End of Semester Reading

Let us take a moment to reflect on the talented voices we’ve heard during the various events this semester, hosted by the Roosevelt Reading Series:

Amelia Gray, with her brilliant oddness.

Billy Lombardo, realist extraordinaire.

China Miéville, who taught us the metaphorical magic of cephalopods.

Kathleen Rooney, her poetry an exploration into mustached milieus.

The graduate reading, where we said goodbye to five graduating MFAers.

And lastly, upcoming this Friday, the End of Semester reading, which will be a perfect opportunity to celebrate a hard-fought semester, and hear some great writing.

The Roosevelt Reading Series is proud to announce its last reading of the semester, featuring no fewer than eight current MFA candidates. The featured readers will be sharing the newest of the new, the freshest of the fresh, served up at the always-hip Book Cellar!

The reading will be held at the Book Cellar, Friday, December 7, starting at 7pm and likely ending around 8. Free and open to the public, invite your friends!

Feel free to email Interim Director of the MFA Program Peggy Shinner at pshinner@roosevelt.edu with any questions. Hope to see you all there!

Roosevelt Reading Series Fall Line-Up

Want to know what’s in this fall? It isn’t sweater-vests or crocs, knit scarves or color-blocking. The newest fashion this season is the Roosevelt Reading Series, which is proud to announce its full line-up of visiting authors, bringing you the best of the best from every corner of the literary world! So in right now: Amelia Gray, Billy Lombardo, China Miéville, and Kathleen Rooney!

Amelia Gray: Monday, October 8, 5-6pm (doors open at 4:30), Gage Gallery

Not afraid of lions, our first visiting author, Amelia Gray, has penned three books, AM/PM, Museum of the Weird, and Threats. She has been awarded the Ronald Sukenick/American Book Review Innovative Fiction Prize. Join us on October 8^th in welcoming Amelia!

Billy Lombardo: Monday, October 22, 5-6pm (doors open at 4:30), Gage Gallery

Chicago native and Roosevelt writer-in-residence, Billy Lombardo is the author of five books, including The Man with Two Arms, and The Logic of a Rose: Chicago Stories, which was a Chicago Tribune Best Fiction of 2005 selection. Billy is the co-founder and artistic director of Polyphony H.S., a student-run national literary magazine for high school writers and editors. 

China Miéville: Monday, November 5, 5-6pm (doors open at 4:30), Angell Reading Room (10^th floor, Roosevelt Library)

Hailing from London, China Miéville is a visiting author to Roosevelt this year, giving a reading and a master’s class. He is an award-winning fiction author, comic writer and academic. Self-described as an author of ‘weird fiction,’ or the movement known as the New Weird, his writing is both intriguing and wildly entertaining.

China is a three-time winner of the prestigious Arthur C. Clarke Award and has also won the British Fantasy Award twice. The City & The City, an existential thriller, was published to dazzling critical acclaim and drew comparison with the works of Kafka and Orwell and Philip K. Dick. His previous novel, Embassytown was a first and widely praised foray into science fiction (published in 2011).

Kathleen Rooney: Monday, November 12, 5-6pm (doors open at 4:30), Gage Gallery

Kathleen Rooney is a poet, essayist, professor, visiting writer to Roosevelt University and founding editor of Rose Metal Press. Her writing is exciting and fresh (and sometimes on-demand). Her latest solo poetry collection, Robinson Alone, is forthcoming from Gold Wake Press.

Join us in welcoming these great talents!

 

Eula Biss Reading this Wednesday!

What’s not to love about April? The days are warmer, the sun is brighter, Buckingham Fountain gets turned back on. But—no matter how great your April has been so far, it is about to get better. The Roosevelt Reading Series is proud to announce a reading from essayist and creative nonfiction writer Eula Biss!

Eula Biss holds an MFA in nonfiction writing from the University of Iowa, and is the author of two books, The Balloonists and Notes from No Man’s Land. She is the recipient of several awards, including the Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award for criticism. She teaches writing at Northwestern University.

Read an excerpt from Notes from No Man’s Land here!

The reading will be held in the Sullivan Room (2nd floor of the Auditorium Building), Wednesday, April 18, from 5-6pm. Doors open at 4:30 for snacks, refreshments, and piano-related conversations. Hope to see you all there!

Patrick Somerville Reading this Monday!

