The Valpo Core

Novelist and film critic Rick Barton will read from his work as part of the Wordfest visiting writers series on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 in the Brauer Museum at 7:00 p.m.   Wordfest events are sponsored by the English department and the Cultural Arts Committee.  They are free and open to the public. Rick Barton is an award-winning writer and critic.  He holds a B.A. from Valparaiso University and took degrees from UCLA and the Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa.  A Professor of English and former Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, he teaches graduate classes in fiction writing and now serves as Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs at University of New Orleans.

A winner of the Louisiana Division of the Arts Literature Prize, Mr. Barton is author of the novels The El Cholo Feeling Passes, Courting Pandemonium, and With Extreme Prejudice.  His short stories have appeared in numerous magazines and in the anthologies Something in Common and Above Ground.  His novel A House Divided won the William Faulkner Prize in fiction.

More information: http://www.valpo.edu/english/news/wfbarton.php

Wordfest event: the Accabellas open for award-winning fiction writer, Margaret McMullan

When: Thurs, Feb 21st at 6 pm

Where: Brauer Museum

What: music, art, literature, refreshments, book signing

COME OUT OF CURIOSITY; STAY FOR THE CULTURE.

McMullan has most recently published When I Crossed No-Bob (2007), the sequel to her first young-adult novel about a Southern family during the Civil War. When I Crossed No-Bob shares some of the same characters but occurs during the period of Reconstruction. McMullan also writes adult novels, short stories, and essays. She is currently a professor of English at the University of Evansville, in Evansville, Indiana, where she lives with her husband, Patrick O’Connor and their son, James.The three of them have work in an upcoming issue of National Geographic for Kids.

Check her work out at: http://www.margaretmcmullan.com/index.html

“It’s about fear, death, and technology. A comedy, of course.”

Thus spoke Don DeLillo about his prize winning novel, White Noise. Has he got it right? Come find out.

John Duvall
Lecture on White Noise
Monday the 12th at 8 pm
VUCA–Duesenberg Recital Hall
Refreshments to Follow
CORE approved

A Wordfest event… and you know you like those!

Vince Wixon, the latest “installment” in our Wordfest series
is rolling into town. Check out his poem, linked below!

When: Tuesday, Oct. 30 at 7 pm
Where: Brauer Museum
What: Poetry Reading, headlined once again by the dueling saxophones

Refreshments? Of course!

Vince Wixon grew up on a grain and dairy farm in southwestern Minnesota, graduated from Luther College in 1966, and received an advanced degree from Washington State University. Wixon has not only published his own work in many magazines, journals, and anthologies, but has also worked in several venues on William Stafford’s work. With Michael Markee, he has made two videos–What the River Says and The Life of the Poem; with Paul Merchant, he has edited two of Stafford’s books on writing–Crossing Unmarked Snow and The Answers Are Inside the Mountains. He has also worked on Stafford’s selected poems, The Way It Is and Every War Has Two Losers.

Of Wixon’s own work, Paulann Petersen says, “With simple diction, fine imagery and a voice as satisfying as a drink of pure well-water, Wixon creates poems of striking economy and force.”

A long time public school teacher, Wixon is now retired and lives with his wife Patty live in Ashland, Oregon.

(culled from: http://www.laneliteraryguild.org/wa_200611.pdf, now unavailable)

“Tornado Weather” by Vince Wixon

Poet, fiction writer and memoirist Gary Gildner will visit VU and give a reading from his work on Wednesday, September 26th, at 8 pm in the Brauer Museum of Art.

Refreshments will be served, and this event is approved for Core 5th hour credit.

For more information, see:

Wordfest: Gary Gildner

Poet and essayist Julia Spicher Kasdorf will give a reading from her work on September 14 at 4 pm in the Brauer Museum. Click on the link below for more information. This event is approved for Core 5th hour credit.

Wordfest: Julia Spicher Kasdorf visit

Sample poems: “Gettysburg, 1996″ and “Tissue Balloon”

http://www.acarts.org/mystic/Mystic2-kasd2.html