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Poetry Lunch Hour

Posted by MS

All Butler students, faculty, and staff are invited to the Poetry Lunch Hour held twice a month at the Efroymson Center for Creative Writing.

The casual meeting gathers poetry readers from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences for a lunchtime discussion. The last meeting examined selected poems of Maurice Manning. Poetry majors and teachers as well as poetry novices all contributed to a lively conversation with a variety of opinions.

poetrylunch

Join Mindy for the next lunch hour tomorrow, Friday, February 20th at 12:30 at the ECCW. Selected work from Claudia Rankine’s Citizen will be discussed, but purchase of the book is not required. Lunch is provided. RSVP to Mindy at mdunn1@butler.edu.

Booth Interview Goes Viral

Posted by MS

One of the perks of being an MFA student at Butler is meeting renowned visiting writers like Margaret Atwood, Louise Gluck, Cheryl Strayed, and Jonathan Franzen. In addition to the public readings, students are invited to intimate Q & A’s and private dinners. Whenever possible, Booth: A Journal gives MFA students the opportunity to interview these writers.

MeButler MFA’s literary magazine, Booth posted an interview with Jonathan Franzen by Butler MFA nonfiction student Susan Lerner on Friday, and within eight hours, the interview generated over 13,000 views and sparked an internet frenzy.

Sites like Salon, Jezebel, Vulture, Huffington Post, Gawker, and Flavorwire all responded to the intriguing interview. Susan’s interview even caused a Twitter trend.

Susan is notorious in the program for her preparation and hard work, which paid off in the interview. “I pretty much abandoned my family for the month before the interview, reading every other interview he’s done and dissecting his work,” Susan said. “I did my homework and felt really prepared, otherwise I wouldn’t have had enough confidence to poke him a bit.”

The students and faculty are extremely proud and impressed by Susan’s interview, but she throws the compliments back to Butler: “Nowhere else in the country would an MFA student get this opportunity! Andy [Levy, English Department Chair] and Hilene [Flanzbaum, MFA Program Chair] and the Vivian Delbrook Writers Series all get props. And Rob [Stapleton, Booth Editor-in-Chief], who had the chutzpah to ask Franzen for an interview (which I don’t think he grants very often), and gave me the gig.”

nprpomv5moqfha0pjapxShe even gives credit to Franzen. “He’s the best kind of interviewee,” she said. “He has strong opinions and doesn’t mind being provocative.”

Read the full Franzen interview at Booth.

 

 

Booth Interview Goes Viral

Posted by MS

One of the perks of being an MFA student at Butler is meeting renowned visiting writers like Margaret Atwood, Louise Gluck, Cheryl Strayed, and Jonathan Franzen. In addition to the public readings, students are invited to intimate Q & A’s and private dinners. Whenever possible, Booth: A Journal gives MFA students the opportunity to interview these writers.

MeButler MFA’s literary magazine, Booth posted an interview with Jonathan Franzen by Butler MFA nonfiction student Susan Lerner on Friday, and within eight hours, the interview generated over 13,000 views and sparked an internet frenzy.

Sites like Salon, Jezebel, Vulture, Huffington Post, Gawker, and Flavorwire all responded to the intriguing interview. Susan’s interview even caused a Twitter trend.

Susan is notorious in the program for her preparation and hard work, which paid off in the interview. “I pretty much abandoned my family for the month before the interview, reading every other interview he’s done and dissecting his work,” Susan said. “I did my homework and felt really prepared, otherwise I wouldn’t have had enough confidence to poke him a bit.”

The students and faculty are extremely proud and impressed by Susan’s interview, but she throws the compliments back to Butler: “Nowhere else in the country would an MFA student get this opportunity! Andy [Levy, English Department Chair] and Hilene [Flanzbaum, MFA Program Chair] and the Vivian Delbrook Writers Series all get props. And Rob [Stapleton, Booth Editor-in-Chief], who had the chutzpah to ask Franzen for an interview (which I don’t think he grants very often), and gave me the gig.”

nprpomv5moqfha0pjapxShe even gives credit to Franzen. “He’s the best kind of interviewee,” she said. “He has strong opinions and doesn’t mind being provocative.”

Read the full Franzen interview at Booth.

 

 

Great Valentine’s Day Reads

Posted by MS

Flowers and candy may be traditional Valentine’s Day gifts, but for writers, nothing says love like a great book. In honor of the holiday, two local bookstore managers shared their list of recommended love stories.

Jenny Dwenger from Indy Reads Books, 911 Massachusettes Ave

Unknown-1♥ This Is The Story of A Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett. It’s not just about marriage, not at all. It is about the loves of Patchett’s life, and her authorial talent transcends her own experience to describe our universal experience of love in many forms. I can’t think of a more appropriate pick for Valentine’s Day.

