Greg O’Neill, current Butler MFA candidate in fiction is the program’s resident music scene guy. He knows music: Who to watch and where and with whom (hint: with him, if you’re buying). He shares his thoughts on Indy’s music scene.
As a music fan and musician, Indy has always been good to me. There are venues all over the city for both local and touring acts. Places like the Melody Inn which is next to Butler’s campus and books acts as disparate as Japanese punks Peelander-Z and surf-rock god Dick Dale; shockingly legit jazz clubs like the Chatterbox and the Jazz Kitchen; a trio of clubs in Fountain Square — White Rabbit, Radio, Radio and Hi-fi — specializing in everything from burlesque shows to bearded folkies; not to mention your standard outdoor amphitheaters and sporting arenas (I saw both Taylor Swift and Nine Inch Nails under the Pacers banner at Banker’s Life Fieldhouse).
And because Indy inhabits this weird limbo of sometimes-medium-sometimes-major market, national touring acts like Animal Collective, Kurt Vile or Savages will often play more intimate spaces than up in Chicago. Here’s how close you can get:I’m also constantly surprised by all the MCs who just keep spawning in nearby Fountain Square’s hip hop scene, each year culminating in the hip hop block party, Chreece — sold out in its first two years.I could go on.And I will.Only to mention the two stellar record stores in town, Luna Music and Indy CD & Vinyl. They both sell a great selection of old records and host incredible events like in-store performances from artists playing in town.I like Indy. It’s a tidy little secret with lots of cool people, cheap housing and zero pretense. Find a local and prepare to spend a single digit number of dollars on drinks.
“I just feel so lucky to be able to live this life where I get to write poems and read poems and think about poems all the time. And I do think that began at Butler,” he said. “Through the friends and mentors I met at Butler who were willing to listen to me blather on and on about this or that poet or this or that poem, the friends and mentors who would often blather back at me with equal fervor. That was such a gift, remains such a gift—one I think about every day.”
Congratulations to Butler MFA graduate, Laura Kendall. Not only is she a 
Karin Salisbury: It’s a home away from home. I’m grateful for insightful faculty, supportive staff, and faithful friends I adore. I am also grateful for the many outreach programs, including Writing for Wellness.
Luke Wortely: Writing in the Schools 
Lydia Johnson: I’m thankful for friendships, writing support, encouragement and being a part of a community of writers and the Butler community at large. Also that the programs and events are open to alumni so that we can still be involved!
Lisa Frazeur: I am thankful to be in an environment where we want to see each other succeed. I don’t feel pressure to be better than the person next to me, just encouragement to consistently become a better me.
Bailey Merlin:The Writing for Wellness program made me want to be a better, more compassionate human being. I’d say I’m pretty damn grateful for that. 
Tracy Mishkin: The Butler MFA has helped me meet all the goals that I had coming in: write more, write better, send more stuff out, get published. We have great faculty, students, and staff supporting us!
Andrea Boucher: I am thankful to the Butler MFA program for helping me establish a second and far better life as my alter ego Butler Andrea. Exceedingly thankful. I finally found my people.
Annie Sullivan: Besides the wonderful writers and mentors I met, I’m thankful for a program that welcomed writers who write in different genres and for different ages. Not every program welcomes people who write YA and MG, but Butler always made me feel valued and respected for my writing.
The following day, Strout met with students for an intimate Q & A. She discussed her writing process and where she found inspiration. “I grew up on a dirt road in Maine with all my great-aunts. They were miserable, elderly people. I went in and out of their homes like a squirrel—they didn’t care. Their voices and concerns were the music of my childhood.”