English Professor's Poem Featured in The New Yorker

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Davis McCombs, associate professor of poetry, Department of English.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Davis McCombs, associate professor of English at the University of Arkansas, has a poem in the Aug. 3 issue of The New Yorker, a publication widely admired for its examination of popular culture, and one of the few major American magazines that regularly publishes high quality poetry. 

McCombs, a member of the nationally ranked creative writing program in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, said he got the idea for the poem, “Dumpster Honey,” after a colony of bees set up a hive on an outer wall of the building where his office is located.

“Some of us noticed that the bees were quite territorial about the dumpster by the loading dock at Kimpel Hall and would fly at you if you walked past,” McCombs said.  “My colleague John DuVal said, ‘I’ve heard of apple blossom honey, but never of dumpster honey.’  Well, I loved that phrase, and over the next couple of weeks, I wrote the poem with that title.”

Another creative writing colleague, Michael Heffernan, suggested that McCombs submit the poem to The New Yorker.

“We welcome this opportunity to enhance the reputation of the University of Arkansas in this venue,” said Dorothy Stephens, chair of the Department of English. “The faculty and I are proud to have one of our own appear in such a prominent and prestigious publication.”

The New Yorker is a weekly magazine offering a signature mix of reporting and commentary on politics, international affairs, popular culture and the arts, science and technology, and business, along with fiction, poetry, humor and cartoons. The magazine is available in print at newsstands and by subscription. Each week’s issue is also published in an app for tablets and smartphones.

The Aug. 3 issue was available on newsstands and online on July 27 and will be delivered to subscribers throughout the week. It will remain available until Aug. 9, while supplies last. The online issue includes a recording of McCombs reading the poem.

About the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences: The J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences is the largest and most academically diverse unit on campus with 19 departments and 43 academic programs and research centers. The college provides the core curriculum for all University of Arkansas students and is named for J. William Fulbright, former university president and longtime U.S. senator.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.