UA Visiting Artists Series Brings Diverse Talent to Campus

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama Honors College is hosting a Visiting Artists Series Monday-Thursday, April 7-10, featuring authors’ readings, musicians’ performances and an artist’s work on display from 6-8 p.m. in Smith Hall.

The UA Honors College Visiting Artists Series schedule includes:

Monday – Authors Beth Ann Fennelly and Tom Franklin
Tuesday – Singer/Songwriter Van Eaton
Wednesday – Folk/Soul Musician Grayson Capps
Thursday – Blues Musician Willie King and Primitive Painter Lennie Jones

Background about the artists includes:

Beth Ann Fennelly is the author of four books, most recently her poetry collection “Unmentionables” from W. W. Norton. She won an N.E.A., a United States Artist grant, and has for three times been included in The Best American Poetry Series. She is an associate professor at the University of Mississippi.

Tom Franklin has published one story collection and two novels, all set in Alabama, most recently “Smonk” from William Morrow. His work has been awarded a Guggenheim, among other honors. Franklin is a writer-in-residence at the University of Mississippi.

Van Eaton is a Nashville singer-songwriter. He currently lives in Knoxville, but works in Nashville two or three times a week. The Del McCoury Band recorded Eaton’s “It’s Just the Night” as the title-track to their Grammy-nominated record. He is currently working with Nashville-based musicians on what he has called the Biscuit Tapes.

Grayson Capps is from New Orleans and evokes the swamp folk-soul made popular by Tony Joe White. He sounds the part, too, with relaxed blues-rock, folksy introspection. Capps’ rustic voice is front and center, leaving his words and sturdy musicians to convey a soulful atmosphere.

Willie King is a nationally acclaimed blues musician whose juke-joint musical style and political lyrics continue to spread his word of peace and harmony. He was born in Prairie Point, Miss., in 1943. King was raised by his grandparents, who were local sharecroppers. He joined the civil rights movement in the mid 1960s, has been playing the blues for over 45 years, and has been recording his music for the last 10 years. King is currently working on his seventh album.

Lennie Jones is a critically acclaimed primitive, self-taught painter of the holistic blues. He was born in New York City in 1949. Once a traveling blues musician, Jones toured for many years before deciding that life as a professional musician was not what he wanted. He began to focus instead on his visual art. He now lives and paints in the Florida Everglades.

The series is open to students, faculty and staff as well as the general public free of charge.

For more information, contact Jon Berry, 205/239-7016, 205/348-1565 or jberry@uapress.ua.edu.