Celebrated writers of poetry, fiction, and literary non-fiction visit campus several times each year to give lectures, readings, discussions, and book signings. For the Spring 2024 Creative Writers Reading Series, the three 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 B.F.A. in Creative Writing degree program with support from the Clarence A. and Eugenie Baumann Smith Fund.
For additional information, visit us on Facebook at Penn State Behrend - BFA Creative Writing.
Spring 2024 Smith Creative Writers Reading Series
Smith Readings begin promptly at 6:00 p.m. (preceded by receptions at 5:30 p.m.).
March 21 – Al Maginnes, Poetry
Metzgar Lobby
Al Maginnes is the author of numerous chapbooks and full-length collections. His most recent is Fellow Survivors: New and Selected Poems (Redhawk, 2023). His poems and reviews have appeared in Poetry, Georgia Review, Shenandoah, Tar River Poetry, and many other journals. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with his wife and daughter.
April 4 – Nancy Eimers, Poetry
Metzgar Lobby
Nancy Eimers is the author of Human Figures (New Michigan Press), Oz (Carnegie Mellon), and three previous poetry collections. Her poems have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies. She has been the recipient of a Nation “Discovery” Award, a Whiting Writers Award, and two NEA Fellowships.
April 18 – Eugene Garcia Cross, Fiction
Smith Chapel
Eugene Garcia Cross is the author of the novel Miss Me Forever and the story collection Fires of Our Choosing, which was named the Gold Medal winner in the Short Story category by the Independent Publisher Book Awards. His stories have appeared in such journals as Glimmer Train, American Short Fiction, Story Quarterly, and Callaloo and have been listed among Best American Short Stories' 100 Distinguished Stories. He's taught creative writing at Northwestern, Penn State Behrend, The University of Chicago, and other institutions. He is the recipient of scholarships and fellowships from Bread Loaf, NBC, the National Hispanic Media Coalition, Yaddo, and Sewanee. As a TV writer, Eugene has written for Disney, NBC, and Peacock. Eugene lives in Los Angeles with his wife and three children.
Additional Readings
Readings begin promptly at 6:00 p.m.
January 25 – Faculty New Book Reading
Metzgar Lobby
George Looney, Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing and English, will read from his new books of fiction and poetry.
George Looney’s most recent books are The Acrobatic Company of the Invisible, which won The Cider Press Review Editors’ Poetry Prize, and The Visibility of Things Long Submerged, which won the BOA Editions Short Fiction Award. He is Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing at Penn State Behrend, where he founded the BFA in Creative Writing Program and currently serves as editor of the international literary journal Lake Effect.
March 14 – Behrend Reads
Metzgar Lobby
Come join us in Metzgar on Thursday evening at 6:00 for the annual Behrend Reads event, in which faculty and staff from across Behrend read from their creative work.
March 28 – Sweet Sorrow Senior Readings
Metzgar Lobby
Graduating students from the Bachelor of Fine Arts program in Creative Writing read from their work.
April 25 – Sweet Sorrow Senior Readings
Metzgar Lobby
Graduating students from the Bachelor of Fine Arts program in Creative Writing read from their work.