Public invited to Nov. 13 reading, book signing, reception
Beth Ann Fennelly
The University of Central Arkansas will host acclaimed poet and author Beth Ann Fennelly for a two-day residency Friday and Saturday, Nov. 13-14, featuring a public reading and book signing followed by a student writing workshop during the C.D. Wright Writers Conference.
“Beth Ann Fennelly is a brilliant writer with a catalogue that defies genre,” Sarah Brackett, organizer of the C.D. Wright Writers Conference, said. “Her work is meditative and humorous, complex and compassionate, capturing in poetry and prose the minutiae of what it means to move through this world.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Beth Ann to UCA and for our students to have the opportunity to work with and learn from her.”
Fennelly’s residency will begin with “Public Event: Reading and Book Signing with Reception” in McCastlain Hall Ballroom, Friday, Nov. 13, at 6:30 p.m.
On Saturday, Nov. 14, at 10 a.m. will be “Student Event: Writing Workshop Led by Beth Ann Fennelly” in McCastlain Hall Fireplace Room.
Fennelly has published three poetry collections with W. W. Norton: “Open House,” “Tender Hooks” and “Unmentionables.” She is also the author of “Heating & Cooling: 52 Micro-Memoirs,” a collection of short memoirs; “Great With Child: Letters to a Young Mother,” a collection of essays; and “The Tilted World,” a novel co-authored with her husband, Tom Franklin.
Her most recent book, “The Irish Goodbye: Memoirs & Micro-Memoirs,” brings together short memoirs ranging from childhood recollections to cultural observations, building a portrait of Fennelly as a wife, mother, writer and observer of life’s challenges and joys.
Fennelly’s poetry has appeared in more than 50 anthologies, including “Best American Poetry,” “The Book of Irish American Poetry: From the Eighteenth Century to the Present,” “Poets of the New Century” and “The Penguin Book of the Sonnet.” She teaches in the MFA Program at the University of Mississippi, where she was named Outstanding Teacher of the Year.