Among the hundreds of writers Wells has hosted over the years, many have been top figures in their field who have won such prestigious awards as the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the National Book Critics Circle Award. One (the Russian poet Joseph Brodsky) was even a Nobel Prize winner. Yet, the Visiting Writers Series selects only those writers who can bring something special to the close-knit Wells community, which has had its continuously growing share of ambitious and committed undergraduate writers.
Visiting writers are frequently editors and publishers, or are involved in graduate writing programs, and all have wide publishing experience, so they can help students learn about practical matters relating to the literary scene and publishing in addition to providing hands-on advice and criticism. Sometimes there are group readings by editors and writers representing journals, such as The Healing Muse and Stone Canoe, and by publishers, such as Michael Czarnecki of FootHills Publishing, enabling students to gain exposure to the vital work being done all over the country by small presses and literary magazines.
Public Reading ~ Thursday, Sept. 13, 6:30 p.m., Art Exhibit Room (Macmillan Hall)
Public Master Class ~ Friday, Sept. 14, 12:30 p.m., Faculty Parlors (Main Building)
Public Reading ~ Thursday, Sept. 20, 6:30 p.m., Art Exhibit Room (Macmillan Hall)
Public Master Class: "On Love and Lack: Generating Tension in Love Poems" ~ Friday, Sept. 21, 12:30 p.m., Faculty Parlors (Main Building)
Public Master Class: "On Great Titles" ~ Tuesday, Oct. 23, 12:30 p.m., Faculty Parlors (Main Building)
Public Reading ~ Tuesday, Oct. 23, 6:30 p.m., Art Exhibit Room (Macmillan Hall)
Tuesday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m. (location TBD)
For each visiting writer, the Book Arts Center and Press collaborates with Wells' English department to prepare a handmade broadside of the writer's work. View previous broadsides available for purchase here.
