Writing: A Life
“Writing: A Life”
Since the 1980s, LVC’s Visiting Writers Series has hosted internationally-acclaimed authors, poets, playwrights, etc., who perform readings, talk with audiences, and—remarkably—connect one-on-one with our students during events, workshops, and classroom visits. Visiting writers have included figures such as Kurt Vonnegut, W.D. Snodgrass, MK Asante, Emma Eisenberg, Adrian Matejka, and many more.
“Writing: A Life” broadens exposure to exciting and vibrant artists—for all students across campus—and helps make connections that serve students as emerging professionals and practitioners of their craft. It also creates opportunities to experience how the arts intersect all disciplines—and why that matters.
Visiting Writer 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.
Visiting Writers
| Name | Visiting Year(s) |
|---|---|
| Adam Tavel | 2017 |
| Adrian Matejka | 2017 |
| Adrienne Su | 2019 |
| Aimee Nezhukumatathil | 2021 |
| Aja Monet | 2015 |
| Alicia Ostriker | 1999 |
| Ananda Lima | 2022 |
| Anya Achtenberg | 2012 |
| Aracelis Girmay | 2018 |
| Asiya Wadud | 2024 |
| Barbara von Schlegell | 1997 |
| Betsy Gonzales | 2011 |
| Brandon Galvin | ~1990s |
| Brenna Womer | 2023 |
| Carolyn Forché | 1996 |
| Christian Thomas | 1997 |
| Clare Beams | 2020 |
| Cleyvis Natera | 2026 |
| Coleman McCarthy | 1995 |
| Curtis Smith | 2013 |
| Cynthia Arrieu-King | 2024 |
| David Wanczyk | 2019 |
| Diane Zinna | 2021 |
| Dinty Moore | 2001 |
| Elena Castedo | 1992 |
| Emma Copley Eisenberg | 2024 |
| Fleda Jackson Brown | 1996 |
| Hannah Grieco | 2025 |
| Hayden Carruth | 1991 |
| Henry Taylor | ~1990s |
| Jay Paul | ~1990s |
| Jen Michalski | 2018 |
| John Barth | ~1990s |
| Joseph Earl Thomas | 2023 |
| Joshua Bennett | 2014 |
| Karen Russell | 2013 |
| Kasey Jueds | 2026 |
| Kevin Morgan Watson | 2013 |
| Kristen Case | 2016 |
| Kurt Vonnegut | 1995 |
| L. S. Asekoff | 2010 |
| Lauren Francis-Sharma | 2020 |
| Lee Gutkind | ~1990s |
| Lisa Sewell | 2016 |
| Lorrie Moore | 1993 |
| Lucinda Roy | 1998 |
| M. K. Asante | 2014 |
| Matt Bell | 2021 |
| Matthew Goodman | 2014 |
| Meg Day | 2020 |
| Meghan Phillips | 2010s-2020s |
| Monica Byrne | 2022 |
| Monica Prince | 2025 |
| Nicole Cecilia Delgado | 2022 |
| Nina McConigley | 2016 |
| Paul Goldberger | 1996 |
| Rebecca Skloot | ~1990s |
| Reneé E. d’Aoust | 2017 |
| Ruth Awad | 2026 |
| S. Brook Corfman | 2022 |
| Samantha Zighelboim | 2023 |
| Sarah Cypher | 2023 |
| Shara McCallum | 2011 & 2017 |
| Sierra DeMulder | 2015 |
| Stephen Dunn | ~1990s, 1995, 2002, 2009, 2012 |
| Tara Stillions Whitehead | 2024 |
| Terri Kirby Erickson | 2013 |
| Tom McAllister | 2017 |
| Urayoán Noel | 2022 |
| Vassar Miller | 1989 |
| W. D. Snodgras | 1993 |
| W. M. Akers | 2020 |
| William J. Cobb | 1997 |
| William Matthews | ~1990s |
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
Visiting Writers in Action
