Cindy Childress Cindy Childress grew up in rural Tennessee, where as a teenager her first writing job was columnist for the Macon County Chronicle. She found her way into creative writing-- despite her best efforts to avoid doing so--while an undergraduate English major. During that time she became interested in slam poetry, and the performative possibilities of poetry and language continue to shape her style of writing and delivery. While working on her M.A. she became a member of the Tampa-based Vital Signs Poetry Collective and served as Poet-in-Residence for the Pinellas County Girl‘s Correctional Facility and Wildwood Community Center. Since being at ULL, Childress has hosted the Thursday Night Reading Series for the creative writing department and has become a member of the Refried Writers, a group of local poets. Currently she is working on her dissertation and training for a half-marathon; she spends whatever spare time she has with her cats, Quilla and Puck.

Cindy Childress So Far

Education

2003-present Ph.D., Creative Writing, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Ongoing
2003 M.A., Literature--Modern British and Women‘s Studies, University of South Florida
2000 B.A., Literature and Writing, Western Kentucky University, Magna Cum Laude
1999 A.A., Liberal Arts, Florida College, Cum Laude

Teaching Experience

2003-present: Teaching Assistant, University of Louisiana at Lafayette: Composition and Rhetoric, Composition and Literature, Intro to Creative Writing, Modern American Literature, Advanced Expository Writing, Technical Writing, British Literature I.
2001-2003: Teaching Assistant, University of South Florida: Composition 1101 and 1102.

Scholarly Publications

2006 Interdisciplinary Humanities, “Art From Art: Making a Picture’s Thousand Words into Poetry” forthcoming
2005 Encyclopedia of Women's Autobiography Greenwood Press, “Jane P. Tompkins.”
2005 Feminist Media Studies, “Glamour’s Portrayal of Queen Latifa: Another Unreal Ideal”
2004 Peer English, book review, “Peter Haidu’s The Subject Medieval/Modern.”

Creative Publications

2007   Touchstone: A Literary Arts Magazine "For the past week my gut swaddled a dead embryo"

2006 Rock and Sling “Sunday Morning”

2006 Dispatch Litareview “Thoughts Watching T.V. While on a Treadmill,” “At Your Birthday

           Party,” and “How She Lets Herself Live Like This”

2006 Temenos “Upon Finding a Pubic Hair,” “Reflection on Cohabitation While at the Zoo”
2006 Southern Hum “Molting,” “Passing the Wrist Test,” “Encagement,” “With Time, I Travel,”       

and “Implications of Daydreams”
2006 Di-verse-city: Austin International Poetry Festival Anthology “Plant Life”
2006 Farmhouse Magazine “Measuring the Distance Between Us”
2006 The Dancing Project “Eve”
2006 The Southwestern Review “Itchy Sonnet,” and “Graveside and Purgatorio”
2006 Illuminated Paths: Women’s Visions on Sex and Self-Esteem, “Date Rape”
2006 Altar Magazine, “Consumer Battle”
2005 Beyond Katrina, “la mere, la mer”
2005 Southwestern Review, “Across From Frederick’s of Hollywood,” “Stitching”
2005 Red Booth Review, “Falling”
2005 Galaxy of Verse, “Spontaneous Generation of a Dappled Thing”
2005 In Our Own Words: A Generation Defining Itself, “Wordlessness.”
2005 Di-verse-city: Austin International Poetry Festival Anthology “After Seeing Georgia

O'Keefe's Paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art”
2005 Moondance, “On Being Hot Natured”
2004 Southwestern Review, “Particulars”
2004 Best of Poetry on the Porch, “Repentance and Forgiveness”
2004 Di-verse-city: Austin International Poetry Festival Anthology, “Regeneration”
2004 Moondance, “Two weeks before I move across the country a pan of water boils away”
2003 Canadian Women’s Studies Journal, “Response to the Critical Theory Professor,
who explained how ridiculous the suggestion is that patriarchy controls girls‘
minds with dolls” and “What Remains”
2003 Suncoast Writer’s Conference Anthology, “Fetters”
2003 X-Magazine, “You’re Thinking in Long Distance”
2003 The Red Booth Review, “Upon corresponding with my ex-boyfriend while he is
abroad” and “Poetic Field Research”
2003 Di-verse-city: Austin International Poetry Festival Anthology, “Fading”
2002 Di-verse-city: Austin International Poetry Festival Anthology, “On falling in love
at first conversation two weeks before he moves cross-country”
2002 Vital Signs: The Primal Sessions (CD), “Barbie Rhetoric” and
“Sensory Rememory”
2001 The Shanachie: USF’s Alternative Newspaper, “Visions Retold,” “Linguistic Roots,” “Shall We,”

