award for Poetry

Zone 3 Press, a literary press that sponsors a biennial first-book award competition.
Red Mud Review, a literary magazine produced by APSU students.

The APSU Department of Languages and Literature

One of the largest departments on campus, the Department of Languages and Literature offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as core classes taken by all APSU students. Students benefit from small class sizes, classrooms equipped with smart technology and a diverse faculty whose members are widely published.

Critics say…

Unlike many literary magazines, whose quality ebbs and flows with the ages and regimes, Zone 3 continues to keep an even profile…What the reader gets is carefully crafted poetry and prose that ride close to the bone of life and truth.

– The Iconoclast, December 2007

Known primarily for its proximity to the Fort Campbell military base, Austin Peay State University hardly seems a likely hotbed for the contemporary poetry scene. But its Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts has been attracting heavyweight poets for years now—everyone from Gwendolyn Brooks and Allen Ginsberg to Galway Kinnell and Eavan Boland.

– The Nashville Scene, October 2004