Hope Coulter, longtime Hendrix College faculty member and former director of the Hendrix-Murphy Foundation, released her new short story collection, Rumors of Peace, on September 22 through Cornerstone Press at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, one of only a handful of publishing houses in the country run primarily by undergraduates.
Coulter retired from Hendrix in 2025 after more than three decades on campus, and the change has given her new room to write.
"I have more time!" she told Arkansas Times writer Daniel Grear, a 2015 Hendrix graduate, in a Q&A ahead of the Six Bridges Book Festival. "The days are deliciously open. I have long stretches of time to write and read."
The collection gathers eight stories written over several years, six of which first appeared in literary magazines and anthologies, along with two new, previously unpublished pieces.
"It's exciting to see these stories within the covers of a book," Coulter said. "Arranging them into a whole cast a new light on them, revealing themes and interconnections that I hadn't consciously seen before."
One of the stories has deep roots at Hendrix. "Picture This" was the centerpiece of a literary dinner at the Murphy House, where students were given every page but the ending.
"We discussed the story up to that point and what they thought was going to happen next," Coulter said. "After dinner I read the ending, and we talked some more about what had surprised them and how they then saw the whole thing."
Coulter will celebrate the release with a book launch on September 28, from 4:10 to 5:30 p.m., in the Murphy Seminar Room.
Coulter's other books include The Wheel of Light and two earlier novels. Her honors include Meringoff Awards in both nonfiction and poetry and the Porter Prize for Literary Excellence. A Louisiana native, she earned her AB from Harvard and her MFA from Queens University of Charlotte and now lives in Little Rock.
Coulter will also appear at the Six Bridges Book Festival on Saturday, October 3, from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Main Library in Little Rock, in a session moderated by Sandy Longhorn. Registration is available here.
About the Hendrix-Murphy Foundation
The Hendrix-Murphy Foundation Programs in Literature and Language were founded in 1978 by a gift from Charles H. Murphy, Jr., former CEO of Murphy Oil Corporation, in memory of his mother Bertie Wilson Murphy. Their mission is to enhance and enrich the study of literature and language at Hendrix College. For more information, visit hendrixmurphy.org.
About Hendrix College
Founded in 1876, Hendrix College is featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges and celebrated among the country's leading liberal arts colleges for academic quality, engaged learning opportunities and career preparation, vibrant campus life, and value. The Hendrix College Warriors compete in 21 NCAA Division III sports. Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. Learn more at via.hendrix.edu.