Events at Butler
11/2, 11/9, 11/16, 11/30 – Write Group
ECCW, 11:00 AM
The #1 rule all successful writers follow? They write. Join your writing community for one hour of writing every Wednesday. No Facebook, no talking, lots of coffee, and sometimes monkey bread. Email Natalie if you have questions.
An “occasional” poem is a poem written on the occasion of a special event. The MFA program invites all writers to perform a poem on the theme of “election.” Butler MFAs and English students are invited to perform an original poem in competition for a grand prize. As in the Sunset Story Hour, the aim is to entertain; poets enjoy a good guffaw, too. Unlike Sunset Story Hour, no prior submission of your poem is required, come ready to read!
11/9 – Elizabeth Strout
Atherton Union, 7:30 PM
The Vivian S. Delbrook Visiting Writers Series presents The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author of Olive Kitteridge, Elizabeth Strout. Strout also won the O. Henry Prize for her collection of short stories Snowblind in 2015, and was a PEN/Faulkner Award finalist for her first book, Amy & Isabelle in 2000. Her latest book is My Name is Lucy Barton (2016).
Join Mindy Dunn for a fun, insightful poetry discussion. Open to all Butler students, faculty, and staff, these lunches are a great opportunity to meet new people and have passionate and intelligent conversation about poetry. A selection of poetry is emailed to all who RSVP with at least 24 hours’ notice, so no book purchase is necessary to participate. You do not need to have any experience studying poetry. Lunch is also provided! Please RSVP to Mindy.
The MFA program wants to give storytellers a stage. Butler MFAs, English students, and alumni 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. Please submit audio/video files to Mindy Dunn. More submission details can be found on our blog.
11/12 – Butler Poetry Group
ECCW, 3:00-5:00 PM
Poetry MFA students, alums & brave prose writers are all welcome. We discuss a poem that we admire, spend some time on a writing prompt, and then informally workshop poems by anyone who brings copies. Contact Tracy for more information.
11/29 – Meghan Daum
Atherton Union, 7:30 PM
The Vivian S. Delbrook Visiting Writers Series presents the winner of the 2015 PEN Center USA Award for creative nonfiction, Meghan Daum. Daum is the author of four books, most recently the collection of original essays The Unspeakable: And Other Subjects of Discussion, which won the 2015 PEN Center USA Award for creative nonfiction. She is also the editor of The New York Times bestseller Selfish, Shallow & Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on the Decision Not To Have Kids. Her other books include the essay collection My Misspent Youth, the novel The Quality of Life Report, and Life Would Be Perfect If I Lived In That House, a memoir.
Reading and remarks by MFA adjunct professors Lili Wright and Eric Freeze, celebrating the release of their new books, Dancing With the Tiger and Invisible Men. Books will be available for sale and signing courtesy of the Butler bookstore.
Events in Indy
Descriptions are taken from the event websites. Please confirm details through the links in the event titles.
Join us at Indy Reads Books for a discussion of two great new titles, Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead and Underground Airlines, by Ben H. Winters. Released within a month of one another, both address slavery through speculative fiction, though through very different settings and protagonists.
Or are they so different? How does current fiction explore the past and create a roadmap for the future?
Local professors Ania Spyra from Butler and Jason Housley from IUPUI, author Tamara Winfrey Harris, and activist Leah Humphrey will be on a panel to help facilitate this conversation, moderated by Ebony Chappel, Editor in Chief of the Indy Recorder, followed by refreshments.
11/16 – Sarah Gorham
Depauw University, 7:30 pm
Sarah Gorham is a poet, essayist, and publisher who resides in Prospect, Kentucky. She is the author of four collections of poetry: Bad Daughter (2011), The Cure (2003), The Tension Zone (1996), and Don’t Go Back to Sleep (1989). With Jeffrey Skinner, she co-edited the anthology Last Call: Poems on Alcoholism, Addiction, and Deliverance.
Get a personal glimpse at what veterans think and feel through this multidisciplinary endeavor that provides veterans an opportunity to share their feelings and express themselves through written and spoken word and creative movement. This unforgettable experience will tie the past, present and future together allowing people to ponder and experience “home” in a unique way.
The event is capstoned by the readings of veterans previously involved in writing workshops with the Indiana Writers Center. Their words are followed by creative dance interpretations created and performed by Dance Kaleidoscope. All are invited to remain after the program, enjoy refreshments, and share thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
Maybe you want to preserve the stories of your life for your family; maybe you want to write them solely for yourself-to better understand what made you who you are. Maybe you feel you have a story to tell that the wider world needs to know. E.L. Doctorow said, “Anyone at any age is able to tell the story of his or her life with authority.” Memory Workshop will help you find that authority by introducing you to a simple method of turning your memories into words. Led by Butler MFA, Andrea Boucher, these free workshops are held at various times and locations around the city. Click the link above for a complete schedule.
