FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Acclaimed novelist Marlon James will present a free reading of his work at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2, at the Fayetteville Public Library, in conjunction with Fayetteville’s True Lit literary festival. James, the author of three award-winning books, is the 2018 Distinguished Reader for the Program in Creative Writing and Translation at the University of Arkansas.

A book signing will follow this event, which is open to the public and no tickets are required.

“Marlon James is a terrifically talented and inventive writer. We’re excited to bring him to Fayetteville and to add his reading to the already impressive list of events being planned for the True Lit festival,” said Davis McCombs, director of the Program in Creative Writing and Translation.

James, born in Kingston, is the first Jamaican writer to win the United Kingdom’s prestigious literary award, the Man Booker Prize. The prize recognized his 2014 novel A Brief History of Seven Killings, which also won the 2015 American Book Award, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Prize, the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, the Minnesota Book Award, and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. His two previous novels, John Crow’s Devil and The Book of Night Women were also well received, the latter winning the 2010 Dayton Literary Peace Prize, the Minnesota Book Award, and being named a finalist for the 2010 National Book Critics Circle Award in fiction. 

James is currently working on a trilogy of fantasy novels rooted in African legend. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and teaches English and creative writing at Macalester College.

This reading is one of many events slated for Fayetteville’s True Lit festival, Oct. 28 through Nov. 3. In addition to numerous community workshops, readings, and performances, the festival will feature author talks by Newbery Award-winner Kwame Alexander and acclaimed children’s author Gordon Korman. The festival is organized by numerous local partners, including the Fayetteville Public Library and Fayetteville Public Schools.

The Distinguished Reader Series in the Program in Creative Writing and Translation has hosted more than a dozen highly acclaimed poets and writers, including Claudia Rankine, Zadie Smith, Dorianne Laux, W.S. Merwin, and Shahrnush Parsipur. It is made possible by the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of English, the Walton Family Foundation and the James E. and Ellen Wadley Roper Professorship in Creative Writing.

About the Program in Creative Writing and Translation: Founded in 1966, the University of Arkansas Program in Creative Writing and Translation in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences consistently ranks in the top 40 MFA programs nationwide, according to Poets & Writers magazine. The Atlantic Monthly named the U of A among the “Top Five Most Innovative” MFA programs in the nation. Noteworthy graduates include Barry Hannah, C.D. Wright, Lucinda Roy, and Nic Pizzolatto.

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.