UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS
Jess Rizkallah has been named the winner of the inaugural Etel Adnan Poetry Prize for her collection, The Magic My Body Becomes. Rizkallah is a Lebanese-American writer and illustrator.
This collection explores family history, love, religion, language and gender expectations within the Arab American experience. Rizkallah addresses the middle ground of being an Arab American, of being too Arab for America and too American for an ancestral country. The poems illustrate the difficulty in separating those aspects of identity that are come by organically from those which are acquired second-hand.
Rizkallah lives in Boston and New York. She’s an alumna of Lesley University, a candidate for a master of fine arts degree at New York University, and founding editor at Maps for Teeth magazine and Pizza Pi Press. Her work has appeared in Word Riot, Nailed Magazine, Button Poetry, and HEArt Online.
Every year the University of Arkansas Press together with the Radius of Arab American Writers accept submissions for the Etel Adnan Poetry Series and award the $1,000 Etel Adnan Poetry Prize to a first or second book of poetry, in English, by a writer of Arab heritage. The series editors are Hayan Charara and Fady Joudah, and the prize is named in honor of the poet, novelist, essayist and artist Etel Adnan. The Etel Adnan Poetry Prize is supported by the King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Arkansas.
Rizkallah’s collection, The Magic My Body Becomes, will be published in fall 2017.
UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS
FORT SMITH
The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith has announced the 2016-2017 class of students participating in the Chancellor’s Leadership Council scholarship program. The CLC scholarship is a highly competitive program for students demonstrating leadership capabilities and strong academic performance. Students selected for the scholarship enroll in a three-hour leadership course taught by UAFS Chancellor Paul B. Beran with assistance from Elizabeth Underwood, associate vice chancellor of government and university relations. Students also embrace leadership roles on campus and complete service projects in the community.
Mentors for the 2016 CLC class are Alex Ellis of Gentry and Madison Needham of Fort Smith.
Local students in the 2016-2017 CLC class are: Mary Beth Andrews of West Fork, dental hygiene major and daughter of Kristi and Stan Andrews; Luke Barber of Lavaca, business administration major and son of Lee and Mike Barber; Alicia Boyd of St. Paul, social work major and daughter of Davina and Robert Boyd; Davin Chitwood of Fort Smith, international business major and son of Traci Chitwood and Greg Scott; Summer Eaton of Hartford, secondary education major and daughter of Carry Weaver; Kippin Garner of Fort Smith, biology major and daughter of Cheryl Garner; Jack Gray of Booneville, business administration major and son of Jessica and Gary Gray; Che Kinnard of Fort Smith, Spanish major and son of Katrina and Che Kinnard; Alexis Looper of Greenwood, nursing major and daughter of Nancy and Warren Looper; Andrew Mc-Clure of Fort Smith, mechanical engineering major and son of Theresa and Phillip McClure; Bailie Murphy of Van Buren, business administration major and daughter of Pattie and Audie Murphy; John Nguyen of Clarksville, biochemistry major and son of Loc and Van Nguyen; Dalton Norris of Rudy, accounting major and son of Kristie Bohl and Ronald Norris; Miranda Pham of Fort Smith, music major and daughter of Nhieu Kieu and David Pham; Allie Van Houden of Pea Ridge, education major and daughter Tina and John Van Houden; Taylor Wewers of Fort Smith, political science major and daughter of Michelle and Jason Wewers.
UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS
FORT SMITH
Welding students at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith recently constructed a ventilation supporting prop for the Fort Smith Fire Department. The 13-foot tall, 1,700-pound structure can simulate a rooftop for firefighters to practice cutting holes to release smoke and heat during a house fire. Students involved in the construction are enrolled in Jason Keye’s special projects class and Mike Crawford’s MIG Welding class and included Levi Myers of Barling, Wendi Learned of Greenwood, Jesse Berry of Siloam Springs and Hunter Wilhelm of Van Buren.
MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY
Bridget Polach of Fayetteville will perform with the Chorale of Missouri State University in Springfield during the inaugural ceremonies for the 45th president of the United States on Jan. 20 in Washington, D.C.. Polach, a sophomore vocal performance major, sings soprano.
OUACHITA BAPTIST
UNIVERSITY
Hannah Bunch and Staci Gore, both of Springdale, were named in a threeway, fourthplace tie for the 2016 homecoming queen at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia. Bunch and Gore represented the EEE women’s social club. Top 20 nominees for queen included Esther Atkinson of Rogers, representing the Alpha Psi Omega pledge class of 2015; Emily Weeden of Rogers, representing the Eta Alpha Omega men’s social club; and Arden Hall of Springdale.