Milinda Jay Stephenson is an expert in building communities through creative writing, teaching, and personal relationships. She runs the FSU/PC Writer's Workshops which bring local writers together and attract students to FSU/PC through programs in the arts. Stephenson enjoys spending time with family and friends, and uses her experience as a mother and academic to teach a wide range of literature courses and writing workshops that serve both students and the community.

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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.

6. 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

7. 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

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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

15. 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