New collection of short stories by Ellen Gilchrist

Acts of God, a new collection of short stories by Ellen Gilchrist, has been accepted for publication by Algonquin Books. Algonquin will also be publishing the paperback edition of her novel A Dangerous Age in 2011.

Brock translation featured on Poetry Daily

Geoffrey Brock's translation of Attilio Bertolucci's poem "Poppies" is featured today at Poetry Daily. The poem originally appeared in this month's issue of Poetry.

Williamson to appear in Smartish Pace

Corrie Williamson's poem "Terra Firma" earned 3rd place in The Beullah Rose Poetry Prize from Smartish Pace. The poem will appear in Issue 18 of the magazine. Corrie is a second-year student in the program.

Essay by Giles in new Gulf Coast

Molly Giles's essay "Nobody's Friend" is in the current issue of Gulf Coast. Molly was also recently awarded an Arkansas Arts Award in Creative Nonfiction.

Notable Nonrequired Reading

Stefan R. De La Garza's story "How High Deer Jump Son" was named as Notable Nonrequired Reading in the Best
American Nonrequired Reading 2010, edited by David Sedaris. The story was originally published in Columbia: A Journal of Literature and Art. Stefan is a first-year student in the program.

Two new poems from Jabaily

Jen Jabaily-Blackburn, a fourth-year student in the program, has two new poems in the current issue of Front Porch: "Museum Dream: An Experiment on a Bird
in the Air Pump" and "Approve Our Eyes and Speak."

Williamson forthcoming in Fugue

Corrie Williamson, a third-year student in the program, has a poem forthcoming in Fugue after being named first runner-up in the magazine's 9th annual contest.

Donovan wins poetry prize

Aran Donovan, a second-year student in the program, has won the Greg Grummer Poetry Award from Phoebe. Five other poems by Donovan will appear on Burning Word on Jan. 1.

New book forthcoming from Heffernan

Michael Heffernan has a new book of poems forthcoming in January. At the Bureau of Divine Music will be published by Wayne State University Press as part of the Made in Michigan Writers Series. (The Huffington Post recently listed the press among "the seventeen most innovative university presses.")

Meunier chairs panel, presents paper

Thomas Meunier, a translation student in the program, chaired a panel called "Outside the Lines: Translating Creative Non-Fiction" at the 2010 ALTA (American Literary Translators Association) Conference in Philadelphia last month. He also gave a presentation titled "An Example of Fictionalized Non-Fiction in Nazi Youth Literature: Hunting Soviet Tanks with the Waffen-SS."

Angelino selected for Best New Poets 2010

Mary Angelino's poem "Helping My Father Write His Father's Eulogy" has been selected for Best New Poets 2010 by guest editor Claudia Emerson. Mary is a fourth-year student in the program. Her work has previously appeared in DIAGRAM.

Josh Peterson is everywhere

Second-year student Josh Peterson has several recent or forthcoming publications:

"Communication with Distant Life Forms" is forthcoming in the fall issue of the New Ohio Review. Josh was a finalist in their 2010 fiction contest.

Peterson's article "Sex and the City 2: Redefining Failed Pornography" is currently available at Bull: Fiction for Thinking Men.

Peterson was also included in Comma N' Sentence's "15 writers under 40" summer reading list.

Mulholland Wins Playboy College Fiction Contest

Meaghan Mullholland, a recent graduate of the program, has won the 2010 Playboy College Fiction Contest. Her story "Woman, Fire and the Sea" appears in the October issue of the magazine.

Williamson forthcoming in Tar River Poetry and Flyway

Corrie Williamson's poem "My Father, Digging" has been accepted for the fall issue of Tar River Poetry. In addition, she was recently named runner-up in the Hazel Lipa Chapbook Contest from Flyway, which will publish a selection of five poems from her entry in a future issue.

Nickol forthcoming in The Los Angeles Review

Ben Nickol's essay "The Rising Cost of Baloney" has been accepted for the fall issue of The Los Angeles Review, and his short story "Bad Ideas About Golf" has been accepted for the fall issue of Stymie. Ben is a fourth-year student in the program.

Arkansas Festival of Writers begins tonight

The fifth annual Arkansas Festival of Writers begins tonight at 7 p.m. with a reading by Michael Walsh in Giffels Auditorium. Walsh is the author of The Dirt Riddles, the first winner of the Miller Williams Arkansas Poetry Prize, as well as a chapbook, Adam Walking the Garden. He is the recipient of a Minnesota State Arts Board Fellowship and a residency at the Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Studies. A graduate of Knox College and the University of Minnesota (MFA), he works as a course coordinator in the English Department at the University of Minnesota and lives in Minneapolis.

