Bigfoot for Women by Amy Pickworth

The Indiana University East School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) will present the Regional Writers Series: An Evening with Poet Amy Pickworth, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 7, in Tom Raper Hall, Room 124. The event is free and open to the public.

Jean Harper, creative writing coordinator at IU East, said, “Amy Pickworth will be speaking about her prize-winning book of poetry, Bigfoot for Women, during the evening presentation. She’ll also be available for questions and answers after the presentation.”

A reception and book-signing will follow the evening lecture. While at IU East, Pickworth will also work directly with students during several on-campus workshops.  More information about Pickworth may be found at her website at amypickworth.com.

Bigfoot for Women won the 2013 Orange Monkey Book prize for Poetry, judged by Matt Hart. Hart is the author of five books of poetry, and co-founder and editor-in-chief of Forklift, Ohio. He teaches at the Art Academy of Cincinnati.

In his statement, Hart noted, “I read a lot of books and a lot of them I actually like, but this one I love. It makes me want to grow thick fur all over my body and go galumphing through the forest like a grizzly-elk-man-thing. Tell everybody: Bigfoot is here. Bigfoot is real. Bigfoot is awesome. A wonderful promise in the wilderness of contemporary life.”

Tanya Perkins, faculty advisor for the student literary magazine Tributaries, said the Regional Writers Series highlights the remarkable diversity of writers in the Midwest: from rural bards to Affrilachian poets, Rust Belt essayists to post-apocalyptic novelists, slam poets to short story writers, and more. This series will shine a light on the wealth of excellent writing and writers in the Midwest, she added.

HSS will host one author a semester as part of the Regional Writers Series. In the fall of 2016, David Baker, award-winning poet, recipient of Guggenheim and National Endowment for the Arts fellowships and poetry editor of the Kenyon Review, is scheduled for fall 2016. Katy Didden, poet, and assistant professor of English at Ball State, will visit in spring 2017.

Ross Alexander, dean of HSS, said the school is proud to host the Regional Writers Series.

“This series will provide IU East students and the surrounding community with accessible opportunities to meet, work with, and learn from established and published writers active in this region,” Alexander said.

For more information contact Jean Harper, creative writing coordinator, at (765) 973-8571 or jeharper@iue.edu.