By Jennifer T. Allen
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 31, 2024) — Frank X Walker, celebrated poet and former Poet Laureate of Kentucky, recently released his latest collection of historical poetry, “Load in Nine Times,” published by Liveright.
The Visiting Writers Series and UK Libraries Present:
Holler Rat: from Stage to Page
A craft talk by performance artist and writer Anya Liftig
When: Monday Nov. 4, 2024, 2:30pm
Where: Gatton Student Cetner , rm 331
Before Holler Rat found its life as a memoir, it was a spoken word monologue entitled Jewbilly performed in art venues over a period of seven years. In this talk, Liftig will discuss the very indirect path Jewbilly took to becoming Holler Rat and how she worked to braid her performance art work into the narrative of a book.
This discussion will interest anyone involved in creative non-fiction, art-making of all kinds, Appalachian and Jewish studies and just surviving life as a maker with a day job.
Todd Davis is the author of eight full-length collections of poetry, including Ditch Memory: New & Selected Poems, Coffin Honey, and Native Species. His writing has won the Midwest Book Award, the Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Prize and the Chautauqua Editors Prize. His poems appear in such journals and magazines as Alaska Quarterly Review, North American Review, Missouri Review, Orion and Prairie Schooner. He is an emeritus fellow of the Black Earth Institute and teaches environmental studies, creative writing and American literature at Pennsylvania State University’s Altoona College.
The English Department’s Visiting Writing Series brings esteemed poets, fiction writers, and non-fiction authors to our campus and community for engaging literary events. These events include public readings and allow students and the community to engage with contemporary literature and the creative process. The series features a diverse lineup of nationally and internationally recognized authors. Previous visiting writers have included such award-winning poets and authors as Ada Limón, Ann Beattie, Silas House, Roxane Gay, Viet Thanh Nquyen, Li-Young Lee, Nicole Chung and Tayari Jones.
This program enriches the academic environment and provides aspiring writers with inspiration and practical knowledge from leading figures in the literary world. All events are free and open to the public. Support for the Visiting Writers Series is provided by generous donors. We welcome contributions to the English MFA Visiting Writers Fund.
WRITERS WANTED!
Come share your own written work or someone else's (with credit!)
Submit your work here:
Friday Nov 22
5:00-6:30
Location: MLK Center, Gatton Student Center
Enjoy an evening of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry from UK writers.
Featured readers:
TBD
Open mic for undergraduate students beforehand. Come early to sign up! One poem or piece AND 3 min limit per open mic reader.
October Incubator MFA Reading Series:
Friday Oct. 25,
5:00-6:30
Location: MLK Center, Gatton Student Center
Enjoy an evening of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry from UK writers.
Featured readers:
Peter Birsen
Samantha Ratcliffe
Robertha White Morgan
Julia Johnson, Guest Faculty Reader
Open mic for undergraduate students beforehand. Come early to sign up! One poem or piece AND 3 min limit per open mic reader.
SPOOKY POEMS/STORIES AND HALLOWEEN COSTUMES INCOURAGED!
Please join us for a Pre-Fall Registration Open House! Course descriptions for the Fall will be posted around the 12th floor and professors will be available to chat and answer questions. There will also be a scavenger hunt with prizes! Pizza and refreshments will be served in POT 1245! We hope to see you there! Please RSVP below.
An aging silent film queen (Gloria Swanson) refuses to accept that her stardom has ended. She hires a young hack screenwriter (William Holden) to help set up her movie comeback. The screenwriter believes he can manipulate her, but he soon finds out he is wrong. The screenwriters ambivalence about their relationship and her unwillingness to let go leads to a situation of violence, madness, and death. Get tickets HERE.
After witnessing a Mafia murder, slick saxophone player Joe (Tony Curtis) and his long-suffering buddy, Jerry (Jack Lemmon), improvise a quick plan to escape from Chicago with their lives. Disguising themselves as women, they join an all-female jazz band and hop a train bound for sunny Florida. While Joe pretends to be a millionaire to win the band's sexy singer, Sugar (Marilyn Monroe), Jerry finds himself pursued by a real millionaire (Joe E. Brown) as things heat up and the mobsters close in. Get tickets HERE.
