Summer 2016 Recap

Posted by MS

The Butler MFA doesn’t slow down during the summer months. Beyond summer classes, exciting happenings kept our writing community thriving and our writers engaged.

Divedapper Poetry Carnival

Mindy Dunn, Dan Barden, Kaveh Akbar and a team of MFA students and alumni transformed the ECCW into a carnival to present poetry to the Indianapolis community like never before. In addition to three amazing poetry headliners, many local poets, workshops for adults and kids, and tons of free food, the carnival provided Alessandra Lynch’s poetry machine, poetry fortunes, a photo booth, face painting, and many make your own poetry stations. The event showed Indianapolis how fun and beautiful poetry is.

divedapper

 

Faculty Publishing

Three (yes, three!) of our MFA faculty published books this summer.

Chris Forhan, professor of poetry: My Father Before Me

An award-winning poet offers a multi-generational portrait of an American family—weaving together the lives of his ancestors, his parents, and his own coming of age in the 60s and 70s in the wake of his father’s suicide, in this superbly written, “fiercely honest” (Nick Flynn) memoir.

 

61RCN4DEbuL._SX326_BO1,204,203,200_Lili Wright, adjunct professor: Dancing with the Tiger

When 30-year-old Anna Ramsey learns that a meth-addicted looter has dug up what might be the funerary mask of Montezuma, she books the next flight to Oaxaca. Determined to redeem her father, a discredited art collector, and to one-up her unfaithful fiancé, a museum curator, Anna hurls herself headlong into Mexico’s underground art world. But others are chasing the treasure as well.

 

41kRJbaNy7L._SX320_BO1,204,203,200_Ben Winters, adjunct professor: Underground Airlines

Underground Airlines debuted on the NYT Hardcover Fiction bestseller list at #20. It also enters the Indie Bestsellers List (compiled by the American Booksellers Association) at #11.  On the NPR program “Fresh Air,” Maureen Corrigan says it’s “an extraordinary new novel of alternate history” that “jolts readers to a heightened awareness, making us see just how much of the nightmare of what could have been is part of the all-too-familiar reality of what is.”

Writing for Wellness Initiative

IMG_2951Under the guidance of Hilene Flanzbaum, Butler MFA students held writing for wellness workshops throughout the city all summer. The locations included Eskenazi hospital, Gigi’s Playhouse, Butler University Health Services, and American Village Senior Community. This initiative is an ongoing project with the goal of bringing the therapeutic powers of creative writing into the Indianapolis Community. The workshops will continue in the fall at repeat sites and new ones including Indiana Women’s Prison and Indiana Youth Group. To get involved in this outreach, contact Hilene.

Butler Creative Writing Summer Camp

Many Butler MFA students acted as mentors and teachers for hundreds of students during the Butler University’s Creative Writing Camps. Creative Writing Camp offers an intensive and entertaining week of workshops to help young writers develop their talent and passion for writing. Mentors prepared and conducted writing lessons and workshops and planned inspirational field trips to places like the Indianapolis Art Museum.

 

 

Summer 2016 Recap

Posted by MS

The Butler MFA doesn’t slow down during the summer months. Beyond summer classes, exciting happenings kept our writing community thriving and our writers engaged.

Divedapper Poetry Carnival

Mindy Dunn, Dan Barden, Kaveh Akbar and a team of MFA students and alumni transformed the ECCW into a carnival to present poetry to the Indianapolis community like never before. In addition to three amazing poetry headliners, many local poets, workshops for adults and kids, and tons of free food, the carnival provided Alessandra Lynch’s poetry machine, poetry fortunes, a photo booth, face painting, and many make your own poetry stations. The event showed Indianapolis how fun and beautiful poetry is.

divedapper

 

Faculty Publishing

Three (yes, three!) of our MFA faculty published books this summer.

Chris Forhan, professor of poetry: My Father Before Me

An award-winning poet offers a multi-generational portrait of an American family—weaving together the lives of his ancestors, his parents, and his own coming of age in the 60s and 70s in the wake of his father’s suicide, in this superbly written, “fiercely honest” (Nick Flynn) memoir.

