Writers @ Grinnell Events

“Interacting with writers, hearing them not only read from their work but also talk about their achievements and struggles, helps us to see that literature is a living tradition,” says Ralph Savarese, professor of English. “Writers@Grinnell works its magic in the way that the College does generally: by allowing students to discover and cultivate a passionate commitment to engaged living. Students learn that carefully and beautifully crafted words matter.”

The program is not designed just for student writers. “The program serves interdisciplinary learning by showcasing writers who take up matters of politics or history or science, for example — the latter is a loose but common thread in the work of a number of this year’s visitors,” Savarese says.

Schedule of Events

WebEx links to the roundtable events will be posted at the beginning of each week in various campus communications and on W@G social media; events will be captioned.

Follow us! @grinnellwriters (Twitter) and writers_at_grinnell (Instagram).

To request additional accessibility accommodations, please email De Dudley at at least 2 days prior to the event.

Register for all public Prairie Lights events (via Zoom). All times listed are Central time zone.

Hey, it’s 2020! We’re taking this one day at a time. This information is subject to change. Check your email and follow us on social media for updates and additional information.

Thanks to Steven Duong ’19 for the cool graphics work and social media help for our virtual year ahead.

Fall 1 Term

The Writers@Grinnell virtual line-up for the Fall 1 session kicks off Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 7 p.m. in a special event co-hosted with Prairie Lights Bookstore, “The Civic Imagination: In Search of a Healing Creative Curriculum.”

Gabrielle Calvocoressi

Tuesday, Sept. 8, 7 p.m.: Live from Prairie Lights

Join award-winning poet Gabrielle Calvocoressi for a reading from their work, followed by a discussion with Writers@Grinnell Director Dean Bakopoulos about the ways we can re-imagine creative writing and the teaching of creative writing during this tumultuously challenging year. Register at Prairie Lights.

Thursday, Sept. 10, 7:30 p.m.: Roundtable

Hieu Minh Nguyen and Angel Nafis

Tuesday, Sept. 15, 7:30 p.m.: Writers@Grinnell WebEx roundtable

Thursday, Sept. 17, 7 p.m.: Live from Prairie Lights

Jamel Brinkley

Thursday, Sept. 24, 7 p.m.: Live from Prairie Lights

Followed by a Writers@Grinnell WebEx roundtable, 8:15 p.m..

Jenny Zhang and Tommy Pico

Tuesday, Sept. 29, 7 p.m.: Live from Prairie Lights (w/ Alissa Nutting)

Thursday, Oct. 1, 7:30 p.m.: Writers@Grinnell WebEx roundtable

Aimee Nezhukumatathil and Ross Gay

Tuesday, Oct. 6, 7:30 p.m.: Writers@Grinnell WebEx roundtable

Thursday, Oct. 8, 7 p.m.: Live from Prairie Lights

jessica Care moore

Tuesday, Oct. 13, 7 p.m.: Live from Prairie Lights

Fall 2 Term

Ralph Savarese and Steve Kuusisto

Tuesday, Oct. 29, 7 p.m.: Live from Prairie Lights

Ada Limon

Tuesday, Nov. 10, 7 p.m.: Live from Prairie Lights

Thursday, Nov. 12, 7 p.m.: Writers@Grinnell WebEx roundtable

Dean and Natalie Bakopoulos

Tuesday, Nov. 17, 7 p.m.: Live from Prairie Lights

Dwayne Betts and Kiese Laymon

Monday, Nov. 23, 7 p.m.: Live from Prairie Lights

Student reading

Monday, Nov. 30, 7 p.m.

Danielle Evans and Laura van den Berg

Tuesday, Dec. 8, 7 p.m.: Live from Prairie Lights

 

Spring 2021 (Tentative)

• Launch event for “Made for Love’ TV show with Alissa Nutting
• Melissa Febos and Donika Kelly
• Hanif Abudrraqib
• Alexander Chee — Distinguished Author Event
• Jean Guerrero — Armando “Mando” Montaño Memorial Lecture