The ArkaText Literary Festival, a celebration of Arkansas writers, will be held the week of Feb. 27 through March 3 at the University of Central Arkansas. The annual festival, sponsored by UCA?s Department of Writing and Speech, features writers with Arkansas ties who give public readings and present public lectures on the craft of writing.
This year?s festival features nonfiction writer Mel White, fiction writer Carol Ann Fitzgerald, and poet Clayton Scott. Faculty and student readings are also scheduled.
All events are free and open to the public.Nonfiction writer Mel White will be reading from his work at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, March 1, in Irby Hall, Room 115. White will also present a craft lecture at 11 a.m. on Wednesday in Irby Hall, Room 315.
White is a freelance writer specializing in travel and natural history. His books include National Geographic Guide to Birdwatching Sites (East and West volumes), A Birder?s Guide to Arkansas, Smithsonian Guide to Natural America (South-Central states volume), and others. He is a contributing editor for National Geographic Traveler and has a story appearing in the June 2006 issue of National Geographic. In 2002, he won both first and second place Lowell Thomas Awards in the Environmental Journalism category. The awards are sponsored by the Society of American Travel Writers.
Fiction writer Carol Ann Fitzgerald will read from her work at 1:40 p.m. on Thursday, March 2, at in Irby Hall, Room 310. Fitzgerald will also give a craft lecture at 10:50 a.m. on Thursday in Irby Hall, Room 101.
She is the managing editor of The Oxford American magazine. Her work has been published in Ploughshares, Arts & Letters, Malahat Review, the San Francisco Chronicle, Gettysburg Review, and other publications. Fitzgerald worked as an editor in New York City at Da Capo Press, the Mitchell Rose Literary Agency, the Guggenheim Museum, and ESPN?The Magazine.
Poet Clayton Scott will read/perform his work at 2 p.m., Friday, March 3, in Irby Hall, Room 215. Scott will also present a craft lecture at 11 a.m. on Friday in Irby Hall, Room 315.
He represented Arkansas at the 2001, 2002 and 2003 National Poetry Slams. In 2001, he ranked in the top 10 percent of slam poets in the world, and was the only poet from rural America to make the list. His most recent book is Mind Your Head. A CD, Brain Tattoos, has also been released. Scott is a member of Arkansas Artists on Tour and was selected to be a poetry ambassador with the Arkansas Arts in Education program. He has performed poetry in Denver, Oakland, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Hollywood, Seattle, Dallas and many other cities.
UCA students will read from original work at 2 p.m., Monday, Feb. 27, in Irby Hall, Room 215. UCA Faculty will read from original work at 1:40 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 28, in Irby Hall, Room 310.