The festival concludes tomorrow night with a reading by Andre Dubus III, also at 7 p.m. in Giffels. Dubus is the author of Bluesman, The Cage Keeper and Other Stories, and House of Sand and Fog (National Book Award Finalist and Oprah Book Club Selection). His newest novel, The Garden of Last Days, is inspired by the rumored visit of 9/11 hijackers to a strip club shortly before their attacks. His writing has received many honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, a National Magazine Award, and a Pushcart Prize. He lives with his family north of Boston.

New stories by Josh Peterson

Josh Peterson's story "The Nipples of Men" is forthcoming in The Tomfoolery Review, and another story, "An Infinite Amount of Monkeys," is forthcoming in Defenestration.

Josh also received an honorable mention in the Phoebe Winter Fiction contest for a story titled "Air Supply." Josh is a first-year student in the program.

Brock featured at The Rumpus

Geoff Brock's poem "King: April 7, 1968" has been published at The Rumpus as part of a series recognizing National Poetry Month.

Stripling named second runner up

Sara Stripling has been named second runner up in the 2010 Flatmancrooked Poetry Prize. Her poem "Stories" will be published in the forthcoming Flatmancrooked Slim Anthology of Contemporary Poetics.

Williams published at The Morning News

Johnathon Williams's poem "Leveling Up" was published this morning at The Morning News. Johnathon is a fourth-year student in the program.

Angelino forthcoming in DIAGRAM

Mary Angelino's poem "After the Hospital, 1974" has been accepted for a future issue of DIAGRAM. Mary is a third-year student in the program.

Hammond wins 2010 Meridian Editors' Prize

Allison Hammond's story "The Faces" has been named winner of the 2010 Meridian Editors' Prize for fiction. The story will appear in Issue 25 of Meridian, due out in May. Allison is a fourth-year student in the MFA program.

Brock/Betocchi on POETRY DAILY

Geoff Brock's translation of Carlo Betocchi's "Little Diary of Getting Old" is the poem-o'-the-day over at Poetry Daily. Check it out...

Wray named as finalist in Black Warrior Review Poetry Contest

Tobias Wray, a second-year student in the program, was recently named a finalist in the Black Warrior Review Poetry Contest.

Heffernan featured on The Writer's Almanac

Michael Heffernan's poem "Puttanesca" was featured yesterday by Garrison Keillor on The Writer's Almanac.

Stripling forthcoming in anthology

Sara Stripling has been named as a semi-finalist for the Flatmancrooked First Annual Poetry Prize. Her poems "Stories" and "When You Told Me You Were from Sierra Leone" will appear in Flatmancrooked's Slim Volume of Contemporary Poetry, an anthology due out this summer. Sara is a fourth-year student in the program.

Heffernan on "The Writer's Almanac"

Michael Heffernan's delicious poem "Puttanesca" has been read by Garrison Keillor for his radio show "The Writer's Almanac." Give it a listen!

Jabaily forthcoming in Subtropics

Two of Jen Jabaily's poems have been accepted by Subtropics and will appear in a future issue. Jen is a third-year student in the program.

Brock in POETRY

Geoff Brock has three translations of the Italian poet Carlo Betocchi in the current issue of POETRY magazine. Two of these translations are discussed by editors Christian Wiman and Don Share in this month's POETRY magazine podcast.

Barry Hannah

Barrah Hannah, an award-winning novelist and the first graduate of our MFA program, died this week at the age of 67. Hannah received his MFA in 1967, and quickly went on to win the William Faulkner Prize for his first novel, Geronimo Rex. (The novel was also nominated for a National Book Award.) He published eight novels and five short story collections throughout his career. Remembrances and appreciations of his teaching and writing can be found at The Rumpus, Paper Cuts, and HTMLGIANT.

Seay forthcoming in storySouth

Erika Seay's poem "Spring Brides" has been accepted for the next issue of storySouth. Erika is a second-year student in the program.

McHugh Wins New Criterion Poetry Prize

Ashley Anna McHugh, a third-year student in the program, has won the 10th Annual New Criterion Poetry Prize for Into These Knots, her first book-length manuscript. The award brings a cash prize of $3,000, and publication by Ivan R. Dee in Chicago. At 24 years of age, McHugh is the youngest writer to win the prize. Previous winners of the prize include our very own Geoffrey Brock.

Kotnik in the Summerset Review

Keely Kotnik's story "Your Freedom and Your Rescue" has been published in the winter issue of the Summerset Review. Keely is a recent graduate of the program.

Peterson finalist for Third Coast Contest

Josh Peterson's story "A Cold Man" has been named as a finalist for the 2010 Third Coast Fiction Contest. The winner will be announced in February. Peterson is a first-year student in the program.