University of Central Arkansas

Each semester, through the UCA Artists in Residence Program and the College of Fine Arts and Communication, the Department of Writing invites acclaimed writers to visit UCA, hold master classes with writing students, and give a free public reading/talk for the campus and community.

Peter Carey is one of two writers in history to have won the Booker Prize twice.  His 1985 novel Illywhacker was short listed for the prize. His next, Oscar and Lucinda, (1988) won. And then, in 2001 True History of the Kelly Gang won once more. In 1998 he was awarded the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Jack Maggs, and again in 2001 for True History Of The Kelly Gang. In 2007 he received the NSW Premiers Award and the Victorian Premiers Award for Theft: A Love Story. His novels have been honored by every major Australian literary award, including the Miles Franklin (3 times) and the National Book Council Award (3 times). His most recent novel is His Illegal Self, published in 2008.

Born in Bacchus Marsh, Australia, Peter Carey now lives in New York where he is the Executive Director of the MFA Creative Writing program at Hunter College.  Public reading and book signing, Tuesday, October 20, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. in Lewis Science Center 102.  Craft session, Wednesday, October 21, 2009 at 10 a.m. in Thompson Hall 331.  http://petercareybooks.com

Ibtisam Barakat, Born in Beit Hanina, near Jerusalem, Ibtisam Barakat had her life turned upside down at age three, when Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem following the 1967 war. "I will never know what my life would have been like without having grown up under Israeli occupation," says writer, poet and educator Barakat. "This influenced me in every way. And it made me sensitive to all the issues of injustice that exist in the world."

Growing up with war and occupation is the focus of Barakat's memoir, Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood, released in 2007 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. In 2007, Booklist named it one of the top ten biographies for youth and it was listed as an American Library Association Notable, and in 2008 it won the International Reading Association's Best Non-Fiction Book Award for Children and Young Adults.

After earning her bachelor's degree from Birzeit University in the West Bank, Barakat moved to New York in 1986, where she interned with The Nation. Later, she earned Masters in Journalism and Human Development and Family Studies, both from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

"I find it especially important to encourage people from under-privileged groups to find their voices and speak up," Barakat explains. "Given the harsh climate of humanity at this time, it is the responsibility and privilege of all of us to contribute our stories toward the composition of a book of life and history that represents all."  November 10-11, 2009

Barakat is working on her second book.  http://www.ibtisambarakat.com

Elise Blackwell is the author of three critically hailed novels: Hunger, The Unnatural History of Cypress Parish, and Grub. Her books have been chosen for numerous best of the year lists, including the Los Angeles Times, Sydney Morning Herald, and Kirkus. Her short stories and cultural criticism have appeared in Witness, Topic, Seed, Global City Review, Quick Fiction, and elsewhere, and she has given readings at dozens of literary festivals, universities, and bookstores. Her fourth novel, An Unfinished Score, will be published by Unbridled Books in spring 2010.  March 9-10, 2010

Elise is from southern Louisiana, though she has lived in many other places. She studied creative writing at Louisiana State and received an MFA from the University of California-Irvine. Before publishing her first novel in 2003, she worked as a bartender, entomology lab grunt, journalist, disc jockey, food critic, grower of exotic fruits, translator, and flap copy writer, among other day jobs. She has taught creative writing at the University of California-Irvine and Boise State, and is currently on the faculty of the University of South Carolina. She lives in Columbia, South Carolina, with her husband, the writer David Bajo, and their daughter, Esme. Her interests include literature, travel, art, music, and running.  http://eliseblackwell.com

Davis Schneiderman is a multimedia artist and author of Multifesto: A Henri d'Mescan Reader (Spuyten Duyvil 2006), as well as co-author of the novel Abecedarium (Chiasmus Press, forthcoming) and co-editor of the collections Retaking the Universe: William S. Burroughs in the Age of Globalization (Pluto 2004) and The Exquisite Corpse: Creativity, Collaboration, and the World's Most Popular Parlor Game (Nebraska, forthcoming). His creative work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and accepted by numerous publications including Fiction International, The Chicago Tribune, The Iowa Review Web, Exquisite Corpse, 3rd Bed, Other Voices, The Little Magazine, Gargoyle, and Happy. Dr. Schneiderman is Chair of American Studies and an Assistant Professor of English at Lake Forest College, a board member for &NOW: A Festival of Innovative Writing and Art, and a contributor to NOW WHAT: a collective blog of alternative prose writers and publishers.  March 31, 2010  http://davisschneiderman.com

Scott Russell Sanders, Award-winning fiction author, literary critic, children's fiction author, and essayist, will conduct classes with students and give a public lecture followed by a book signing. October 3 & 4, 2008

Anne Perry, crime writer and creator of the characters Thomas Pitt and William Monk, will give a public reading from her latest novel Buckingham Palace Gardens. November 3, 2008, 7:30 p.m. Doyne Auditorium 141.

Chuck Klosterman, a satirical critic of contemporary popular culture who writes for Esquire, GQ, The new York Times Magazine, and Spin, will present a public reading of his work, followed by a book signing. November 18-19, 2008

Andrei Codrescu, a regular contributor to NPR, is famous for his political and social essays. He is the author of over 40 books and founder of the literary journal Exquisite Corpse. February 3 & 4, 2009

Leonard Marcus, historian of children's literature, will give a lecture on the history of children's literature in America, conduct a master class with UCA writing students, and work with elementary students and teachers in the public schools. April 16, 2009