Mark Spitzer, associate professor of creative writing at the University of Central Arkansas, will be a guest on KUAR’s Arts & Letters at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20.
The 29-minute episode, “What the Hellbender Salamander!,” to be aired on the NPR affiliate at 89.1 FM, highlights Spitzer’s newest literary eco-effort, Glurk! A Hellbender Odyssey, about North America’s largest amphibian: the hellbender salamander. The book, published by Anaphora Literary Press, explores and celebrates the endangered creature, which can be found in Ozark streams and rivers in northern Arkansas and parts of southern Missouri.
Spitzer writes: “The plight of this amphibian — an evolutionary phenomenon — has as much to say about humans and our relationship with the natural world as it does about Cryptobranchus alleganiensis itself!”
The book was recently nominated for a Pushcart Prize and is an avant-garde epic poem—part scientific narrative, part bender biology, part neologism-filled lyric, part ecological mosaic. The radio show takes the listener on an environmental journey, not only describing the hellbender salamander and its nomenclature but also discussing its habitat, numerous predators and extensive preservation efforts across the country.
“The hellbender is a kind of rock star in the ecological community — a microcosm of the effects of pollution on our planet, whose plight may well reflect our own future,” J. Bradley Minnick, Arts & Letters executive producer and host, said.
Original music for the show is provided by R. Ring’s Kelley Deal and Mike Montgomery, Joey Kneiser with Kelly Smith, Gallows Bound, AmyJo Savannah, Open Fields, Randall Shreve, Kinderfunken, John Burnette and Spitzer himself — who plays the electric hellbender, a whacky musical instrument designed out of a Fender Stratocaster, drainage tubing and uncooked lasagna noodles.
“The Ozark hellbender is a rare and fascinating species right here in Arkansas, a barometer of water quality that is currently in need of urgent attention,” said Spitzer, the author of 25 books, including fish books, novels, memoirs, translations and collections of poetry. “The gospel of GLURK! is intended to spread awareness and entertain an audience that values its natural heritage.”
Produced by Minnick and Christopher Hickey, Arts & Letters is an educational radio show that strives to enlighten its audience and is dedicated to showcasing aspects of the humanities and literary arts in Arkansas and beyond. This program was made possible through a grant from the Arkansas Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities. After the broadcast, the podcast may be accessed online at artsandlettersradio.org, iTunes and the NPR Podcast page.
GLURK! A Hellbender Odyssey is available at the UCA Bookstore, Amazon and online retailers.
For more information, contact Hickey at 501-569-8485 or Minnick at jbminnick@ualr.edu.
The UCA College of Fine Arts and Communication includes the Departments of Art, Music and Film, Theatre and Creative Writing as well as the School of Communication. 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.
