Brenna Womer speaks at Writing a Life event

Writing: A Life

“Writing: A Life” Events

Each semester the College welcomes a visiting author to host a reading on campus as well as other events that may include writing workshops or classroom visits.

“Writing: A Life” broadens our students’—all students, not only those in Creative Writing and English & Communications—exposure to exciting, vibrant artists and allows them to make connections that will serve them as professionals and as practitioners of their craft, as well as understand the way the arts intersect across all disciplines.

LVC will welcome two visiting writers to campus this fall. Their public readings will take place either via Zoom or in person and will be available free to the campus community and the public. Copies of the writers’ books will be available for purchase and signing at the readings.

Cleyvis Natera headshot

Cleyvis Natera

Oct. 13 | 7 p.m. | Bishop Library Atrium and Zoom

Join us for a reading, Q&A session, and book signing. Readings are free and open to all. Books will be available for purchase at the event.

Registration required for Zoom session.

About Cleyvis Natera

Cleyvis Natera is an award-winning author, essayist, and critic. Her debut novel, Neruda on the Park, was a New York Times Editor’s Choice and winner of a Silver Medal by the International Latino Book Awards for Best First Book of Fiction. Her sophomore novel, The Grand Paloma Resort, was named a best book of 2025 by ELLE, Electric Literature, and CrimeReads. Her other writing has appeared in the Modern Love column in The New York Times, World Literature Today, bon appetit, Kirkus, The New York Times Book Review, TIME, The Washington Post, USA TODAY, Pleiades, The Kenyon Review, Aster(ix) and Kweli Journal, among others. Natera has received awards, fellowships, and artist residencies from the Vermont Studio Center, PEN America, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and Hermitage Artist Retreat, among others. She was the recipient of the prestigious Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference 2024 Toni Morrison Fiction Fellowship. She is currently a Fulbright Specialist. Natera has most recently been part of the creative writing faculty at Barnard College, Columbia University’s M.F.A. Program, and Montclair State University.

Michael Pogach headshot

Michael Pogach

Nov. 5 | 7 p.m. | Bishop Library Atrium and Zoom

Join us for a reading, Q&A session, and book signing. Readings are free and open to all. Books will be available for purchase at the event.

Registration required for Zoom session.

About Michael Pogach

Michael Pogach is the award-winning author of fantasies, dystopias, and Gothic thrillers. His most recent novel is the dark Viking fantasy Valhalla Burning. His previous novels include the Penncraft Award runner-up Slip, as well as the dystopian adventure Rafael Ward series, which begins with the Kindle Book Award finalist The Spider in the Laurel. His short stories have been published in journals and anthologies such as Third Wednesday, New Plains Review, and Blackest Spells, among others. When not working on his next novel, Michael teaches literature and creative writing in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley where he lives with his wife, two kids, and a black cat named Wednesday.

Outcomes and Reviews

Green Blotter editorial staff members Rachael Speck ’20 and Paige Bryson ‘20, in collaboration with genre editors Sydney Fuhrman ’18 and Jackie Chicalese ’18, published a guide to undergraduate literary magazines for Assay: A Journal of Nonfiction Studies under guidance from visiting writer and reviewer Renee d’Aoust.

As a result of Renèe d’Aoust’s in-class discussion of the value/professional development merit of publishing book reviews, Sydney Fuhrman ’18 published a book review in Alternating Current Press’s literary magazine The Coil. Fuhrman wrote the review for ENG 254 Fiction Workshop.

Cheyenne Heckermann ’17 is now a book reviewer for Anomaly, focusing particularly on works by writers of color and LGBTQ2IA writers. Her reviews are online here.

Read what some of our students have to say about the “Writing: A Life” series.

“The opportunity to meet one-on-one with Adam Tavel and discuss my work was incredibly beneficial, as I was able to receive unique advice and encouragement from a knowledgeable and award-winning poet. As a mentor, Adam was insightful and sincere, and offered his personal experiences and support to assist in preparing me for a transition from undergraduate writing to graduate.” ~ English major

“Another section that I thought was really relatable to me was the ‘real writer’ conversation. Being a musician, when Tom McAllister talked about the set of habits, it made me understand why writers have to practice with workshops and lectures just like musicians have to sit down and play…. he inspired me as a musician to treat music different and to experiment.” ~ music education major