A recent feature from The Gazette. It goes into Christopher's early years directing the International Writing Program, where the program is now, and his current endeavors including his plans for his next book, The Trials of Roger Williams: A Biography.
Read it here!
An article by IowaNow, celebrating Chistopher's recent Guggenheim Fellowship. Congratulations!
Read it here.
Learn more about how Christopher's current project of a biography of Roger Williams (The Trials of Roger Williams: A Biography), the Puritan founder of Rhode Island and early ancestor of Christopher's, originated from a handed-down book written by his grandmother.
Take a look at it here!
We are extremely proud to announce that Christopher has been selected as one of the 2019 Guggenheim Fellows under the field of General Nonfiction! He is one of 168 Fellows–all scholars, artists, and writers from forty-nine scholarly disciplines and artistic fields, seventy-five different academic institutions, twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia, and two Canadian provinces.
Out of a pool of almost 3000 applicants, the fellows were appointed based on prior achievement and exceptional promise. The John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, established in 1925, offers Fellowships to further the development of scholars and artists by assisting them to engage in research in any field of knowledge and creation in any of the arts, under the freest possible conditions and irrespective of race, color, or creed.
Congratulations again, Chris!
An interview with Krish Das of United States Consulate in Karachi, in which they talk about Christopher and his background. Christopher was in Karachi for a panel discussion themed "Why Study Media" and a creative writing workshop at Centre for Excellence in Journalism at the IBA. Watch the interview here.
Two short memories in memory of the late poet W.S. Merwin, who passed away last week, by Christopher Merrill and Alice Quinn. Read their words on The Paris Review blog here.
Christopher sits with Fiona Sze-Lorrain to talk about his book, Self-Portrait with Dogwood, where topics such as the meaning of the epigraph of the book, writing memoirs and W.S. Merwin's advice about writing arise. Read the stimulating conversation between two poets here.
Christopher wrote two pamphlets, The Forest of Speaking Trees: An Essay on Poetry and Your Final Pleasure: An Essay on Reading for White Pine Press way back in 1996. It still very much touches on the current day literary sphere. Take a look at them now.
An extremely cool interview with Bekos, a reporter from a newspaper in Athens--To Vima tis Kiriakis--in Greek. Christopher speaks about poetry in the confines of his mind, puts forth his perspective on cultural diplomacy, and more.
A fun two-parter for you:
Click here for the published interview in Greek.
Click here for the original English version.
"From April 3-8, 2018, Iowa City, Iowa, hosted representatives from more than 25 countries for the UNESCO Cities of Literature Annual Meeting and 8 teams of wrestlers for the United World Wrestling Freestyle World Cup. What is it about this small city in the Midwest that can attract two international events in the same week?"
Find out in this documentary short created by Think Iowa City.