Celebrated writers of poetry, fiction, and literary nonfiction visit campus several times each year to give lectures, readings, discussions, and book signings. For the 2026–27 Creative Writers Reading Series, the visiting writer readings will take place live and in person only.
All events are free and open to the public.
The Creative Writers Reading Series is produced by Penn State Behrend's BFA in Creative Writing degree program with support from the Clarence A. and Eugenie Baumann Smith Fund.
Penn State encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Dr. Tom Noyes in advance of your participation or visit.
Fall 2026 Smith Creative Writers Reading Series
Smith Readings begin promptly at 6:00 p.m. (preceded by receptions at 5:30 p.m.).
Thursday, September 17: Elizabeth Hazen, Poetry
Metzgar Lobby
Elizabeth Hazen
Elizabeth Hazen is a poet, essayist, and teacher. She is currently teaching poetry through the Goucher Prison Education Partnership. Her work has appeared in Best American Poetry, Epoch, The Threepenny Review, Shenandoah, and other journals. She has published three collections of poetry: Chaos Theories (2016), Girls Like Us (2020), and The Sky Will Hold (2026). She lives in Baltimore with her family.
Thursday, October 15: Molly McNett, Fiction
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Molly McNett
Molly McNett teaches writing at Northern Illinois University. Her stories have appeared in The Best American Short Stories, The Pushcart Prize, and many journals. She is the winner of a John Simmons Prize for the story collection One Dog Happy, published by the University of Iowa Press. Her debut novel, Child of These Tears, was named in The New Statesman as one of the best books of 2025 by critic Rowan Williams.
Spring 2027 Smith Creative Writers Reading Series
Smith Readings begin promptly at 6:00 p.m. (preceded by receptions at 5:30 p.m.).
Thursday, April 8: Corey Zeller, Poetry
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Corey Zeller
Corey Zeller is the author of Often You Light a Fuse to Prove You Won't Explode (BOA Editions, 2027), Man vs. Sky (YesYes Books, 2013), and the coauthor, with Sophie Klahr, of There Is Only One Ghost in the World (FC2, 2023), winner of the 2022 Ronald Sukenick Innovative Fiction Contest. His work has been published in Poetry, American Poetry Review, Academy of American Poets' Poem-a-Day, The Kenyon Review, New England Review, The Missouri Review, The Colorado Review, Indiana Review, Gulf Coast, BOMB Magazine, and PEN America, among many others.
Thursday, April 15: Benjamin Percy, Comics
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Benjamin Percy
Benjamin Percy currently writes The Punisher, Deadpool, Midnight Fantastic Four, and Star Wars: Shadow of Maul for Marvel. He is known for his runs on comics titles like Wolverine, X-Force, Ghost Rider, Green Arrow, James Bond, and Teen Titans. He is the author of eight novels—most recently, The End Times—three story collections, a book of novellas, and a book of essays, Thrill Me, that is widely taught in creative writing classrooms. His fiction and nonfiction have been published in Esquire, GQ, Time, Men's Journal, Outside, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Orion, and The Paris Review. His honors include an NEA fellowship, a McKnight Fellowship, the Whiting Award, the Plimpton Prize, two Pushcart Prizes, the iHeartRadio Award for Best Scripted Podcast, and inclusion in Best Horror of the Year and Best American Short Stories.
Additional Readings
Readings begin promptly at 6:00 p.m.
Thursday, February 11: George Looney, Professor Emeritus
Metzgar Lobby
Join us Thursday evening as Professor Emeritus George Looney reads from his new book of poems.
Thursday, February 25: Behrend Reads
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At the annual Behrend Reads event, college faculty and staff share their original works of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Light refreshments provided.
Thursdays, April 1 and April 22: Sweet Sorrow Senior Readings
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Graduating students from the B.F.A. in Creative Writing degree program read from their work.