Events under 'Lectures, Panels and Talks'

Oksana Maksymchuk will give a talk on her book of selected poems about the invasion of Ukraine, "Still City." Books will be available for sale and signing after the discussion.

The poems in Still City meditate on the changing sense of reality, temporality, mortality, and intimacy in the face of a catastrophic event. While some of the poems have been composed in the months preceding the full-scale invasion of the poet’s homeland, others have emerged in its wake. The collection engages a wide range of sources, including social media posts, news reports, witness accounts, recorded oral histories, photographs, drone video footage, intercepted communications, official documents, and songs, making sense of the transformations that war affects in individuals, families, and communities.

Oksana Maksymchuk is a bilingual Ukrainian-American poet, scholar, and literary translator. Her debut English-language poetry collection Still City is the 2024 Pitt Poetry Series selection, published by University of Pittsburgh Press (US) and Carcanet Press (UK). Oksana’s poems appeared in The Guardian, The Irish Times, The Paris Review, Ploughshares, PN Review, The Poetry Review, and many other journals. Oksana holds a PhD in philosophy from Northwestern University. Born and raised in Lviv, Ukraine, she has also lived in Chicago, Philadelphia, Budapest, Berlin, Warsaw, and Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Arkansas writer Jennifer Case is the author of We Are Animals: On the Nature and Politics of Motherhood (Trinity University Press, 2024) and Sawbill: A Search for Place (University of New Mexico Press, 2018).

Her essays have appeared widely in journals such as The Rumpus, Orion, Literary Mama, and North American Review. She teaches at the University of Central Arkansas and serves as an assistant nonfiction editor at terrain.org.

Bestselling Author and Honors Alum G.T. Karber Cracks the Case on Creativity in Honors College Mic Lecture

Location: Gearhart Hall Honors Studnet Lounge (GEAR 130)

Before Deductive Logico became a prolific detective, he was a student. In the latest installment of the best-selling mystery logic puzzle series, Murdle, fans follow the beloved character to Deduction College—where University of Arkansas students might recognize some familiar locations.

“The campus—Old Main in particular—has a mythology in my mind that still lives on,” said Greg Karber, an honors alum from Fort Smith, Bodenhamer Fellow and author of Murdle. “I wanted to celebrate that.”

Karber, who graduated summa cum laude in 2009 and writes under the name G.T. Karber, first sketched the idea for Murdle on a napkin for a friend. He later adapted the game for online play, eventually attracting millions of plays per month. The daily puzzle has expanded into a three-volume book series, collegiate spin-off, junior version, board game, future television series and undoubtedly more. Karber even won “Book of the Year” at the 2024 British Book Awards.

Following in the footsteps of his iconic character, Karber is returning to campus this February for an Honors College Mic lecture open to the public and an interactive game of Murdle for students during Honors Recess.

The lecture will take place on Thursday, February 27th at 5:15 p.m. in the Honors Student Lounge. Students can meet with Karber personally and attend a Murdle-inspired Recess that same day at 3 p.m.

Honors College Mic showcases notable leaders, alumni and scholars who share insights and expertise on a wide range of topics. Overall, these lectures foster intellectual conversation at the University of Arkansas through dialogue between lecturer and student, faculty and staff, and the wider populace.

Great new location for our show this spring!

If you have been to a previous show you know that we will have other orchid societies around our region, Kansas City, Springfield, Tulsa, and even Memphis that will put in exhibits at our show, as well as our society and several individuals and groups.

This is an official American Orchid Society judged show, so accredited AOS judges will do all the judging. This is rather like a big AKC dog show - to be an AOS orchid judge takes years of study and you are continuously evaluated by the more senior judges.

We usually have several plants at our show that are given AOS "flower quality" awards, a sign of excellence.

We order orchids to sell from various vendors that we've vetted, from Hawaii, California, Louisiana, and even one from Missouri who has won many awards for his Vanda orchids. We always try to have a wide selection - things already in bud for people who want a quick hit of the tropics in March, smaller plants for those who like to grow things up themselves, odd things for people that like 'weird', things for a wide range of growing conditions ... the one kind you won't find many, or any, of is the ones you can find at grocery stores.

We have some very good growers among our members and they'll be there to help people if they have questions about how to care for each type, or what might do best in their conditions. We are also offering orchid care classes and this year the classes are free, plus, since we have more space they'll be less crowded.

We'll have a basic orchid care class with a demo on how to repot an orchid (something that worries a lot of new orchid owners), and then one that goes deeper into some aspects of orchid growing for those who like to get a bit more technical.

The Botanical Garden of the Ozarks’ first annual Arkansas Gardening School is an horticultural symposium for beginner home gardeners, featuring expert-led programs by horticulturists, garden designers, and landscape architects. Through interactive talks and Q&A sessions, participants will learn to create beautiful, sustainable, and successful gardens in the Ozarks.

