From the effects of radiation poisoning to hiding something from your parents, written stories can range from a variety of different topics. The Visiting Writers Series shows just how different stories can be.
The most recent Visiting Writer Series Nov. 13 welcomed Jennifer Murvin, a graphic essay writer and associate professor of Creative Writing at Missouri State University, and Michael Czyzniejewski, head of the Creative Writing program and professor at Missouri State, and a flash fiction writer. At the event, the two writers read a short piece of each of their works.
Daniel Biegelson, a senior instructor of Literature and Creative Writing at Northwest and director of the Visiting Writer Series, said this event focused on modern writings.
“It's essentially designed to bring creative artists and writers to our community to share their work; to open up a space for the imagination, for civil discourse, a space to kind of see writers working today as part of our everyday lives, as opposed to the idea that literature is something we only look at in the past and isn't being actively created today,” Biegelson said.
Murvin, the first speaker, also hosts her own series called the River Pretty Writers Retreat in Tecumseh, Missouri.
Murvin is well-known for her graphic essays, which are stories combined with graphic pictures similar to comic books. Her graphic essay chapbook, “False Alarm,” is published by GreenTower Press here at Northwest. Her works range from nonfiction stories like “Before Anything” and “Listen for the Birds,” to fictional stories like “Mom to You” and “Hippo.” Murvin said her connections to Northwest faculty, such as the School of Language, Literature and Writing’s Assistant Professor Luke Rolfes and Professor John Gallaher, allowed her to speak here.
“I know Luke and John, they're just such great people, and they have come down to Missouri State and read for our students,” Murvin said. “So, when they invited me to come up, I was so thrilled to get the invitation; it's always fun to share your writing with more writing students and talk to new people.”
The second writer who spoke was Czyzniejewski. He is the editor-in-chief of the Moon City Press, a non-profit literary press at Missouri State, Moon City Reviews, an annual literary publication. He is also the interviews editor of SmokeLong Quarterly, an online literary journal publishing flash narratives.
Czyzniejewski is the author of four collections of stories, most recently, “The Amnesiac in the Maze.” Czyzniejewski is also the recipient of two Pushcart Prizes, an annual literary award, and a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Czyzniejewski said events like the Visiting Writer Series are a part of the college experience.
“It's part of what we call literary citizenship,” Czyzniejewski said. “People come here, and they attend this; maybe it's a requirement for a class, or maybe they just heard about it from a teacher or maybe they just wandered by. It's an enrichment experience; that's part of coming to college.”
From the effects of radiation poisoning to hiding something from your parents, written stories can range from a variety of different topics. The Visiting Writers Series shows just how different stories can be.
The most recent Visiting Writer Series Nov. 13 welcomed Jennifer Murvin, a graphic essay writer and associate professor of Creative Writing at Missouri State University, and Michael Czyzniejewski, head of the Creative Writing program and professor at Missouri State, and a flash fiction writer. At the event, the two writers read a short piece of each of their works.
Daniel Biegelson, a senior instructor of Literature and Creative Writing at Northwest and director of the Visiting Writer Series, said this event focused on modern writings.
“It's essentially designed to bring creative artists and writers to our community to share their work; to open up a space for the imagination, for civil discourse, a space to kind of see writers working today as part of our everyday lives, as opposed to the idea that literature is something we only look at in the past and isn't being actively created today,” Biegelson said.
Murvin, the first speaker, also hosts her own series called the River Pretty Writers Retreat in Tecumseh, Missouri.
Murvin is well-known for her graphic essays, which are stories combined with graphic pictures similar to comic books. Her graphic essay chapbook, “False Alarm,” is published by GreenTower Press here at Northwest. Her works range from nonfiction stories like “Before Anything” and “Listen for the Birds,” to fictional stories like “Mom to You” and “Hippo.” Murvin said her connections to Northwest faculty, such as the School of Language, Literature and Writing’s Assistant Professor Luke Rolfes and Professor John Gallaher, allowed her to speak here.
“I know Luke and John, they're just such great people, and they have come down to Missouri State and read for our students,” Murvin said. “So, when they invited me to come up, I was so thrilled to get the invitation; it's always fun to share your writing with more writing students and talk to new people.”
The second writer who spoke was Czyzniejewski. He is the editor-in-chief of the Moon City Press, a non-profit literary press at Missouri State, Moon City Reviews, an annual literary publication. He is also the interviews editor of SmokeLong Quarterly, an online literary journal publishing flash narratives.
Czyzniejewski is the author of four collections of stories, most recently, “The Amnesiac in the Maze.” Czyzniejewski is also the recipient of two Pushcart Prizes, an annual literary award, and a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Czyzniejewski said events like the Visiting Writer Series are a part of the college experience.
“It's part of what we call literary citizenship,” Czyzniejewski said. “People come here, and they attend this; maybe it's a requirement for a class, or maybe they just heard about it from a teacher or maybe they just wandered by. It's an enrichment experience; that's part of coming to college.”
