PRESS RELEASE
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS
COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS AND COMMUNICATION
Contact: Christina Madsen, (501) 852-2659; christinam@uca.edu.
Mark Spitzer, (501) 450-3339; mspitzer@uca.edu.
February 20, 2015
ARKATEXT LITERARY FESTIVAL SET FOR MARCH 2-6
By Ariana Sumpter
College of Fine Arts and Communication Media Office
CONWAY — The University of Central Arkansas Department of Writing will hold its annual ArkaText literary festival March 2-6 in Win Thompson Hall.
All ArkaText events are free and open to the public, although some readings may be inappropriate for younger age groups.
Dr. John Vanderslice, associate professor of writing, says he always enjoys ArkaText, and this year’s schedule keeps the excitement going.
“This year we have a poet and translator from Fayetteville, Geoff Brock,” Vanderslice said. “He’s a fine poet, and translation is an important art that no visiting writer at ArkaText has ever spoken to before. So it will be a great opportunity for everyone to learn. We also have an accomplished fiction writer from Little Rock, Dennis Vannatta, who I’m eager to listen to, as I so far only know his work by reputation.”
The schedule for ArkaText includes:
Monday, March 2, 1-3 p.m. — Undergraduate reading, Grand Foyer, Thompson Hall;
Tuesday, March 3, 1:40-3 p.m. — Graduate student and creative writing faculty reading, featuring second-year MFA candidates Audrey Carroll, T.J. Heffers and Becca Hawk and faculty members Mark Spitzer, John Vanderslice and Stephanie Vanderslice, Grand Foyer, Thompson Hall;
Wednesday, March 4, 11-11:50 a.m. — Craft talk by fiction writer Dennis Vannatta, 331 Thompson Hall; 2-2:50 — Reading, Dennis Vannatta, Grand Foyer, Thompson Hall;
Thursday, March 5, 11-11:50 a.m. — Craft talk by poet and translator Geoffrey Brock, 331 Thompson Hall; 1:40-2:30 p.m. — Reading, Geoffrey Brock, Grand Foyer, Thompson Hall;
Friday, March 6, 1-1:50 p.m. — Craft talk by Nate Jordon, editor and publisher of Monkey Puzzle Press, Thompson Hall 331;
Friday, March 6, 7 p.m. — Fifth annual Toad Suck Review Launchapalooza, Faulkner County Library, 1900 W. Tyler St., Conway. Readers will include Stacy Kidd, Lisa Ference, Tim Lepczyk and Nate Jordon. Reading may not be appropriate for all ages.
“Many of our students would love to get jobs as editors after they graduate, and Nate Jordon can give them a working-eye view on that profession,” Vanderslice said.
For more information about ArkaText, contact Mark Spitzer at (501) 450-3339 or mspitzer@uca.edu.
The UCA College of Fine Arts and Communication includes the Departments of Art, Communication, Mass Communication and Theatre, Music and Writing. The college’s primary mission is the preparation of the next generation of artists, educators and communicators. For more information about CFAC, visit www.uca.edu/cfac or call (501) 450-3293.
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