 

61RCN4DEbuL._SX326_BO1,204,203,200_Lili Wright, adjunct professor: Dancing with the Tiger

When 30-year-old Anna Ramsey learns that a meth-addicted looter has dug up what might be the funerary mask of Montezuma, she books the next flight to Oaxaca. Determined to redeem her father, a discredited art collector, and to one-up her unfaithful fiancé, a museum curator, Anna hurls herself headlong into Mexico’s underground art world. But others are chasing the treasure as well.

 

41kRJbaNy7L._SX320_BO1,204,203,200_Ben Winters, adjunct professor: Underground Airlines

Underground Airlines debuted on the NYT Hardcover Fiction bestseller list at #20. It also enters the Indie Bestsellers List (compiled by the American Booksellers Association) at #11.  On the NPR program “Fresh Air,” Maureen Corrigan says it’s “an extraordinary new novel of alternate history” that “jolts readers to a heightened awareness, making us see just how much of the nightmare of what could have been is part of the all-too-familiar reality of what is.”

Writing for Wellness Initiative

IMG_2951Under the guidance of Hilene Flanzbaum, Butler MFA students held writing for wellness workshops throughout the city all summer. The locations included Eskenazi hospital, Gigi’s Playhouse, Butler University Health Services, and American Village Senior Community. This initiative is an ongoing project with the goal of bringing the therapeutic powers of creative writing into the Indianapolis Community. The workshops will continue in the fall at repeat sites and new ones including Indiana Women’s Prison and Indiana Youth Group. To get involved in this outreach, contact Hilene.

Butler Creative Writing Summer Camp

Many Butler MFA students acted as mentors and teachers for hundreds of students during the Butler University’s Creative Writing Camps. Creative Writing Camp offers an intensive and entertaining week of workshops to help young writers develop their talent and passion for writing. Mentors prepared and conducted writing lessons and workshops and planned inspirational field trips to places like the Indianapolis Art Museum.

 

 

Fall 2016 Reading Series Events

Posted by MS

Butler University MFA students are privileged to have not just one reading series on campus, but two! The Vivian S. Delbrook Visiting Writing Series (VWS) and conversations@effroymson work together to bring the best contemporary writers and dynamic literary events to our creative writing community. The fall line-ups have been announced, so save these dates to your calendars now so you don’t miss out!

Vivian S. Delbrook Visiting Writing Series

This award-winning series brings the hottest stars in the literary world to the Butler campus. Authors include best sellers and major award winners across genres. The VWS always includes a free public reading and an intimate, casual student Q & A with each author. The readings are held at various venues across campus at 7:30 PM, and the Q & A’s are during the day at the ECCW. Additional opportunities may arise by invitation, such as dinner with the author and workshops.

September 13th – Yusef Komunyakaa, author of numerous collections of poetry including Neon Vernacular: New & Selected Poems 1977-1989, for which he received the Pulitzer Prize and the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award.

September 27th – Hanya Yanagihara, best-selling novelist of A Little Life which was shortlisted for the 2015 Man Booker Prize and a National Book Award finalist.

October 25th – Robert Wrigley, author of five poetry collections, most recently Anatomy of Melancholy & Other Poems (Penguin, 2013), winner of the Pacific Northwest Book Award.

November 1st – Brenda Shaughnessy, award-winning author of four poetry collections including So Much Synth (2016) .

November 9th – Elizabeth Strout, novelist and short story writer of five books including Olive Kitteridge, winner of the Pulitzer Prize. 

November 29th – Meghan Daum, author of four books including the original essay collection The Unspeakable: And Other Subjects of Discussion, winner of the 2015 PEN Center USA Award for creative nonfiction.

Much more information about each author and reading locations can be found at the Butler Newsroom.

 

conversations@effroymson

conversations@effroymson is a supplement to the VWS and offers more intimate and interactive events from a wide range of genres and perspectives. The series is intended to enrich the literary “conversation” and community in the MFA program, on campus, and in the broader Indianapolis community.

Wednesday, September 7th. 7:00pm – Book Party with Chris Forhan

Reading and remarks by our own Chris Forhan, Associate Professor of English and MFA poetry faculty, celebrating the release of his new memoir, My Father Before Me.

Friday, October 21st.  7:00pm – Sunset Story Hour Story Slam

Butler MFAs and English students are invited to submit to our storytelling contest which will culminate in an epic slam event, featuring three finalists performing their work. “Miracles” is our chosen theme.

