Hendrix-Murphy Foundation - Programs in Literature and Language

The eighth in our BIPOC Murphy Visiting Writers series is Ama Ata Aidoo, a Ghanaian writer who is the recipient of the 1992 Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best Book (Africa) for her novel 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 among other prizes. She was a Murphy Visiting Writer during the academic year of 1994-1995. Aidoo's stories are known for "emphasiz[ing] the paradoxical position of the modern African woman" and often reflect on the ways Western culture affects African women.

In Tony Kushner’s musical 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦, or 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦, set in 1963 in Lake Charles, Louisiana, teenager Emmie Thibodeaux reveals that she and her friends have toppled the statue of the Confederate soldier in front of the local courthouse. When the statue’s head appears to her in a dream, Emmie tells him: …and now it starts to spread across the South, what was amiss begins a metamorphosis, a word I learnt that mean it changing . . . Metamorphosis continues in real life, as yesterday Hurricane Laura toppled the actual Confederate statue from its place in front of the Lake Charles courthouse. (See picture attached.) Tony Kushner was Murphy Visiting Writer in April 2018. Photo credit Hilary Scheinuk of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘥𝘷𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦

The seventh in our BIPOC Murphy Visiting Writers series is Li-Young Lee, a Chinese-American poet who has been the recipient of a Fellowship from the Academy of American Poets, a Guggenheim Foundation fellowship, and numerous grants. He was a Murphy Visiting Writer during the academic year of 2002-2003. Lee's poetry is characterized as having a certain humility and belief in "the holiness of language" as he details the trials of growing up as a Chinese-American in the 1960s.

Our Poetry Sidewalk—Hendrix-Murphy Foundation's latest gift to the physical campus—is nearly finished! All summer, workers have been busy inscribing 43 poems in the sidewalks that criss-cross the Creative Quad, from the Murphy House to the SLTC. The poems are drawn from many traditions and languages on the timeless themes of nature, journey, and the arts.

The sixth in our BIPOC Murphy Visiting Writers series is Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, a Kenyan writer in many genres who has won multiple literary accolades. He was a Murphy Visiting Writer during the academic year of 1993-1994. Ngũgĩ, who faced imprisonment and exile during his career, wrote works that are widely regarded as necessary and that speak profoundly to our moment.

Here is a great opportunity sponsored by the Clinton School! At 6:30 PM on Thursday 8/6, the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Lonnie G. Bunch, will tell the story of creating the National Museum of African American History and Culture, from site choice to opening, without guidebooks to light the way. RSVP by emailing kumpurislecture@clintonschool.uasys.edu 🏛

The second episode of Re: Lit is out and ready for listeners! Check out our discussion about the importance of language in the world at anchor.fm/hendrixmurphyfoundation 🌐

The second episode of Re: Lit is coming out this Friday at noon, and will feature Hendrix junior Thalia Fort. Head to anchor.fm/hendrixmurphyfoundation to see what it’s all about!

The fifth in our BIPOC Murphy Visiting Writers series is Edwidge Danticat, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award and many other honors. She was a Murphy Visiting Writer during the academic year of 2015-2016. With her fiction focusing especially on the immigrant experience and diasporic politics, her words are especially relevant today.

The fourth in our BIPOC Murphy Visiting Writers series is Kevin Young, the author of multiple collections of poetry and non-fiction collections of essays. He was a Murphy Visiting Writer during the academic year of 2015-2016. His lyric verse touches many subjects, including family, food, loss, the blues, and his identity as a Black man in 21st-century America.

The third in our BIPOC Murphy Visiting Writers series is Yusef Komunyakaa, a professor at New York University and the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry winner. He was a Murphy Visiting Writer during the academic year of 1999-2000. Having experienced the Civil Rights era in the rural South and served in the Vietnam War, he reminds us of what it really means to be American.

The second in our BIPOC Murphy Visiting Writers series is Gwendolyn Brooks, Pulitzer Prize for Poetry winner and Chicago resident. She was a Murphy Visiting Writer during the academic year of 1993-1994. Her words still resonate with us today.

In light of the Black Lives Matter movement and the racial injustice that is ever-present in this world, we want to take the next couple of weeks to highlight the BIPOC Murphy Visiting Writers whom we have had the privilege of meeting and listening to over the years. The first in our series is Maya Angelou, a previous resident of Stamps, Arkansas, and Murphy Visiting Writer during the academic year of 1987-1988. We have much to gain from her wisdom and experience.

Hendrix-Murphy's new podcast, Re: Lit, has launched! Tune in at https://anchor.fm/hendrixmurphyfoundation to hear host Danielle Kuntz '23 and her guests, Mary Ingabire '20 and Adaja Cooper '23, discuss voices of color in contemporary poetry.

The first episode of our new podcast Re: Lit is out and ready for listeners! Check out our discussion on the voices of people of color in contemporary literature at https://anchor.fm/hendrixmurphyfoundation 📚

Hendrix-Murphy is starting a new literary podcast, titled Re: Lit! Join us at https://anchor.fm/hendrixmurphyfoundation this Friday at 12 noon to check out our first episode, The Voices of People of Color in Contemporary Literature. We're sure you'll love it!

AR Shakespeare Theatre's new Revisiting Shakespeare group is hosting "From Othello to Hamilton: Race and Black Presence in American Theatre." https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SZeHVwxlQo-Dzn3NSaT1-Q?fbclid=IwAR2IGvC92J-tBz-u7bFo_Icn3xqVJ0ExykHIxxiyijSTN_AE4vIDBoLqBho

This is Rachel Shepherd, a Murphy Scholar of the Class of 2020 with an interest in both the human mind and religion. Graduating 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘮 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘦 with distinction in Psychology, Religion, and Odyssey, Rachel also received the Moore Religion Award. During her time as a Murphy Scholar, she authored "Following Jesus: A Spiritual Odyssey," participated in Narrative Medicine in 2019, and completed an intensive study of Murphy Visiting Writers Nickole Brown and Jessica Jacobs. Congrats, Rachel! We're excited to see what the future holds for you.

This is Carlee Shepard, a Murphy Scholar of the Class of 2020 who enjoys studying both the sciences and literature and language. Graduating 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘮 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘦 with distinction in Biology and Environmental Studies, she also received the Johnson Biology Award. As a Murphy Scholar, Carlee did an intensive study of the Arabic language and Murphy Visiting Writer Sy Montgomery, and she participated in a Latin play at Hendrix College and the after-school French Club at Carl Stuart Middle School. She also combined her scientific and literary interests by authoring “A Foray into the Everglades,” a piece of place-based environmental writing. Here's to you, Carlee-- we hope your love for biology paired with literature and language takes you to places you've never been!

This is Kennedy Reynolds, a Murphy Scholar of the Class of 2020 who has spent her time studying the history of the world and the Spanish language. Graduating 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘮 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘦 with distinction in History and Spanish, Kennedy was also named to Phi Beta Kappa. As a Murphy Scholar, she participated in Hendrix-in-Madrid, took part in the Oxford Programme for Undergraduate Studies, traveled to Lisbon, Portugal, for the International Conference on the Short Story in English, and attended the C.D. Wright Women Writers Conference. Kennedy, we are thrilled with all you have accomplished so far and we can't wait to see what the future holds for you!