Hendrix-Murphy Foundation

10/05/2026

Your John Green ticket is waiting!

Free tickets are now open to the public for an evening with John Green, bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars, Looking for Alaska, and Everything Is Tuberculosis, as part of the Hendrix-Murphy Distinguished Visitors Series. All are welcome!

Wednesday, November 18, 7:30 pm
Wellness and Athletics Center, Hendrix College, Conway

Seats are limited, so reserve your free ticket today: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hendrix-murphy-distinguished-visiting-writer-series-presents-john-green-tickets-1990806235040

We can't wait to see you there!

10/05/2026

From the Hendrix English department to LifeQuest of Arkansas, Chuck Chappell has spent nearly his whole life in education. Read more below!

If ever someone met the definition of "immersed in their profession" it is Chuck Chappell, 84, who spent roughly half his working life in college classrooms, 41 years of that in the English department of Hendrix College in Conway. Throw in his own schooling and his longtime volunteering with LifeQuest of Arkansas, which leads senior citizens along the path of lifelong learning, and there have been few periods of his life not spent in education.

Read more about Chuck Chappell's story at the link in the comments.

09/04/2026

Join us next Friday for the 29th annual Playwright's Theatre, presented by Hendrix Players and the Hendrix-Murphy Foundation!

This year's staged reading features "The Third March, or Beth" by alumna and contest winner Dawn Branch '05, reimagining "Little Women" from Beth's point of view and asking what it means to finally be seen.

Directed by Ann Muse '83, the reading will be followed by a discussion led by contest judge Keegon Schuett and a reception in Mills Lobby

Friday, September 11 at 7pm
Cabe Theatre, Hendrix College
Free and open to the public!

🎟️🎟️🎟️

Congratulations to this year's Werner Trieschmann Playwriting Contest winners:

Alumni
1st: Dawn Branch '05, "The Third March, or Beth"
2nd: Charlie Stewart '22, "Six Feet Down Under"

Student
1st: Grace Moody '28, "Trials and Tribulations"
2nd: Kyndall Brooks '26, "Left Behind"

Read more here: https://www.hendrixmurphy.org/article/3113590

08/07/2026

Congratulations to Murphy Scholar Shayla Freeman ('29) on "What the Colonel Left Behind," her newest piece in the Oxford American! Give it a read and join us in celebrating her work. 🎉

07/30/2026

With heavy hearts, we share that Henryetta Vanaman, known to many in our community as "Hank," has passed away. Henryetta spent 19 years with the Hendrix-Murphy Foundation, joining in 2002 and stepping into retirement in 2021. During her time at Hendrix-Murphy, she was the steady hand behind visits from writers, scholars, and theatre professionals, hosted more receptions and gatherings than anyone could count, and helped train the student workers who passed through our doors. Her care for this place, and for the people in it, shaped the Foundation in ways we still feel today.

We're thinking of her family, including her recently deceased husband, James "Jim" Douglas Vanaman, and children, James Douglas "Doug" Vanaman Jr. and Amanda Elizabeth, as well as granddaughter Abbigale "Abbi" Elizabeth Vanaman, as they navigate this loss. A visitation will be held Thursday, July 30, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at Wilcox Family Funeral Home in Greenbrier.

07/09/2026

We're delighted to see Hendrix College and English at Hendrix alum Bryan Borland '01 bringing back Sibling Rivalry Press after a four-year hiatus! 🎉

After a four year hiatus, Sibling Rivalry Press is back with a renewed focus on Arkansas’ q***r poetry scene.

06/10/2026

We love seeing our students out in the world, soaking up history and culture in Tours, France!

05/21/2026

Snaps for Dr. Ellie Black ’18! 🫰🎉

Congratulations to Dr. Ellie Black ’18 on being named the winner of the 2026 American Poetry Review (APR) / Honickman First Book Prize for her debut collection, “Revelator.”

Currently visiting assistant professor of English – creative writing at Hendrix, Dr. Black will receive a $3,000 cash prize and a publishing contract with Copper Canyon Press. “Revelator” will be published and distributed nationally in September through Consortium and is now available for pre-sale at national book retailers.

She will be launching a book tour in the coming months. We will share more details as we get closer to the dates. We are excited to celebrate this incredible achievement! Congratulations, Dr. Black!

https://www.hendrix.edu/Ellie-Black-18-named-winner-of-Honickman-First-Book-Prize/

05/18/2026

“Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting.” ― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

We'll never forget our student workers who graduated on Saturday: Adilynn Henry, B.A. Health Sciences; Alaina May, B.A. English-Film & Media Studies; and Adain Wilson, B.A. English-Creative Writing. All our congrats and best wishes for this exciting new chapter! 🎓🧡

05/13/2026

"Life is made of ever so many partings welded together." — Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

We bade 31 senior Murphy Scholars a fond farewell on April 30 at our annual Farewell Fest. Graduating senior Scholars received a medal with the Murphy Scholar insignia, presented by Hendrix-Murphy Foundation Director Ty Jaeger, which the Scholars will wear with their regalia at commencement. A full event album can be viewed here: flickr.com/photos/hendrixcollege/albums/72177720333608160/