MFA Hosts January Reading Series in Seaside

The Pacific University Master of Fine Arts in Writing program will once again host readings by some of the world’s finest contemporary writers during its 10-day residency in Seaside.

Free and open to the public, the evening readings begin at 7:30 p.m. and take place from Friday, Jan. 6, through Friday, Jan. 13, at the Best Western Ocean View Resort, located at 414 N. Prom in Seaside.

This event is a rare opportunity to hear master writers read on successive evenings. Featured authors include poet Marvin Bell, recipient of an American Academy of Arts & Letters Award in Literature, and Australian fiction writer Cate Kennedy, winner of the Queensland Literary Award and the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award.

EVENING READING SCHEDULE

Jan. 6 | Chris Abani, Judy Blunt & Pete Fromm
Jan. 7 | Ellen Bass, Jack Driscoll & Cate Kennedy
Jan. 8 | Steve Amick, Craig Lesley & Joseph Millar
Jan. 9 | Frank Gaspar, Mike Magnuson & Kellie Wells
Jan. 10 | Claire Davis, Debra Gwartney & John McNally
Jan. 11 | Marvin Bell, Scott Korb & Laura Hendrie
Jan. 12 | Kwame Dawes, Valerie Laken & David Long
Jan. 13 | Sandra Alcosser & Sanjiv Bhattacharya

The authors in the reading series also teach at the residency where MFA students participate in workshops, lectures, classes and other events in preparation for the guided study that follows. Students leave the residency paired with a professional writer who responds to their reading and writing throughout the semester, encouraging and inspiring emerging craft and voice.