Friday, November 4th. 7:00pm- Occasional Poetry: Election

A companion event to the Sunset Story Hour, the MFA program invites all writers to perform a poem on the theme of “election.” You may read your own original poem, or you may read a poem written by anyone in the program.

Wednesday, November 3oth. 7:00pm- Book Party with Lili Wright

Reading and remarks by MFA adjunct professor Lili Wright, celebrating the release of her novel, Dancing With the Tiger.

Poetry Lunch Hours

Open to all Butler community members, each Lunch Hour will feature discussion of a selected poet’s work. A selection of poems will be emailed in advance with RSVP. Lunch is also provided with RSVP. Please email Mindy Dunn to RSVP for any of the dates below. All lunch hours meet at 12:30 PM at the ECCW.

  •    Friday, September 2 (Yusef Komunyakaa)
  •    Friday, September 23
  •    Friday, October 7 (Robert Wrigley)
  •    Friday, October 28 (Brenda Shaughnessy)
  •    Friday, November 11
  •    Friday, December 2

More specific details about these events can be found on conversations@effroymson page or by emailing Mindy Dunn.

 

 

 

Fall 2016 Reading Series Events

Posted by MS

Butler University MFA students are privileged to have not just one reading series on campus, but two! The Vivian S. Delbrook Visiting Writing Series (VWS) and conversations@effroymson work together to bring the best contemporary writers and dynamic literary events to our creative writing community. The fall line-ups have been announced, so save these dates to your calendars now so you don’t miss out!

Vivian S. Delbrook Visiting Writing Series

This award-winning series brings the hottest stars in the literary world to the Butler campus. Authors include best sellers and major award winners across genres. The VWS always includes a free public reading and an intimate, casual student Q & A with each author. The readings are held at various venues across campus at 7:30 PM, and the Q & A’s are during the day at the ECCW. Additional opportunities may arise by invitation, such as dinner with the author and workshops.

September 13th – Yusef Komunyakaa, author of numerous collections of poetry including Neon Vernacular: New & Selected Poems 1977-1989, for which he received the Pulitzer Prize and the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award.

September 27th – Hanya Yanagihara, best-selling novelist of A Little Life which was shortlisted for the 2015 Man Booker Prize and a National Book Award finalist.

October 25th – Robert Wrigley, author of five poetry collections, most recently Anatomy of Melancholy & Other Poems (Penguin, 2013), winner of the Pacific Northwest Book Award.

November 1st – Brenda Shaughnessy, award-winning author of four poetry collections including So Much Synth (2016) .

November 9th – Elizabeth Strout, novelist and short story writer of five books including Olive Kitteridge, winner of the Pulitzer Prize. 

November 29th – Meghan Daum, author of four books including the original essay collection The Unspeakable: And Other Subjects of Discussion, winner of the 2015 PEN Center USA Award for creative nonfiction.

Much more information about each author and reading locations can be found at the Butler Newsroom.

 

conversations@effroymson

conversations@effroymson is a supplement to the VWS and offers more intimate and interactive events from a wide range of genres and perspectives. The series is intended to enrich the literary “conversation” and community in the MFA program, on campus, and in the broader Indianapolis community.

Wednesday, September 7th. 7:00pm – Book Party with Chris Forhan

Reading and remarks by our own Chris Forhan, Associate Professor of English and MFA poetry faculty, celebrating the release of his new memoir, My Father Before Me.

Friday, October 21st.  7:00pm – Sunset Story Hour Story Slam

Butler MFAs and English students are invited to submit to our storytelling contest which will culminate in an epic slam event, featuring three finalists performing their work. “Miracles” is our chosen theme.

Friday, November 4th. 7:00pm- Occasional Poetry: Election

A companion event to the Sunset Story Hour, the MFA program invites all writers to perform a poem on the theme of “election.” You may read your own original poem, or you may read a poem written by anyone in the program.

Wednesday, November 3oth. 7:00pm- Book Party with Lili Wright

Reading and remarks by MFA adjunct professor Lili Wright, celebrating the release of her novel, Dancing With the Tiger.

