In June 2011, friends, colleagues, and former students gathered in Fayetteville, Arkansas, to celebrate the life and career of writer and professor William “Bill” Harrison. Harrison cofounded the Creative Writing Program at the University of Arkansas alongside Jim Whitehead in 1966. Renowned poet Miller Williams would join the faculty in 1970. Together, Harrison, Whitehead, and Williams would mentor generations of writers through the program. Many notable alums of the program attended the two-day celebration, and Pryor Center staff sat down with attendees to record their memories of Professor Harrison, Professor Whitehead, and their experiences in the MFA program. Interviewees also recalled their experiences of the arts scene in Fayetteville in the late twentieth century. These interviews provide valuable oral histories of the University of Arkansas’ MFA Program, as well as insights into the lives of the many writers who have lived and worked in Fayetteville.
We have included interviews with Ellen Gilchrist and Bill Harrison, collected as part of the Pryor Center’s Arkansas Memories Project, below as well.
#1: Photo of Bill Harrison's "Ten Commandments" from Pryor Center interviews at the Laurie Merlee Ceramics Studio; Fayetteville, Arkansas, 2011
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#2: Behind-the-scenes photo from Pryor Center interviews during the William Harrison Celebration event; Fayetteville, Arkansas, 2011
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#3: Behind-the-scenes photo from Pryor Center interview with Gen Broyles and Merlee Harrison at the Laurie Merlee Ceramics Studio; Fayetteville, Arkansas, 2011
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#4: Behind-the-scenes photo from Pryor Center interview with Margaret Salassi at the Laurie Merlee Ceramics Studio; Fayetteville, Arkansas, 2011
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#5: Behind-the-scenes photo from Pryor Center interview with Paul Berry at the Laurie Merlee Ceramics Studio; Fayetteville, Arkansas, 2011
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#6: Behind-the-scenes photo from Pryor Center interview with Kathy Walton at the Laurie Merlee Ceramics Studio; Fayetteville, Arkansas, 2011
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#7: Behind-the-scenes photo from Pryor Center interview with Kelly Lycan at the Laurie Merlee Ceramics Studio; Fayetteville, Arkansas, 2011
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#8: Behind-the-scenes photo from Pryor Center interview with Walton Beacham at the Laurie Merlee Ceramics Studio; Fayetteville, Arkansas, 2011
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#9: Behind-the-scenes photo from Pryor Center interview with Pat O'Connor at the Laurie Merlee Ceramics Studio; Fayetteville, Arkansas, 2011
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#10: Behind-the-scenes photo from Pryor Center interview with Steve Yarbrough at the Laurie Merlee Ceramics Studio; Fayetteville, Arkansas, 2011
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#11: Behind-the-scenes photo from Pryor Center interview with Skip Hays at the Laurie Merlee Ceramics Studio; Fayetteville, Arkansas, 2011
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#12: Behind-the-scenes photo from Pryor Center interview with Jo McDougall at the Laurie Merlee Ceramics Studio; Fayetteville, Arkansas, 2011
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#13: Behind-the-scenes photo from Pryor Center interview with Kevin Stewart, David Gavin, and Tom Franklin at the Laurie Merlee Ceramics Studio; Fayetteville, Arkansas, 2011
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#14: Still frame from Pryor Center video interview with Steve Yarbrough at the Laurie Merlee Ceramics Studio; Fayetteville, Arkansas, 2011
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