 

♥ 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. This is a collection of letters between the author herself, living in NYC, and the London booksellers who supply her with rare book requests. There is no romantic love storyline in this book. It chronicles a different kind of long-distance relationship, built on a mutual love of books, continuing through war and famine and spanning 20 years’ time. This rivals my Patchett pick.

 

Unknown-2♥ My Uncle Oswald and Switch Bitch by Roald Dahl. It amuses me more than it should that Roald Dahl wrote erotica. More people need to know this. Spread the word.

 

♥ All Our Names by Dinaw Mengetsu. This one I haven’t read myself, but I’ve heard great, great things. And it’s so appropriate for our context because it’s set in the Midwest, a love story between a man from Uganda and the social worker assigned to him. This one is high on my own reading list, in my celebration of ‘not another boring white people love story’ month/year/lifetime.

 

Looking for something to do on Valentine’s Day? A. L. Waddington will be at Indy Reads for a reading and signing February 14, 12pm – 4pm. Waddington writes two drastically different series. Eve is YA fiction with a cross over into time travel, paranormal mysticism, and romance. The With Honors series is a sultry psychological erotica series.

 

Kathleen Angelone from Bookmamas, 9 S. Johnson Avenue

Two books by Hoosier authors that I would recommend for Valentine’s Day are:

Unknown♥ Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole. Brockmole was a finalist for the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Emerging Hoosier Author award last year.  Letters from the Skye is an epistolary novel telling the story of two long distance relationships, one in World War I and the other during World War II. The writing is lyrical and creates wonderful scenes. Despite the wars, the book left me feeling hopeful.

♥ Noblesville by Kurt A. Meyer. A young man restoring a historic home in Noblesville is transported back to the house in 1893.  He falls in love with the daughter of the 1893 owner, and the couple travels between times, developing a deep and abiding love. It is a very pleasant book to read.

Looking for something to do on Valentine’s Day? Stop by Bookmamas for Love Local History Feb. 14, 2:00-4:00 pm. Talk to authors about the Indianapolis area history. Participating authors include David Williams(Indianapolis Jazz: The Masters, Legends and Legacy of Indiana Avenue), Julie Young (The Famous Faces of Indianapolis WTTV Channel 4, Historic Irvington, A Brief History of Shelby County,The CYO in Indianapolis and Central Indiana), Nelson Price (Indiana Legends and Indianapolis Then and Now) Forrest Bowman, Jr. (Sylvia:  The Likens Trial), Tom Rumer (A History of Westfield, Indiana: The Promise of the Land) and Fred Cavinder (Forgotten Hoosiers  and Historic Indianapolis Crimes.)

 

Meet Millie, Dog-in-Residence

Posted by MS

IMG_3307 2Nothing makes a house a home like a pet, and now the home of Butler’s MFA creative writing program has its own four legged friend. Program director Hilene Flanzbaum adopted Millie early this school year, and the four year old standard poodle quickly became a member of the MFA community.

Millie is non shedding and hypoallergenic and loves to be petted. She visits the Efroymson Center for Creative Writing with Hilene during casual events, like Saturdays @ 3 or weekday office office hours. Millie is shy and gentle and loves to inspire writers. She has been called a muse, a stress reliever, and a sure cure for writers block.

Make sure you say hello next time you see her at the house.

February Literary Events

Posted by MS

februaryevents

With so many wonderful literary events at Butler and the surrounding areas, there’s no excuse to stay inside!

FEBRUARY EVENTS AT BUTLER

1st – Summer Registration Begins

Butler University will be offering summer courses in screenwriting with visiting professor Alix Lambert, story structure with Dan Barden, and a summer intensive workshop with visiting poet Daisy Fried. Find more details here or email Mindy at mdunn1@butler.edu.

5th- Poetry Lunch Hour, 12:00 at the ECCW

The MFA program will be resuming its Poetry Lunch Hour program on Thursday, Feb 5th with a discussion of selected poems by maurice-manningupcoming visiting writer Maurice Manning. Selections will be from The Gone and Going Away and The Common Man. Purchase of the books is not required. RSVP to Mindy Dunn at mdunn1@butler.edu. Lunch will be provided for all who RSVP, and all Butler faculty, staff and students are invited and welcome. Poetry readers of all levels and types welcome-  we hope to see a variety of poetry lovers from across the University!

5th  – Michele Wood, 4:00-6:00 in Irwin Library

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Butler libraries is hosting a signing with Michele Wood. Wood, an Indianapolis native, is a painter, illustrator and designer. She won the American Book Award for Going Back Home and the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award for I See the Rhythm.

