October 2, 2018

Roxane Gay kicks off Creative Writing Month

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Courtesy photo

Courtesy photo
Roxane Gay, author and Husker alum, will do a reading and book signing Oct. 4 in the Nebraska Union to kick off Creative Writing Month at Nebraska.

An Oct. 4 reading and book signing with Husker alumna and author Roxane Gay begins a full month of events for Creative Writing Month.

Gay is the author of “An Untamed State,” “Bad Feminist” and “Hunger,” among other books. She is also a regular contributor to The New York Times and many other periodicals. Gay’s talk begins at 7 p.m. in the Nebraska Union’s Centennial Room. Space is limited, so guests are encouraged to arrive early. The presentation will also be live-streamed.

In addition to Gay’s talk, Nebraska’s Creative Writing Program and Department of English are sponsoring nine more events, all free and open to the public, throughout the month of October.

Additional planned events include talks and panels by fiction writers, memoirists, poets and publishing professionals. The roster includes a number of alumni from the Creative Writing Program who are returning to campus to read from new and acclaimed works.

Organizer Timothy Schaffert, Susan Rosowski Professor of English, said it’s important and helpful for writers to be able to take part in these kinds of events.

“Writing is a solitary act, so when they have an opportunity to be in a community with like-minded individuals, that can be inspiring for them, too,” he said.

The full schedule of events is as follows:

  • Oct 8, 7 p.m. — Jordan Farmer, alumnus and author of the novel, “The Pallbearer,” Andrews Hall Bailey Library, Andrews Hall 228, 625 N. 14th St.

  • Oct 9, 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. — Publishing Panels, with agents Noah Ballard (Curtis Brown) and Nell Pierce (Sterling Lord); and editors Zack Knoll (Simon and Schuster) and Margo Shickmanter (Doubleday/Penguin Random House), Andrews Hall Bailey Library, Andrews Hall 228, 625 N. 14th St.

  • Oct 17, 5:30 p.m. — Marianne Kunkel, alumnae and author of “Hillary” and “Made Up,” and Sarah Fawn Montgomery alumnae and author of “Quite Mad: An American Pharma Memoir,” Andrews Hall Bailey Library, Andrews Hall 228, 625 N. 14th St.

  • Oct 18, 7 p.m. — Slam Poetry, Nebraska Union Crib, 1400 R St.

  • Oct 23, 2 p.m. — “Mermaids & Godmothers: The Fairy Tale Revised,” featuring novelist Carolyn Turgeon, Andrews Hall Bailey Library, Andrews Hall 228, 625 N. 14th St.

  • Oct 25, 12:30 p.m. — “The Fables Project: Fiction and Art,” a reading and digital exhibit, Andrews Hall Bailey Library, Andrews Hall 228, 625 N. 14th St.

  • Oct 25, 3:30 p.m. — “Horror & Heroism: Comics and Activism in the 21st Century,” featuring comic book artist José Villarrubia, Andrews Hall Bailey Library, Andrews Hall 228, 625 N. 14th St.

  • Oct 30, 5 p.m. — Ángel García, doctoral student and author of “Teeth Never Sleep,” and Gabriel Houck, alumnus and author of “You or a Loved One,” Andrews Hall Bailey Library, Andrews Hall 228, 625 N. 14th St.

  • Nov 2, 7:30 p.m. — Opening night of “The Miseducation of Cameron Post,” a film based on the novel by emily m. danforth, featuring a discussion with the author, Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center, 313 North 13th St.