The Inaugural TMA Day Celebration (private)
The Tina McElroy Ansa Estate is honored to present Tina McElroy Ansa Day, an annual celebration dedicated to the life, work, and enduring legacy of acclaimed author, journalist, mentor, cultural advocate, and storyteller Tina McElroy Ansa.
Created as the Estate’s signature annual observance, TMA Day will bring together family, friends, readers, writers, scholars, former students, colleagues, and members of the broader literary community to remember Tina as both an extraordinary writer and a deeply loved human being.
Each year, TMA Day will create opportunities to return to Tina’s work, share the stories and memories carried by those who knew her, introduce new readers to her literary world, and contribute to the ongoing preservation and stewardship of her legacy.
This year, the inaugural celebration will unfold in two connected experiences: an intimate, invitation-only gathering at The Place in Macon, Georgia, followed by a public virtual celebration on Tina’s birthday, November 18.
A Note for Invited Guests
This page has been created specifically for invited guests of the Tina McElroy Ansa Estate. Please do not forward, post, or publicly share this page or the private-event invitation.
We are intentionally keeping the November 14 gathering intimate on the McElroy family property, so that guests have the space to fellowship, remember, explore, and contribute to this first TMA Day experience with care.
TMA Day 2026
An Intimate Celebration at The Place
Saturday, November 14, 2026 || 2:00 PM | Macon, Georgia
Invitation Only
The Estate invites a special gathering of Tina’s family, friends, colleagues, readers, and members of her extended community to spend an afternoon at The Place celebrating the many dimensions of her life and legacy.
Guests will experience Tina’s story throughout the property in ways designed to encourage discovery, remembrance, conversation, and connection. The afternoon will include opportunities to encounter pieces of Tina’s personal and creative world, explore moments from her life and literary journey, share memories and historical knowledge, and contribute to the growing record being preserved by the Estate.
More than a traditional program, the afternoon is being designed as an experience: one that allows guests to move through Tina’s story, reconnect with one another, discover something they may not have known, and help us remember more.
We will also gather for food, fellowship, and a birthday celebration in Tina’s honor.
Because this is the inaugural year, some elements of the experience are intentionally being saved as a surprise for our guests.
Your Memories Matter
One of the most important goals of TMA Day is to learn from the people who carry pieces of Tina’s story.
You may remember a conversation, a classroom visit, a book tour, a dinner, a writers retreat, a friendship, a professional collaboration, or an ordinary moment that no archive could ever reconstruct on its own.
During the celebration, guests will have opportunities to share memories, photographs, stories, documents, and other information that may help the Estate deepen its understanding of Tina’s life and influence.
You do not need to be a scholar or historian to contribute.
If you knew Tina, read Tina, learned from Tina, worked with Tina, celebrated with Tina, or were changed by her work, you may carry something worth preserving.
RSVP FOR THE PRIVATE CELEBRATION using the form below.
Attendance is by invitation only. Please RSVP individually for each invited guest so that we can plan appropriately.
The Inaugural TMA Day Celebration (private)
Date: Saturday, November 14, 2026
Time: 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Location: The Place. 5101 Mount Pleasant Church Road, Macon, GA 31216
*See Direction Alert at Bottom of Page
Recommendation for Accommodations
TMA Day 2026
Tina McElroy Ansa Day Virtual Celebration
Wednesday, November 18, 2026 || 6:30 PM |
Hosted Virtually
On Tina’s 77th birthday, the Estate will welcome Tina’s wider community for a public virtual gathering of the inaugural TMA Day.
Through an evening of conversation and community, we will explore Tina’s influence, literature, and the vision for her estate while hearing from people whose lives and work intersected with hers across generations.
The virtual celebration will bring together members of Tina’s family, longtime friends, literary colleagues, writers, mentees, and other voices who can help illuminate different dimensions of who Tina was and what her work continues to mean.
The evening will also offer a glimpse into the work now underway through the Tina McElroy Ansa Estate, including efforts to preserve Tina’s history, strengthen engagement with her literature, reconnect the communities she cultivated, and prepare her work and legacy for future generations.
We will close by looking forward to what comes next, including new ways for readers and supporters to remain connected to Tina’s work throughout the year.
Join Us From Wherever You Are
The November 18 virtual TMA Day celebration will be open to the public. You are warmly encouraged to share the public virtual celebration flyer and link with others who love Tina, have been influenced by her work, or are discovering her for the first time.
Tina McElroy Ansa Day Virtual Celebration link:
www.tinamcelroyansa.org/tma-day-2026-virtual-celebration
Registered guests will receive the attendee link and event updates by email.
Hilton Garden Inn
207 Willie Lee Pkwy, Warner Robins, GA 31093
the Tina McElroy Ansa Virtual Celebration
Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2026
Time: 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
*Registered guests will receive the attendee link and event updates by email.
The Inaugural TMA Day: Two Gatherings. One Celebration.
The inaugural Tina McElroy Ansa Day begins an annual tradition grounded in a simple belief:
A literary legacy remains alive when the archive is built, the work is read, the stories are told, the history is preserved, and new generations are invited in.
This year, we begin together.
At The Place.
Across the country.
In Tina’s books.
In our memories.
And in the legacy we continue to build together in honor of Tina.
We look forward to celebrating Tina with you.
— The Tina McElroy Ansa Estate
RSVP
Please RSVP using the form below to confirm your attendance.
Contact Rae Chesny at rae@tinamcelroyansa.org or (313)585-1370 for questions and issues.
Directions Alert
We want to make sure your trip to The Place is smooth and easy! Please read the directions carefully, as some GPS systems (including Google Maps) will tell you to turn right onto Aspen Drive. That is incorrect. The correct address is:
5101 Mount Pleasant Church Rd, Macon, GA 31216
If You’re Coming from I-75 North (from Valdosta or Warner Robins)
Take Exit 155 / Hartley Bridge Rd.
Turn left onto Hartley Bridge Rd. and continue about 3.5 miles.
Turn right onto Mount Pleasant Church Rd.
Drive approximately 1 mile. You’ll pass Aspen Drive on your right.
Do not turn onto Aspen Drive.
The white house at 5101 Mount Pleasant Church Rd. is just a few feet past Aspen Drive on the same side of the road.
If You’re Coming from I-75 South (from Atlanta or downtown Macon)
Take Exit 162 / Eisenhower Pkwy. and continue onto Houston Rd.
Turn left onto Hartley Bridge Rd. and continue about 4 miles.
Turn right onto Mount Pleasant Church Rd.
Drive approximately 1 mile. You’ll pass Aspen Drive on your right.
Do not turn onto Aspen Drive.
The white house at 5101 Mount Pleasant Church Rd. is just beyond Aspen Drive on the right-hand side.
Landmarks to Help You Find It
The house sits on a quiet stretch surrounded by trees.
Look for a white house with a front porch and a gravel driveway.
If you reach Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, you’ve gone too far—turn around and head back about a tenth of a mile.
We can’t wait to welcome you to The Place, where Tina McElroy Ansa’s legacy lives on.