“Late Capitalism’s Late Bohemian” Contributing Poet
2001 JAR, “A Jogging Prostitute”
2000 Zephyrus, “After Reading Hamlet Through Act 3”

Public Readings and Performances

January 2006 307 Jazz and Blues Club, Rhonda and Maria Experience
January 2006 307 Jazz and Blues Club, Thursday Night Reading Series
January 2006 Artmosphere, Refried Writers Revue
March 2006 Blue Moon Saloon, Artist Collaboration
April 2006 Book Woman, AIPF
April 2006 Artmosphere, Refried Writers Revue
January 2005 307 Jazz and Blues Club, Rhonda and Maria Experience, Featured Reader
February 2005 Vagina Monologues Poetry Reading, Chris’s Po’Boys: Featured Reader
March 2005 Blue Moon Saloon, Deep South Festival of Writers: Artist Collaborations, poetry collaboration with photographer Mike Placher.
March 2005 307 Jazz and Blues Club, Rhonda and Maria Experience, Featured Reader
April 2005 Borders Westgate, Anthology Launch
April 2005 Ruta Maya, Tazza Fresca, and Book Woman: Featured Reader and Host
May 2005 307 Jazz and Blues Club,
September 2005 Chris’s PoBoys, Featured Reader
November 2005 Artmosphere, Refried Writers Revue, Featured Reader
October 2004 307 Jazz and Blues Club, Rhonda and Maria Experience, Featured Reader
June 2004 Parisi’s Café at Night: Featured Reader
April, 2004 Book Woman, Ruta Maya, Austin International Poetry Festival: Featured reader.
January 2004 Chris’s Poboys: Featured Reader
October 2003 Chris’s Poboys: V-Day Reading Series
September 2003 Chris’s Poboys: Featured reader
July 2003 Gold Dragon Gallery, Salon Reading: Featured reader
July 2003 Viva la Frida Café y Galleria, Frida Khalo Poetry Reading: Invited reader
May 2003 Globe Coffee Lounge, Sunday School: Confessions in Poetry: Featured reader
May 2003 Viva la Frida Café y Galleria, Palabra Loco Reading Series: Featured reader
April 2003 Ruta Maya’s, Barnes and Noble, Mojo’s, Austin International Poetry Festival: Featured reader
April 2003 Barnes and Noble, Poetry Slam: First place
March 2003 Rigo’s Bakery, UNESCO Dialogue Through Poetry: Co-Host
March 2003 Women’s Art and Poetry Festival: Featured reader
March 2003 MLK Plaza USF Campus, Victim’s Advocacy Awareness: Performer
March 2002 Women’s Art and Poetry Festival: Featured reader
March 2002 Gold Dragon Gallery, Opening Reception and Vital Signs CD Release Party
March 2002 Gold Dragon Gallery, UNESCO Dialogue Through Poetry: Invited reader
April 2002 Book Woman, Ruta Maya, Austin International Poetry Festival: Invited reader
July 2002 King Corona Cigar Café, Irritable Tribe of Poets and Vital Signs Collaboration
July 2002 Viva la Frida Café y Galleria, Frida Khalo Poetry Reading, Invited reader
July 2002 Globe Coffee Lounge, Sunday School: Confessions in Poetry: Featured reader
September 2002 The Garden, Post Future Quintet: Poet accompanist
October 2002 Viva la Frida Café y Galleria, Open Jam: Poet accompanist
November 2002 Sacred Grounds Coffee Lounge, Post Future Quintet: Poet accompanist
December 2002 New World Brewery, Post Future Quintet: Poet accompanist
March 2001 Weber State University Undergraduate Literature Conference
“A Correction of Vision” and “A Jogging Prostitute”
June 2001 Joffrey’s, Broad Stroking Poetry Series, Featured reader
September 2001 Silver Meteor Gallery, Benefit for 9-11: Invited reader
October 2001 King Corona’s Cigar Café, Irritable Tribe of Poets: Poet accompanist
April 2000 WKU Cherry Hall, English Awards Ceremony, Invited reader
October 1999-December 2000 WKU Alumni House, The Coffee Spot: Co-host

Awards

Christina Sergeyevna Award 2006, third place, for “Plant Life”
Marcella Siegel Memorial Poetry Award 2005 for “Spontaneous Generation of a Dappled Thing”
Thomas G. Jones Scholarship for Academic Excellence
Outstanding Service Award, WKU English Club

