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In a special collaboration with the Human Rights Institute, the Creative Writing Program welcomes novelist, poet, essayist, playwright, and screenwriter Chris Abani. He is the author of the poetry collections Smoking the Bible ²¹²Ô»åÌýSanctificum, the novels Song for Night ²¹²Ô»åÌýGraceLand, and the essay collection The Face, among many other books. His work has been translated into French, Italian, Spanish, German, Swedish, Romanian, Hebrew, Macedonian, Ukrainian, Portuguese, Dutch, Bosnian, and Serbian. Through his TED Talks and other public speaking, Abani is known as an international voice on humanitarianism, art, ethics, and our shared political responsibility.

Join the Common Ground reading series to experience live readings by undergraduate & graduate student writers.

I hope you can join me Wednesday, April 30, 6-8pm in the Alumni Lounge (Old O'Connor Hall) in a celebratory reading and conversation about my debut poetry collection, What to Wear Out. Professor Leslie Heywood will introduce, and Creative Writing Program Director and Professor Tina Chang will lead a Q&A. Refreshments will be served and books will be for sale. This event is free and open to the public; feel free to bring friends and students. More details can be found in the attached flyer. I hope to see you there—and maybe at other events in the months ahead, which you can learn about !

This event will celebrate 's new issue with readings by the winners of the Harpur Palate Prize for Nonfiction and the John Garner Award for Fiction as well as the guest judge of each prize, Lily Dancyger and Marjorie Celona.