This month is momentous for the Morehead Writing Project as Dr. Deanna Mascle transitions from site director to emeritus site director and Dr. Eric Morris steps into the role of leading the site. Co-directors Leslie Workman and Mandy Lawson will continue to support Morris through this process. Mascle stepped into the leadership role in 2008.
“I am proud to have led the Morehead Writing Project through multiple reinventions from the loss of dedicated federal funding and then a few years later the loss of state funding. Each of these momentous events inspired us to rethink our programming so we could continue to serve the educators and students of our region. The fact that we continue when so many sites in Kentucky and beyond do not is a major accomplishment. However, it is time for new ideas and new leadership as we must reinvent ourselves yet again in this challenging era of education. I am confident that Eric Morris is the right leader for this moment,” Mascle said. “So much of this work has been both rewarding and joy filled including the many programs and grants we offered since 2008 including Writing Eastern Kentucky, Teen Writers, camps, and writing retreats. I will always be proud of our grants that changed lives in so many important ways, especially LRNG, multiple MacArthur (one of MSU’s graduation speakers, Hallie Adams, was a member of our inaugural cohort), and Building A More Perfect Union grants.”
Mascle will continue to teach writing for the English Department at Morehead State University in the 2025-2026 academic year. In addition to advising Morris during his inaugural leadership year, she will lead the Rebel Cartographers writing group and the National Writing Project’s Write Across America.
Morris joined the English Department at Morehead State University in the Fall 2024 semester after earning his Doctor of Arts in English Pedagogy from Murray State University. Morris previously taught at Mason County High School. His course load at Morehead State includes first year writing, professional writing, English education, and linguistics. Morris will lead the 2025 Online Summer Institute with Summer Institute Co-Director Leslie Workman. He is also leading a new National Writing Project grant to support student publishing following his successful leadership of the Our Towns, Our Stories project. Anyone interested in joining the 2025 OSI cohort or leadership team should reach out to Morris as soon as possible.
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