This year’s event will focus on the connection between gardens and well-being, offering practical tips for creating low-maintenance gardens, accessible design strategies, and tools to make gardening easier for all ages. Attendees will leave inspired and ready to start or enhance their home gardens for greater happiness and health.

Great new location for our show this spring!

If you have been to a previous show you know that we will have other orchid societies around our region, Kansas City, Springfield, Tulsa, and even Memphis that will put in exhibits at our show, as well as our society and several individuals and groups.

This is an official American Orchid Society judged show, so accredited AOS judges will do all the judging. This is rather like a big AKC dog show - to be an AOS orchid judge takes years of study and you are continuously evaluated by the more senior judges.

We usually have several plants at our show that are given AOS "flower quality" awards, a sign of excellence.

We order orchids to sell from various vendors that we've vetted, from Hawaii, California, Louisiana, and even one from Missouri who has won many awards for his Vanda orchids. We always try to have a wide selection - things already in bud for people who want a quick hit of the tropics in March, smaller plants for those who like to grow things up themselves, odd things for people that like 'weird', things for a wide range of growing conditions ... the one kind you won't find many, or any, of is the ones you can find at grocery stores.

We have some very good growers among our members and they'll be there to help people if they have questions about how to care for each type, or what might do best in their conditions. We are also offering orchid care classes and this year the classes are free, plus, since we have more space they'll be less crowded.

We'll have a basic orchid care class with a demo on how to repot an orchid (something that worries a lot of new orchid owners), and then one that goes deeper into some aspects of orchid growing for those who like to get a bit more technical.

Great new location for our show this spring!

If you have been to a previous show you know that we will have other orchid societies around our region, Kansas City, Springfield, Tulsa, and even Memphis that will put in exhibits at our show, as well as our society and several individuals and groups.

This is an official American Orchid Society judged show, so accredited AOS judges will do all the judging. This is rather like a big AKC dog show - to be an AOS orchid judge takes years of study and you are continuously evaluated by the more senior judges.

We usually have several plants at our show that are given AOS "flower quality" awards, a sign of excellence.

We order orchids to sell from various vendors that we've vetted, from Hawaii, California, Louisiana, and even one from Missouri who has won many awards for his Vanda orchids. We always try to have a wide selection - things already in bud for people who want a quick hit of the tropics in March, smaller plants for those who like to grow things up themselves, odd things for people that like 'weird', things for a wide range of growing conditions ... the one kind you won't find many, or any, of is the ones you can find at grocery stores.

We have some very good growers among our members and they'll be there to help people if they have questions about how to care for each type, or what might do best in their conditions. We are also offering orchid care classes and this year the classes are free, plus, since we have more space they'll be less crowded.

We'll have a basic orchid care class with a demo on how to repot an orchid (something that worries a lot of new orchid owners), and then one that goes deeper into some aspects of orchid growing for those who like to get a bit more technical.

A returning Northwest Arkansas favorite, David Sedaris has charmed audiences with his sometimes neurotic and seemingly mundane, yet profound storytelling for more than 25 years. Beloved for his personal essays, books, short stories and NPR segments, the three-time Grammy Award® nominee’s material isn’t always what you would expect.

His anecdotes are riddled with strange addictions, unbelievable job experiences and his eccentric family, but it’s his droll and conversational style that makes him one of the greatest humorists writing today.

The Fayetteville Music Cities Convention will take place in Fayetteville, Arkansas and is presented by Music Cities Events. Experience the latest best practices exploring the use and importance of music in the development of cities all around the world

Discover the transformative power of music to transform cities and communities at the Music Cities Convention in Fayetteville, Arkansas, taking place on September 15-18th, 2025.

Hosted by Experience Fayetteville and Music Cities Events, this event will gather thought leaders and industry professionals from around the world to explore how music can enhance community identity and drive economic and social growth. Attendees will engage in insightful discussions, network with peers, and contribute to shaping the future of music cities worldwide.

Main Convention Venue: Citywide

Hosts: Experience Fayetteville, Music Cities Events

What we're planning:

This will be our 13th global edition, previous ones have been held in UK, Germany, USA, Australia, China, South Korea and Canada.
Delegates will range from: Mayor, Director of Tourism, Musician, Head of Marketing, Minister of Culture, Festival Director, Professor, Director of Conventions, Investment Director, Head of Programming, Global Head of Brand, Global Tour Operator CEO, Real Estate CEO, Creative Director, City Tourism Director, Director of Partnership Strategy, Music Industry CEO and MD, plus many more from the tourism and music industries, government and academia.
There will be presentations, workshops, evening events and lots of networking opportunities and live music.

Who should attend?

Delegates will include: City leaders, musicians, festival/event directors, real estate professionals, economic development professionals, academics, music industry professionals, night-time economy managers, culture officers, non-profit leaders, for-profit executives, tourism directors and more.

For more information, please see link above.