PERSONAL LIFE

I’m a mother, wife, aunt, sister, cousin and friend.

I value relationships and maintain close ties with friends, family and former

co-workers

My favorite times are spent having dinner, coffee or a glass of wine and

just talking

BUILDING COMMUNITIES

I love bringing people together to share and create good things in their

lives

Whether its working on a play, playing music or sharing stories

I’m a firm believed that we are meant to live and grow in community

FSU/PC AND COMMUNITY BUILDING

In order to grow this university, we must work together, in

community, attracting the students who can be successful here.

Programs highlighting the arts—creative writing, theater, art, music—will

attract the community we wish to build

FSU/PC Writer’s Workshops, Women’s history month celebration

CREATIVE WRITING SERIES

Summer Creative Writing Workshops

From The Dothan Eagle: Fall Writer's Workshop

Thursday, Nov 19, 2009 5:30p to 8:00p

Florida State University, Panama City

Panama City, FL

FSU/PC Writer’s Workshop announces a free fall class for area writers

featuring our fall Writer in Residence, Michael Morris. The class will be

held Thursday, November 19 in the Bland Conference Center of the

FSU/PC campus from 5:30 to 8 P.M. Fiction Technique will be the topic.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Date: 2/16/2010

Time: 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm

Location: Bay County Public Library (View Map)

Description: The speaker will be Milinda Jay Stephenson, PhD, Director of FSU/PC Writer�s Workshops and Adjunct Instructor of English at FSU, Tallahassee. She will conduct a mini writing workshop.

For more information contact:

Linda or Janet

lwmix@knology.net

763-1995 or 522

FSU/PC SUMMER WRITER’S WORKSHOP SUMMER

2009

See a couple of shots from Florida State

University--Panama City Writers' Workshop

8/13/09. Met a great group of writers

there. FSU--PC is new, it's beautiful, and

it's on the bay. Sunsets are

gorgeous. Milinda Jay Stephenson runs

the writing workshops there. She's always

thinking of great events which serve

students, but also serve the community--

thus, summer writing workshops. Michael

Morris and Karen Zacharias were guests in

earlier workshops. (from Linda Busby

Parker’s Blog)

MY AREA OF EXPERTISE AND MY RESEARCH

The majority of my academic research has been in World

Literature, particularly drama from ancient to the present.

Because of the global scope of my research, I am able to teach a wide

range of courses with some expertise. I’ve taught literature from

Gilgamesh, probably our oldest written epic, to the short stories of

George Saunders, a contemporary American writer, just interviewed this

weekend on To the Best of our Knowledge.

FEMALE FRIENDSHIP ALLIANCES IN SHAKESPEARE:

IMPOSSIBLE?

UCLA Psychologist Shelley Taylor argues that women who are surrounded

by a supportive community of other women thrive

Women surrounded by a healthy community of women survive and thrive.

My favorite example is Hero in Much Ado About Nothing. Without her

good friend Beatrice, she would have been killed.

MY MORE RECENT ACADEMIC RESEARCH

Has been poured into finding out the history of Rome and Britain in the

years 31 A.D. (for my third novel, Her Celtic Prince), 43 A.D. (For my

second novel, His Celtic Princess, and 49 A.D (Baby Villa). I don’t get to

choose the novel titles, I just write them.

This translates into teaching as better qualifying me for teaching ancient

and medieval literatures as well as qualifying me as a better writing

instructor.

MY PRACTICAL RESEARCH

Has come from teaching over 100 sections of writing and over 100 sections

of literature to college students over the past 27 years.

I’ve learned what works and what doesn’t with diverse student populations

with diverse learning styles.

WHAT MAKES ME UNIQUE?

I’ve been actively involved in both the commercial and academic ends of

writing.

My diversity enables me to reach and teach a broad spectrum of learning

styles and enables me to prepare my students for both the academic

and practical worlds.

BALANCING TEACHING AND WRITING

I’ve been writing full time for the past ten years.

I write an hour and a half to four hours per day

This discipline has enabled me to publish consistently

THREE TRAITS OR SKILLS THAT DISTINGUISH ME

FROM EVERYONE ELSE

I’ve raised five children. Successfully. While maintaining an academic

career.

I’m a chameleon able to hold my own in the commercial and academic

world

I can play Mozart on the piano, Celtic wedding songs on the harp, and

enjoy Mumford and Sons on Pandora. Not all at the same time