Poetry Happy Hour Features Bill McCloud

Gotahold Brewing has chosen the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow (WCDH) as their #TipsforTransformation benefactor during the month of April, National Poetry Month.  Poetry Happy Hours will be held at 5:30 pm every Thursday in April in the beer garden at Gotahold.  The events will benefit the WCDH scholarship fund and celebrate the beauty and art of poetry. On Thursday, April 8, at 5:30 pm Bill McCloud will move the audience by reading a selection of his poetry.

Bill McCloud teaches history at Rogers State University in Oklahoma. His book, “What Should We Tell Our Children About Vietnam?” (University of Oklahoma Press), was a finalist for the Oklahoma Book Award. His poetry book, “The Smell of the Light: Vietnam, 1968-1969,” (Balkan Press), reached number one on the "Oklahoma Best-Sellers" List (“The Oklahoman”).

His Vietnam War papers were purchased by Harvard University. Named a three-time Woody Guthrie Poet, his poems have appeared in “Oklahoma Today,” “Oklahoma English Journal,” “Conclave,” and “eMerge,” the literary magazine of WCDH. He has a poem in the anthology, “Bull Buffalo and Indian Paintbrush: The Poetry of Oklahoma” (TJMF Publishing). Seven of his poems appear in Charles Templeton’s best-selling novel of the Vietnam War, “Boot.” McCloud is a faculty member of William Bernhardt’s WriterCon, where he presents sessions on poetry. One of his poems was posted inside a Tulsa Transit Metro Bus. He is a poetry editor for “Right Hand Pointing,” and has read his work aloud at the Air Force Academy and the Writers Colony at Dairy Hollow. Among the fans of his poetry are songwriters Graham Nash and Jimmy Webb.

Gotahold Brewing is located at 408 W Van Buren in Eureka Springs.  Opened in 2020 by Wendy Reese Hartman and Dave Hartman, their mission is to change customers’ perception of beer while inspiring deeper connection, compassion, and positive action in our world. Visit them at https://gotahold.beer.

The WCDH scholarship fund was developed in December 2019 to assist emerging writers and those from marginalized communities who need financial support to benefit from a writing residency at Dairy Hollow. Scholarships are awarded on an as-needed basis depending on availability. If you are unable to attend a Poetry Happy Hour but would like to support a WCDH scholarship fund, please visit https://www.writerscolony.org/give-to-wcdh-scholarship-fund.