Conferences

2006 South Central Renaissance Conference “Objections of the Objects From Reported Love Speeches in Two of Shakespeare’s Comedies”
2006 National Women’s Studies Association Conference, creative writers series,
2005 College English Association Conference, creative writing panel, “Critical Analysis of Barbie Rhetoric”
2005 National Association for Humanities Education Conference “Art from Art: Making a Picture’s Thousand Words into Poetry”
2005 Graduate Conference on Language and Literature, moderator for poetry panel
2004 (Dis)-Locating Identity in the 20^th Century at the University of South Carolina “Gender Blurring During the 1950’s”
2004 Graduate Women’s Studies Symposium at York University, creative writing panel, “Like Someone You Might Know”
2001: New England Writers Conference, workshop, “The Living Art of Slam Poetry”

Organizations

Golden Key Honor Society
Sigma Tau Delta
MLA
Vital Signs Poetry Collective
College English Association

Activities

--Secretary of WKU English Club 1999-2000: Organize and publicize bi-weekly meetings; organize, publicize, and co-host The Coffee Spot Open Mic Series.
--Poet-in-Residence at LEAF Girl’s Correctional Facility and Wildwood Community Center, funded by the Pinellas County Arts Council 2002-3
--Secretary of English Graduate Student Organization 2000-2003: Organize and facilitate officer elections; schedule speakers and publicize First Friday Forums; welcome incoming graduate students during Orientation; provide refreshments for Departmental functions.
--Volunteer for Florida Suncoast Writer’s Conference 2001 and 2003: Assist directing people and speakers to buildings; setting up booths; chaperoning out of town speakers.
--Co-hosting the Open Mic Poetry Readings at Rigo’s Bakery: Preparing and posting flyers and handbills throughout Tampa; greeting audience and announcing readers.
--Two interviews on 88.5 WMNF Community Radio Station regarding the Art and Spirituality Festival “Art in Your Ear” and “The Women’s Show” May, 2003.
--Co-leader of workshop, “Poetic License: From the Page to the Stage” at the Art and Spirituality Festival, Tampa Performing Arts Center, Tampa, FL
--Reader for Southwestern Review submissions 2003, 2004, and 2005.
--Chair of Program Committee for Graduate Student Conference on Language and Literature 2004, reader for Abstract Committee, prepare and post flyers for weekly fundraiser.
--Co-chair of Graduate Student Conference on Language and Literature 2005; lead meetings, delegated tasks, was in charge of registration information.
--Host of the Thursday Night Reading Series, a production of the creative writing program at UL. Scheduling readers, making flyers, and hosting the events.
--Freshman Writing Committee graduate student representative. Review possible text books, collaborate to rewrite mission statement and outcome goals for first year writing courses, mediate between the committee members and graduate students.

Links to Cindy’s Poetry

Tenemos: http://www.chsbs.cmich.edu/creative_writing/temenos%20s%202006/poetry%20s%202006.htm Southern Hum: http://southernhum.com/cindy-childress/
Moondance: http://www.moondance.org/2004/fire04/poetry/poem2.html
Farmhouse Magazine: http://www.farmhousemagazine.com/5Pchildress.html
The Red Booth Review: http://wtp62.com/rbr18-6.htm and http://wtp62.com/rbr12-2.htm
Di-Verse-City: http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:s0FkluY55ioJ:www.morganprinting.org/Images/PDFDiversity2005.pdf+cindy+childress&hl=en

Cindy on UL Lafayette

I am chairing the program committee for this Spring’s Graduate Student Conference on Language and Literature at UL, which is a great opportunity for us to get professional experience not only in presenting our work, but seeing how a conference is run. One of my favorite things about being here is the community both on and off campus that I share with other grads--from working on the conference to sharing brunch or lattes. Also, the professors I have worked with at UL Lafayette are very accessible and sometimes they even feed us! They are willing to work with us outside class and I feel that they truly listen to my questions and comments. Additionally, I enjoy the readings at Chris’s Poboys, which generally feature two readers from the department; sometimes professors or the playwriting class may share a performance. I enjoy hearing what other students are working on, and the readings also reinforce my belief that writing is a communal activity. I think UL Lafayette’s creative writing program is ideal for any talented writer who’s interested in many subjects under the umbrella of “English.”

Read a Sample of Cindy's Writing

Check out this page about Cindy's Vital Signs CD

Go to UL Lafayette Creative Writing Anthology

Creative Writing home Page

English Department Home Page

© 2007, University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

This site designed and maintained by The Creative Writing Concentration

of the English Department of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

To contact us by mail: Director of Creative Writing, English Department, Box 44691,

UL Lafayette, Lafayette LA 70504-4691; by telephone, 337-482-5478;

by email, jlm8047@louisiana.edu.

Last updated: January 25, 2007.