January Events

Posted by MS

Butler Events

1/13 – Wednesday Writing Club
Efroymson Center for Creative Writing, 11:30 AM

Jump start your writing goals with the Butler MFA writing club. The writing club is a few hours devoted to writing with other MFA students to hold you accountable. Coffee and tea will be served. Bring a snack if you wish. This event repeats every Wednesday.

 1/19 – Roxane Gay Q & A
ECCW, 9:35 AM

Meet Roxane Gay at a small Q & A for students. This is your chance to ask a professional about craft, the life of a successful writer across multiple genres, and the publishing industry today.

1/19 – Roxane Gay
Schrott Center for the Arts, 7:30 PM

Gay will present a free reading open to the public followed by a brief Q & A. Gay’s work includes the novel Untamed (2014), the essay collection Bad Feminist (2014), and the short-story collection Aviti (2011). In November 2015, she won the PEN Center USA Freedom to Write Award for demonstrating exceptional courage in the defense of free expression.

1/22 – Dialogue
ECCW, 7:00 PM

Dialogue with Vengence. Before we all get overwhelmed with school (or in case you’re overwhelmed already and need a pep talk and a back rub), let’s meet up to talk about what we’re working on! Bring something to share, if you feel so inclined. Email Tristan with questions.

1/29 – conversations@efryomson event: Yoga and Creative Writing
ECCW, 6:00 PM

More details coming soon!

1/29 – Poetry Lunch Hour
ECCW, 12:30 PM

The Poetry Lunch Hour begins the spring semester with a discussion of Daisy Fried’s poetry. Whether it’s your first time reading poetry since that required poem Freshman year, or you hold a Ph.D in poetry, you are invited to partake in a lively discussion of poetry. All perspectives are welcome! Lunch will be provided with RSVP 24 hours in advance, and a selection of poems will be emailed so no book purchase is necessary. RSVP to mdunn1@butler.edu. All Butler students, faculty, and staff are invited, along with MFA alumni.

Indy Events

1/10- An Evening with the Muse with Patricia Cupp
Indiana Writing Center, 7:00PM

Patricia Cupp has lived most of her life in Indianapolis and retired here after 39 years of teaching. Through the Indiana Writers Center, she has worked with children and adults (most recently with women veterans) on the writing of poems and memoirs. Chatter House Press has published a first collection of her poetry: Dressing for the Weather. The free event is followed by refreshments and book signing.

1/23 – Shane Phipps
Indy Reads Books, 7PM

Phipps will read from The Carter Journals: Time Travels in Early U.S. History. Written by an eighth-grade history teacher determined to bring the past to life for his students, The Carter Journals reminds us that history is all around us—and that we daily make history of our own.

1/24 – The Basics of Book Design, Inside and Out
Indiana Writing Center, 12:00-4:00

People really do judge a book by its cover, so learn how to make one that catches the eye and entices the reader to take a closer look. The class is taught by Butler MFA student and Pressgang designer Andera Boucher.

1/26 – Vonnegut Block Party 
Athenaeum, 1:00- 3:00

Celebrate The Vonnegut Library turning five at a block party. Join us at the Athenaeum for a free, family-friendly afternoon of fun with some of our favorite organizations and mayor-elect Joe Hogsett. Digitize your favorite Vonnegut photographs and letters, contribute a banned book to our Banned Books Week “prison” wall, write a note to your local/state representative about a cause you believe in, play a game of table tennis (Vonnegut’s favorite), share what makes Indiana a special place to you, and much more.

January Events

Posted by MS

Butler Events

1/13 – Wednesday Writing Club
Efroymson Center for Creative Writing, 11:30 AM

Jump start your writing goals with the Butler MFA writing club. The writing club is a few hours devoted to writing with other MFA students to hold you accountable. Coffee and tea will be served. Bring a snack if you wish. This event repeats every Wednesday.

 1/19 – Roxane Gay Q & A
ECCW, 9:35 AM

Meet Roxane Gay at a small Q & A for students. This is your chance to ask a professional about craft, the life of a successful writer across multiple genres, and the publishing industry today.

1/19 – Roxane Gay
Schrott Center for the Arts, 7:30 PM

Gay will present a free reading open to the public followed by a brief Q & A. Gay’s work includes the novel Untamed (2014), the essay collection Bad Feminist (2014), and the short-story collection Aviti (2011). In November 2015, she won the PEN Center USA Freedom to Write Award for demonstrating exceptional courage in the defense of free expression.

