Wesleyan to host writer's series - WTRF 7 News Sports Weather - Wheeling Steubenville

West Virginia Wesleyan's Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing Program will host a Visiting Writers Series during the program's Winter Residency.  These writers will be reading from their original work, and copies of their books will be available for sale; readings will be held in WV Wesleyan's Black Box Theatre in the English Annex unless otherwise noted:

8 p.m. Dec 28: Carter Sickels, author of the novel The Evening Hour

6:30 p.m. Dec 29: West Virginia Poet Laureate Marc Harshman, author of the forthcoming Green-Silver and Silent

6:30 p.m. Dec 30: Adrian Blevins, author of the poetry collections Live from the Homesick Jamboree and The Brass Girl Brouhaha

6:30 p.m. Dec 31: Karen McElmurray, author of the novels, The Motel of the Stars and Strange Birds in the Tree of Heaven, and the memoir Surrendered Child: A Birth Mother's Journey. (Reading held in Wesleyan's Nellie Wilson Lounge in Benedum Hall.)

6:30 p.m. Jan 1: Kevin Oderman, author of the essay collection How Things Fit Together and two novels, Going and White Vespa

3 p.m. Jan 2: Sara Beth Childers, author of the forthcoming memoir-in-essays, Shake Terribly the Earth, and Aaron Smith, author of two poetry collections, Appetite and Blue on Blue Ground

7:30 p.m. Jan 4: Elizabeth Stone, author of four books including the memoir, A Boy I Once Knew: What a Teacher Learned from her Student

Wesleyan's low-residency MFA in Creative Writing offers an apprenticeship model that enables students to earn a Master's degree without having to uproot their lives.  Students are on campus for an intense residency period of nine to ten days each summer and winter, and complete their semester course work through correspondence with a mentor.  Launched by Irene McKinney, who served as West Virginia's Poet Laureate until her death in February 2012, the program continues to honor her vision: the dynamic core faculty is committed to fostering the creation of fine literature, particularly literature that explores place and identity.  This program is the only one of its kind in the state.

These events are free and open to the public.  For information about the readings or about Wesleyan's creative writing program, contact MFA Director Jessie van Eerden via email at vaneerden@wvwc or at 304-473-8329.