Poetry @ the Public

Poetry readings highlighting regional and native Arkansan poets in partnership with the University of Central Arkansas School of Language & Literature.

Join us for an afternoon of light refreshments, community, and poetry! Doors will open at 2:00 pm and guests are invited to enjoy light refreshments and a meet-and-greet with the authors. Readings will start at 2:30 pm.

--

About the Poets:

Tori Sharpe holds a BA from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, and received her master’s degree in Creative Writing from The University of Texas and her PhD in Creative Writing from The University of North Texas. She is currently an Associate Professor of English at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville. In the fall of 2025, she was awarded an Individual Artist Fellowship for 2026 from the Arkansas Arts Council.

--

Ellie Black is originally from Clarksville, Arkansas. She received a BA in English from Hendrix College and later an MFA in poetry and a PhD in English with a Creative Writing Concentration, both from the University of Mississippi. In the fall semester of 2025, she returned to Hendrix, where she is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor in Poetry. Her debut poetry collection, REVELATOR, is the winner of the 2026 APR/Honickman First Book Prize and will be published by the American Poetry Review and distributed by Copper Canyon Press with a release date of September this year.

--

This event is free and open to the public.

Upcoming Events