1/22 – Dialogue
ECCW, 7:00 PM

Dialogue with Vengence. Before we all get overwhelmed with school (or in case you’re overwhelmed already and need a pep talk and a back rub), let’s meet up to talk about what we’re working on! Bring something to share, if you feel so inclined. Email Tristan with questions.

1/29 – conversations@efryomson event: Yoga and Creative Writing
ECCW, 6:00 PM

More details coming soon!

1/29 – Poetry Lunch Hour
ECCW, 12:30 PM

The Poetry Lunch Hour begins the spring semester with a discussion of Daisy Fried’s poetry. Whether it’s your first time reading poetry since that required poem Freshman year, or you hold a Ph.D in poetry, you are invited to partake in a lively discussion of poetry. All perspectives are welcome! Lunch will be provided with RSVP 24 hours in advance, and a selection of poems will be emailed so no book purchase is necessary. RSVP to mdunn1@butler.edu. All Butler students, faculty, and staff are invited, along with MFA alumni.

Indy Events

1/10- An Evening with the Muse with Patricia Cupp
Indiana Writing Center, 7:00PM

Patricia Cupp has lived most of her life in Indianapolis and retired here after 39 years of teaching. Through the Indiana Writers Center, she has worked with children and adults (most recently with women veterans) on the writing of poems and memoirs. Chatter House Press has published a first collection of her poetry: Dressing for the Weather. The free event is followed by refreshments and book signing.

1/23 – Shane Phipps
Indy Reads Books, 7PM

Phipps will read from The Carter Journals: Time Travels in Early U.S. History. Written by an eighth-grade history teacher determined to bring the past to life for his students, The Carter Journals reminds us that history is all around us—and that we daily make history of our own.

1/24 – The Basics of Book Design, Inside and Out
Indiana Writing Center, 12:00-4:00

People really do judge a book by its cover, so learn how to make one that catches the eye and entices the reader to take a closer look. The class is taught by Butler MFA student and Pressgang designer Andera Boucher.

1/26 – Vonnegut Block Party 
Athenaeum, 1:00- 3:00

Celebrate The Vonnegut Library turning five at a block party. Join us at the Athenaeum for a free, family-friendly afternoon of fun with some of our favorite organizations and mayor-elect Joe Hogsett. Digitize your favorite Vonnegut photographs and letters, contribute a banned book to our Banned Books Week “prison” wall, write a note to your local/state representative about a cause you believe in, play a game of table tennis (Vonnegut’s favorite), share what makes Indiana a special place to you, and much more.

Butler Bridge

Posted by MS

Butler Bridge, the program connecting the Butler MFA with Indianapolis students grades 3-12, celebrated a successful semester with a Christmas party and gift exchange. Students and MFA mentors are excited about the upcoming semester.

bridge

The program consists of specialty workshops run by MFA students and monthly writing club meetings. The club is capped at fifty students and remains a huge draw in the community. Butler Bridge is directed by Mindy Dunn and her assistant Elisabeth Giffin. Elisabeth is also a mentor and the graduate assistant in marketing. She is now in her second year working with Bridge and took a few moments to explain the program and the benefits of getting involved.

What have you learned either about the kids through your experience? 

I’ve learned a lot about what sparks creativity in kids their age, and to be able to come up with things on the spot when a prompt doesn’t engage them. With the elementary kids, I really want them to be writing for most of the session. I’d rather I provide them with story starts for five or six stories so that they have something they can continue to work on once they leave Bridge. The older kids will often spend much longer working on one or two prompts, and perhaps work on revisions and peer comments. So I’ve learned to go with the flow and let each individual kid really dictate to me what they need from me to serve them best, and I think all our mentors really exemplify this as well. We’ve got an outstanding group of mentors this year in Logan Spackman, who is in his 2nd year mentoring, Bailey Merlin, John Eckerd, and Kyler Moor.

What do the mentors do?

Mentors are in charge with coming up with prompts for their assigned age group and helping to inspire the kids and get them writing. We are there to answer any questions, provide coaching and/or coaxing, and to just be present and in the moment with them.

We really try to get them to not critique themselves and to just produce without second guessing themselves. We strive to provide them with a supportive environment with inspiring prompts and fellow writers who are experiencing the same struggles and/or triumphs that they are. Also, with the opportunity to share their work at open mic, they get to practice public speaking as well as get the chance to “own” their work and the joy of having a room full of people listen to just them. I think it’s a really great thing for the students, parents, and mentors to sit in a room and support artistic expression, and it’s my favorite part of every Bridge event.  

