Writer and philosopher Andrei Codrescu will be the first lecturer in UCA’s Spring 2009 Artists in Residence program Feb. 3-4.
Codrescu is a poet, novelist, essayist, teacher and lecturer.
“We are ecstatic to have Codrescu visiting our campus,” said Mark Spitzer, assistant professor of writing at UCA and the faculty sponsor of the residency. “Andrei might be connected to the Surreal tradition, but his writing and thinking and sense of humor go straight to what is most vital to our communal codependence. Andrei doesn’t mess around.”
Codrescu will begin his residency by answering questions from students and faculty on Tuesday, Feb. 3 at 1:30 p.m. in Thompson Hall room 331.”Since UCA is now publishing a print version of his world-famous literary journal, it made sense to not only collaborate with him, but to time his artist’s residency in the Toad Suck environs with the historic debut of The Exquisite Corpse Annual,” said Spitzer, who is also an editor of the journal.
Spitzer said this annual would be unlike the other Exquisite Corpse anthologies.
“This is not collected work over a period of time — this is groundbreaking work happening in the Now,” he said.
The annual will feature new articles, essays, reviews, works of fiction and poetry and selections from the Web site (www.corpse.org).
Codrescu was quoted in a UCA press release last fall: “The presence of the new Exquisite Corpse Annual in Arkansas will doubtlessly stimulate an association with local writers and artists. The first issue of the Exquisite Corpse Annual will continue publishing well-established names, among them Diane di Prima, Bill Berkson, and Aram Saroyan, while promoting less known ones. Join us in welcoming the Corpse to its new home.”
Codrescu will have a public reading and presentation of the annual at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 3 in room 141 of the Doyne Health Sciences Center. A Q&A session and book signing will follow the presentation.
“The annual is totally awesome,” Spitzer said. “It’s the best, most cutting-edge literary journal out there and is sure to continue the legendary tradition it comes from. We are lucky to have it here in Arkansas. It will provide a sturdy foundation for the creative writing programs we are developing; it will build the reputation of central Arkansas as a place where avant-garde literature is happening; and it will focus even more attention on UCA as a center for the arts.”
To conclude his visit, Codrescu will hold two master classes on Wednesday, Feb. 4 in Thompson Hall 331. The first class, on poetry, is set for noon. The second will be on nonfiction writing at 2 p.m.
All events are free and open to the public. Codrescu
