A Little Rock local, Jennings has worked with renowned publications, including 鈥淭he New York Times鈥� and 鈥淭he Wall Street Journal,鈥� and he was also an editor at 鈥淥xford American鈥� from 2015 to 2021.

鈥淲e鈥檙e proud to have the opportunity to highlight local writers as part of our Visiting Writers Series this semester,鈥� said Dr. Kris McAbee, director of the School of Literary and Performing Arts. 鈥淛ennings will be in conversation with two of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 own creative writers, Professors Heather Hummel and Frank Thurmond.鈥�

The English program, with support from the William G. Cooper Jr. Honors Program, has brought authors to campus for over a decade, including Josh Barkin, Moustafa Bayoumi, Jennifer Maritza McCauley, and many others.

鈥淲e aim to provide an event that inspires our students in their own creative endeavors, as they make connections and learn from professionals about navigating the industry,鈥� McAbee said.

Jennings began his career as a reporter for 鈥淪ports Illustrated鈥� then worked for 鈥淭ennis鈥� magazine as a features editor. His accolades include receiving the Porter Fund Literary Prize, receiving a fiction grant from the Arkansas Arts Council, and he鈥檚 also a two-time MacDowell Colony fellow in fiction. Additional information on Jennings and his work can be found .

This event is free and open to the public. Contact the School of Literary and Performing Arts鈥檚 coordinating assistant Caelon Colbert at cdcolbert@ualr.edu or 501-916-3291 for further details.

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The event is open to the entire campus community and will take place in room 535 of Ottenheimer Library. People are encouraged to bring and read from their favorite book by an African American author, although text samples will be available.

Participants may also choose to listen as others read. The event aims to explore and appreciate Black experiences in literature. Food will be available, as well as the opportunity to win prizes!

鈥淭he event follows the tradition of the National African American Read-Ins established by the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English in 1990 to encourage people to read together and celebrate African American authors,鈥� said Dr. Laura Barrio Vilar, associate professor of English at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock.

糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock invites all to celebrate Black History Month and the contributions of African American authors at the Read-In. For more information, contact Barrio at lxbarrio@ualr.edu.

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