Is Bridge only for kids who love to write?

No, but it helps! In the same way that a kid attending a sports camp would get more out of it if they loved athletics, if our students love to write and love to read, they’re probably going to enjoy it more than someone who doesn’t. But if you don’t love to write, or don’t think you know how to write? We’d love to have you come and try it out with us and maybe surprise yourself.

What’s planned for next semester? 

We will have our same Saturday Writing Club meetings, once a month, and we have 3 specialty workshops planned. We’ll have our official dates and information posted on our website and Facebook page soon. If you haven’t liked our Facebook page yet, please give us a “like” and see what we’ve got going on! And if you’re interested in being on our email list, send me an email at egiffin@butler.edu!

Butler Bridge

Posted by MS

Butler Bridge, the program connecting the Butler MFA with Indianapolis students grades 3-12, celebrated a successful semester with a Christmas party and gift exchange. Students and MFA mentors are excited about the upcoming semester.

bridge

The program consists of specialty workshops run by MFA students and monthly writing club meetings. The club is capped at fifty students and remains a huge draw in the community. Butler Bridge is directed by Mindy Dunn and her assistant Elisabeth Giffin. Elisabeth is also a mentor and the graduate assistant in marketing. She is now in her second year working with Bridge and took a few moments to explain the program and the benefits of getting involved.

What have you learned either about the kids through your experience? 

I’ve learned a lot about what sparks creativity in kids their age, and to be able to come up with things on the spot when a prompt doesn’t engage them. With the elementary kids, I really want them to be writing for most of the session. I’d rather I provide them with story starts for five or six stories so that they have something they can continue to work on once they leave Bridge. The older kids will often spend much longer working on one or two prompts, and perhaps work on revisions and peer comments. So I’ve learned to go with the flow and let each individual kid really dictate to me what they need from me to serve them best, and I think all our mentors really exemplify this as well. We’ve got an outstanding group of mentors this year in Logan Spackman, who is in his 2nd year mentoring, Bailey Merlin, John Eckerd, and Kyler Moor.

What do the mentors do?

Mentors are in charge with coming up with prompts for their assigned age group and helping to inspire the kids and get them writing. We are there to answer any questions, provide coaching and/or coaxing, and to just be present and in the moment with them.

We really try to get them to not critique themselves and to just produce without second guessing themselves. We strive to provide them with a supportive environment with inspiring prompts and fellow writers who are experiencing the same struggles and/or triumphs that they are. Also, with the opportunity to share their work at open mic, they get to practice public speaking as well as get the chance to “own” their work and the joy of having a room full of people listen to just them. I think it’s a really great thing for the students, parents, and mentors to sit in a room and support artistic expression, and it’s my favorite part of every Bridge event.  

Is Bridge only for kids who love to write?

No, but it helps! In the same way that a kid attending a sports camp would get more out of it if they loved athletics, if our students love to write and love to read, they’re probably going to enjoy it more than someone who doesn’t. But if you don’t love to write, or don’t think you know how to write? We’d love to have you come and try it out with us and maybe surprise yourself.

What’s planned for next semester? 

We will have our same Saturday Writing Club meetings, once a month, and we have 3 specialty workshops planned. We’ll have our official dates and information posted on our website and Facebook page soon. If you haven’t liked our Facebook page yet, please give us a “like” and see what we’ve got going on! And if you’re interested in being on our email list, send me an email at egiffin@butler.edu!

Happy Holidays

Posted by MS

Happy holidays and best wishes for a happy New Year!

Thanks to all the students, faculty, alumni, and guests who celebrated with the Butler MFA at the annual Holiday Party. Along with delicious food and drinks, impossibly difficult literary trivia and a book exchange were highlights of the evening. Of course, the best part of any Butler MFA party is enjoying new and old friendships.

party2 PicMonkey Collage

Happy Holidays

Posted by MS

Happy holidays and best wishes for a happy New Year!

Thanks to all the students, faculty, alumni, and guests who celebrated with the Butler MFA at the annual Holiday Party. Along with delicious food and drinks, impossibly difficult literary trivia and a book exchange were highlights of the evening. Of course, the best part of any Butler MFA party is enjoying new and old friendships.

party2 PicMonkey Collage