Poetry Lunch Hours

Open to all Butler community members, each Lunch Hour will feature discussion of a selected poet’s work. A selection of poems will be emailed in advance with RSVP. Lunch is also provided with RSVP. Please email Mindy Dunn to RSVP for any of the dates below. All lunch hours meet at 12:30 PM at the ECCW.

  •    Friday, September 2 (Yusef Komunyakaa)
  •    Friday, September 23
  •    Friday, October 7 (Robert Wrigley)
  •    Friday, October 28 (Brenda Shaughnessy)
  •    Friday, November 11
  •    Friday, December 2

More specific details about these events can be found on conversations@effroymson page or by emailing Mindy Dunn.

 

 

 

August Literary Events

Posted by MS

Although classes have not started, Indianapolis has many literary events to fill your last days of summer or get you acquainted with our always busy city. Every month Butler University, the MFA program, and the creative community of Indianapolis host a variety of events ensuring you’ll never have a lack of things to do.

Events at Butler

Sunday, 8/21 -Welcome (back) Party
ECCW, 4:00pm

All new and current students, faculty and staff to are invited to the ECCW for the annual party celebrating the start of a new school year. Plans include heavy appetizers catered by Duos, croquet in the yard, and fun conversation. An orientation for new students will precede the party at 3:00pm. All are welcome to bring a +1, but please no children under age 21.

Wednesday, 8/24 – Classes Begin
ECCW

In addition to four workshops, the fall semester includes electives like Reading Like a Writer, Writing in the Schools, and Prose Poems and Flash Fiction. Most of the MFA classes are held in the ECCW, a beautiful, historic house owned by Butler’s MFA. Students are welcome to bring snacks or make a cup of tea or coffee and make themselves at home.

Events in Indy

8/9 – Ross Gay 
Bloomington, 5:30 PM

Award Winning Poet Ross Gay will speak at Bloom Magazine Book Club. In each edition of Bloom, a noted author or literary personage will recommend a book. Two months later Bloom will host a Book Club Party at a local venue where the recommender will give a short talk and lead a discussion about the book.
This issue’s book is Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude by Ross Gay, who will be speaking at the free event. 

Ross Gay’s most recent book Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude, is the winner of the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award and the 2016 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude is currently a nominee for the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award and a finalist for the Ohioana Book Award.  Catalog was also a finalist for the 2015 National Book Award in Poetry, the Balcones Poetry Prize, and it was nominated for an NAACP Image Award.

 

8/10 – Robert Snow
Irvington Library, 6:30 PM

Adult are invited as retired IPD Detective Robert Snow discusses his recent autobiography, “Portrait of a Past Life Skeptic: The True Story of a Policy Detective’s Reincarnation.” He tells of past life regression done in response to a dare, ends up researching one of the people he was in his past life, and learns that what he saw reflects the reality of his previous life. Books will be available for sale and signing courtesy of Bookmamas.

8/15 – Dan Wakefield’s “Uncle Dan’s Story Hour”
The Red Key Tavern, 6:00 PM

Visit the Legendary Red Key Tavern for UNCLE DAN’S STORY HOUR. Only 48 tickets available ($15 each) for this special night featuring Indiana author and screenwriter Dan Wakefield. With host Will Higgins from the Indianapolis Star, it’s your chance to hear life stories from a master of the word. This show will be recorded live and broadcast at future dates on 90.1 WFYI Public Radio Indianapolis.

8/22 – Barbara Shoup
Central Library, 6:00 PM

As part of the Library’s Adult Summer Reading Program whose theme celebrates Indiana’s bicentennial, adults are invited as local author Barbara Shoup leads a book discussion of An American Tune.

8/22 – From Match to Flame: The Evolution of Fahrenheit 451
Central Library, 6:00 PM

This 3rd Annual Ray Bradbury Memorial Lecture will be presented by Dr. Jonathan R. Eller, Chancellor’s Professor of English and Director for the Center for Ray Bradbury Studies. The unlikely evolution of Fahrenheit 451, and its even more remarkable transformation into an international literary classic and a major 1966 motion picture, forms the core of this lecture. Ray Bradbury drafted the final version during a nine-day blaze of creativity in the summer of 1953, but his nightmare world of book burning originated in a seven-year arc of drafts that spilled over into some of his most famous early stories.