10th – Maurice Manning, 7:30 in Clowes Memorial Hall Krannert Room

The Pulitzer Prize finalist will kick off Butler University’s spring 2015 Vivian S. Delbrook Visiting Writers Series. Manning has published five volumes of poetry including Lawrence Booth’s Book of Visions(2001) which was chosen for the Yale Series of Younger Poets Award. Manning has received fellowships from the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown and the Guggenheim Foundation. He is a Professor of English at Transylvania University.

10th – Maurice Manning Q & A, 12:00-1:00 in ECCW

Join the visiting poet in an intimate setting for a casual conversation at Butler’s Efroymson Center for Creative Writing. This event is free and open to the public.

22nd – Dialogue Book Club, 7PM at Moe & Johnny’s

Unknown-1The MFA student run group, Dialogue, will be discussing Octavia Butler’s Kindred and likely many other things at this casual social gathering.

23rd – NoViolet  Q & A, 9:35-10:50 in the ECCW

The award winning fiction writer will be answering questions with students and the public. This event is free and open to all.

23rd- NoViolet Bulawayo Reading, 7:30 in the Reilly Room

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NoViolet Bulawayo is the author of We Need New Names (May 2013) which has been recognized with many awards including theLA Times Book Prize Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction, the Pen/Hemingway Award, the Etisalat Prize for Literature, and was selected to the New York Times Notable Books of 2013 list, the Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers list, and others.

28th – Saturdays@3, 3:30 at the ECCW

Hilene will be hosting the next Saturdays@3 on February 21 at the Efroymson Center for Creative Writing. Please note the start time will be three THIRTY (3:30pm)! This MFA social is an ideal time for faculty, students and alumni to reconnect and discuss what they’ve been reading and writing. Light snacks will be served. Please send Hilene an RSVP email.

 

 

LITERARY EVENTS AROUND INDY

2nd – Tickets become available for Khaled Hosseinei March 6th Lecture

hosseini_2.jpg.pagespeed.ce.rgUTsUKjwUBest-selling novelist Khaled Hosseinei (Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, and And the Mountains Echoed) will present the 38th annual Marian McFadden Memorial Lecture on Friday, March 6th at 7 p.m. at Clowes Memorial Hall of Butler University. Free tickets are available, while they last, beginning February 2nd online at Ticketmaster.com or in person at the Clowes Memorial Hall box office.

 5th- Katie Coyle, 7:30 at the University of Indianapolis

San Francisco-based Katie Coyle, whose debut novel, Vivian Apple at the End of the World, came out Jan. 2015, will be reading and signing.

8th- Lucy Arlington, 2:00-4:00 at Barnes and Noble

The author of The New York Times bestselling Novel Idea Mysteries will be at Barnes and Noble River Crossing to chat and sign copies of her latest title in the mystery series.

14th- Meet the Artists Gala Reception, 5-10 PM at Central LibraryEthereal_Sister_II.jpg.pagespeed.ce.i3SHgGwr-b

The public will have an opportunity to meet eighteen local prominent African American artists and enjoy an evening of cultural entertainment during a special Valentine’s Day “Meet the Artists Gala Reception” on Saturday, February 14 from 5 – 10 p.m. at Central Library. This free event will feature special activities for children as well as performances and presentations from the Urban Vibes African Drum Troupe; the Brian Reeves & Heart Gospel Choir; spoken word artists Ebonye Potter, Tammy Burrus and Tony Styxx; and the Bullet Proof Band. The “Fashion Passion” Fashion Show will be coordinated by Alpha Blackburn.

A number of local authors also will be on hand to sell and sign copies of their books, including Sonny Bates (The Creole Affair); Dr. Stanley Warren (Crispus Attucks High School: Hail to the Green, Hail to the Gold); Faith McKinney (Schmingling); Cherlisa M. Richardson (Summer Rain); Rosemary Featherstone Turentine (Straight Talk “Unchained”); Theresa Washington (All I Got Left); and Jonathan Thompson (Together We Stand). The evening also will feature a special tribute to Indianapolis poet Mari Evans.

 

22nd – Night of Vonnegut 2015, 6 PM at the Cenral Library Atrium

kvml-logo-x150With Lewis Black, Jim Shella, Dan Wakefield, Michael Shelton, and more

Dinner, a keynote performance by comedian Lewis Black, and a night of celebration are part of the 6th annual “Night of Vonnegut” gala for the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library. Author Dan Wakefield will present the Kurt Vonnegut Writing Award and the Jane Cox Vonnegut Writing Award to two students from Shortridge High School, the school that houses Butler’s Writing in the Schools.