Poetry reading held at Austin Peay State University
September 19, 2011
Clarksville, TN – On September 15th, at 4:00pm, two Award-winning Poets gave a poetry reading at the APSU’s Gentry Auditorium in the Kimbrough Building.
American Book Award-winning author and poet Rigoberto González, visited APSU to read his work. Afterwards, he introduced Amanda Auchter who read from her prize-winning collection. Her book, “The Glass Crib,” won the 2010 Zone 3 First Book Award for Poetry, an annual contest hosted by Austin Peay State University’s literary journal and the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts.
APSU’s Bryant explores “presence and absence” at new photography exhibit
September 11, 2011
Clarksville, TN – The image is hauntingly beautiful. Two old, weathered lawn chairs sit unused in a backyard. The black-and-white photograph speaks to the temporal nature of life, while also suggesting how photographer Susan Bryant, an Austin Peay State University professor of art, views the world.
“I’m drawn to subjects that are beautiful and that lend themselves to metaphor: the grace of a particular hand gesture, a lock of braided hair, a stack of suitcases,” she said.
Bryant’s photograph “Two Chairs”
Former APSU Art Professor Schlanger to Have Work on Display at University
August 21, 2011
Clarksville, TN – For 19 years, Gregg Schlanger sauntered across the Austin Peay State University campus wearing a blazer, an untucked shirt and a ball cap pushed back on his head. He’d stop the students, faculty and staff members who crossed his path to make a joke or tease them affectionately.
He was unassuming and relaxed, but for those who knew him, he was a deeply serious artist whose work brought light to important social issues, such as the availability of drinking water in Third World nations. Earlier this summer, Schlanger ended his long tenure at APSU as professor and interim chair of the art department in order to head up the art program at Central Washington University.
B.W.R. 50 liters by Gregg Schlanger
Two Award-winning Poets to Read at APSU on September 15th
August 15, 2011
Clarksville, TN – A few months ago, the noted American poet and Guggenheim Fellow Michael Burkard flipped through a new book of poetry by Amanda Auchter. It took him a while to finish it because he kept pausing to think about what he’d just read.
“I am often stopped by set moments and phrasings in these poems, and despite the emotional facts of so many of the poems, I rest there, among various phrases, and feel language doing its, often strangely, quiet part,” he said.
The book, “The Glass Crib,” recently won the 2010 Zone 3 First Book Award for Poetry, an annual contest hosted by Austin Peay State University’s literary journal and the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts.
Amanda Auchter
APSU Salon Series to Feature Recipes of Famous Tennesseans
August 11, 2011
Clarksville, TN – Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States, often enjoyed a nice slice of gingerbread. Alan Jackson, a famous country music star, thinks chicken salad really hits the spot. The tastes of these two well-known Tennesseans might not have much in common, but what they eat and how they came to enjoy certain foods is a fascinating part of the state’s cultural history.
“With every recipe comes a tale,” Gerald Gilman, Clarksville artist and arts advocate, said. “Food is evocative. It’s a call from the past.” [Read more]
APSU hosts female version of famed Neil Simon Play
August 10, 2011
Clarksville, TN – The story of the two female friends might sound a little familiar. After 14 years of marriage, the obsessive-compulsive Florence leaves her husband and moves in with her laid-back, cleanliness-challenged friend Olive. It isn’t the ideal matching of personalities.
If you’re having a little difficulty wondering where you’ve heard this story before, just change the names of Florence and Olive to Felix and Oscar, from Neil Simon’s 1965 Broadway hit, “The Odd Couple.” The play went on to become a film and a popular 1970s television show. [Read more]
Noted East Tennessee Novelist Greene to Give July 13th Reading at APSU
July 9, 2011
Clarksville, TN – Up in the foothills of East Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains, a few old timers still tell folk stories of spirits and curses. The fog that hangs low over their porches and sloping front yards lends a mystical quality to their words. It’s as if these men and women live in the secluded last bastion of a magical world, untouched by the modern influence of science. [Read more]
Three APSU faculty, staff members recognized for achievement
June 30, 2011
Clarksville, TN – Three faculty and staff members at Austin Peay State University are being noted for recent achievements.
Chris Burawa, director of the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts, and Dr. Loretta Griffy, associate professor of mathematics, have been selected to participate in the 2011-12 Leadership Clarksville class. [Read more]
Portraits of Famed Meriwether Family Donated to APSU
June 4, 2011
Clarksville, TN – In its heyday, the Woodstock Plantation, where the famed advice-columnist Dorothy Dix was born and raised, was a sprawling 5,000-acre farm that stretched from Montgomery County on up into Todd County, KY. The Meriwethers, a prominent 19th century farming family, owned the enormous estate, and their influence lingers in the area with roads and neighborhoods still bearing their name.
“They’re a very important family in this area,” Christopher Burawa, executive director of the Austin Peay State University Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts, said.
19th century portraits of Charles Nicholas Minor Meriwether and his wife Caroline Huntley Barker Meriwether, two of the founders of Woodstock, and their oldest daughter, Nancy Minor Meriwether Ferguson.
APSU Remembers Legacy and Friendship of Late Composer Lee Hoiby
April 6, 2011
Clarksville, TN – In his later years, the renowned American composer Lee Hoiby was a quiet, slender gentleman with wavy gray hair and intelligent, often amused eyes. His appearance suited his style of music, which was reminiscent of the pleasing tunes of the early Romantic era and of his idol, Franz Schubert.
“His music is beautiful,” Gregory Wolynec, Austin Peay State University associate professor of music, said. “When we think of contemporary music, we frequently think of things that can be difficult for audiences to approach. But Lee Hoiby considered himself the caretaker of an heirloomed garden that started back with Mozart and Haydn, and even earlier than that.”
Lena Orgain, APSU Professor of Music Jeffrey Wood and the late American composer Lee Hoiby.