8/22 – Author talk with Indiana’s Poet Laureate Shari Wagner
Pike Library, 6:00 PM

As part of the Library’s Adult Summer Reading Program whose theme celebrates Indiana’s bicentennial, adults are invited as Indiana’s Poet Laureate Shari Wagner conducts a poetry reading and discusses nature and history’s connections to poetry.

 

August Literary Events

Posted by MS

Although classes have not started, Indianapolis has many literary events to fill your last days of summer or get you acquainted with our always busy city. Every month Butler University, the MFA program, and the creative community of Indianapolis host a variety of events ensuring you’ll never have a lack of things to do.

Events at Butler

Sunday, 8/21 -Welcome (back) Party
ECCW, 4:00pm

All new and current students, faculty and staff to are invited to the ECCW for the annual party celebrating the start of a new school year. Plans include heavy appetizers catered by Duos, croquet in the yard, and fun conversation. An orientation for new students will precede the party at 3:00pm. All are welcome to bring a +1, but please no children under age 21.

Wednesday, 8/24 – Classes Begin
ECCW

In addition to four workshops, the fall semester includes electives like Reading Like a Writer, Writing in the Schools, and Prose Poems and Flash Fiction. Most of the MFA classes are held in the ECCW, a beautiful, historic house owned by Butler’s MFA. Students are welcome to bring snacks or make a cup of tea or coffee and make themselves at home.

Events in Indy

8/9 – Ross Gay 
Bloomington, 5:30 PM

Award Winning Poet Ross Gay will speak at Bloom Magazine Book Club. In each edition of Bloom, a noted author or literary personage will recommend a book. Two months later Bloom will host a Book Club Party at a local venue where the recommender will give a short talk and lead a discussion about the book.
This issue’s book is Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude by Ross Gay, who will be speaking at the free event. 

Ross Gay’s most recent book Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude, is the winner of the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award and the 2016 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude is currently a nominee for the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award and a finalist for the Ohioana Book Award.  Catalog was also a finalist for the 2015 National Book Award in Poetry, the Balcones Poetry Prize, and it was nominated for an NAACP Image Award.

 

8/10 – Robert Snow
Irvington Library, 6:30 PM

Adult are invited as retired IPD Detective Robert Snow discusses his recent autobiography, “Portrait of a Past Life Skeptic: The True Story of a Policy Detective’s Reincarnation.” He tells of past life regression done in response to a dare, ends up researching one of the people he was in his past life, and learns that what he saw reflects the reality of his previous life. Books will be available for sale and signing courtesy of Bookmamas.

8/15 – Dan Wakefield’s “Uncle Dan’s Story Hour”
The Red Key Tavern, 6:00 PM

Visit the Legendary Red Key Tavern for UNCLE DAN’S STORY HOUR. Only 48 tickets available ($15 each) for this special night featuring Indiana author and screenwriter Dan Wakefield. With host Will Higgins from the Indianapolis Star, it’s your chance to hear life stories from a master of the word. This show will be recorded live and broadcast at future dates on 90.1 WFYI Public Radio Indianapolis.

8/22 – Barbara Shoup
Central Library, 6:00 PM

As part of the Library’s Adult Summer Reading Program whose theme celebrates Indiana’s bicentennial, adults are invited as local author Barbara Shoup leads a book discussion of An American Tune.

8/22 – From Match to Flame: The Evolution of Fahrenheit 451
Central Library, 6:00 PM

This 3rd Annual Ray Bradbury Memorial Lecture will be presented by Dr. Jonathan R. Eller, Chancellor’s Professor of English and Director for the Center for Ray Bradbury Studies. The unlikely evolution of Fahrenheit 451, and its even more remarkable transformation into an international literary classic and a major 1966 motion picture, forms the core of this lecture. Ray Bradbury drafted the final version during a nine-day blaze of creativity in the summer of 1953, but his nightmare world of book burning originated in a seven-year arc of drafts that spilled over into some of his most famous early stories.

8/22 – Author talk with Indiana’s Poet Laureate Shari Wagner
Pike Library, 6:00 PM

As part of the Library’s Adult Summer Reading Program whose theme celebrates Indiana’s bicentennial, adults are invited as Indiana’s Poet Laureate Shari Wagner conducts a poetry reading and discusses nature and history’s connections to poetry.