The days grow longer and we put away our winter coats and mittens. It can only mean one thing: spring is upon us, with summer just around the corner. Before taking out your beach towels, sunglasses, and your favorite paperback, join us for a reading from novelist Patrick Somerville!

Patrick Somerville is the author of two short story collections and two novels, the most recent being ‘This Bright River,’ which will be available June 26. He has taught Creative Writing and English at Cornell and Auburn State Correctional Facility, and currently teaches in the MFA programs for Northwestern and Warren Wilson.

The reading will begin with an introduction by Charles R. Middleton, and will be a great opportunity for students to meet the president of Roosevelt University.

The reading will be held in the Sullivan Room (2^nd floor of the Auditorium Building), Monday, April 9, from 5-6pm. Join us in welcoming this talented author!

Albert Goldbarth Reading this Monday

Are you tired of minimalism? Think that sometimes it's nice to hear a pond described as something more than “pond-like?” We've got just the thing- Albert Goldbarth, essayist, poet, two time winner of the National Book Award will be reading this Monday at 5 PM in the Gage Gallery.

Albert "Has already heard all the gold-puns in the world" Goldbarth

Goldbarth's writing style has been described by Slate as “effusive, sprawling, and instantly recognizable,” His poetry is both passionate, and extremely funny. A prime example of Goldbarth's work is “The Library”, an ode to the immense power of literature.  In the poem, Goldbarth recounts the stories and significance of each book on his shelves, with lines which are relatable and also fantastical-

This book is a vivisected frog, and ova its text.
This book was dictated by Al-Méllikah, the Planetary Spirit of the Seventh
   Realm, to his intermediary on Earth (the Nineteenth Realm), who
   published it, first in mimeograph, and many editions later in gold-
   stamped leather.
This book taught me everything wrong about sex.
This book poured its colors into my childhood so strongly, they remain a
    dye in my imagination today.
This book is by a poet who makes me sick.
This is the first book in the world.

In addition to his poetry, Goldbarth is an accomplished prose writer, having penned both a novel and four collections of essays. His essays cover a wide range of topics from archeology to horror movies, and have been called “an artful joining of disparate entities into something new that illuminates as it entertains” by the New York Times.

Come see this Chicago-born literary-alchemist at the Gage Gallery, this Monday, March 15^th. Doors will open for the event and 4:30, and the reading will begin at 5:00.

Janet Wondra and Regina Buccola Poetry Reading!

Forgot to get your sweetheart something for Valentine’s Day? Couldn’t find a restaurant that would take a last minute reservation? Not to worry! Bring your loveliest love, your sweetheartiest sweetheart, your freshest squeeze, to the Roosevelt Reading Series’ poetry double feature, Thursday, February 16. In front of the mic will be Janet Wondra and Regina Buccola!

Janet Wondra will be reading from her chapbook, Bad Attitude, still fresh from the printer!

Regina Buccola will be reading from her chapbook, Conjuring, from Finishing Line Press!

The reading will be held at the Gage Gallery, Thursday, February 16. Doors open at 4:30, reading begins at 5. Get there early for food and drink!

Roosevelt's 2nd MFA Graduate Reading is Tomorrow!

Whoa there, Santa's Little Helper.  You've got plenty of time!  The reading's not 'till tomorrow!

That's right, we're sending our second batch of graduating MFA-er's off in style.*   Tomorrow at 5:00 in the Gage Gallery, The Roosevelt MFA program will hold its second and final Graduate Reading of the semester.   Please join us to bid adieu to five fantastic writers who have all graced the Roosevelt MFA programs with their presence for the last several years:

Bernard Cox!

Patrick Garret!

Kasey Mather!

Esley Stahl!

AND

Kelli Worral!

Come down to congratulate these graduating writers and hear them read their sensational writing.  

*Style, in this case, being boxed wine and cake.  

Graduate Reading this Thursday!

Graduate Reading, this Thursday, October 27th! At the Gage Gallery! Coffee and Cake at 5:00. Reading starts at 5:30!  

WHAT A LINEUP!

 

Heather Cox. Published Poet, Founding Editor at Ghost Ocean Magazine, Chronic Hugger!

Adam Morgan. Fiction Writer, Published Author, Chronic Hiker!

Arielle Nelson. Published Poet, Full Time Working Machine, Chronic Creeper!

Kim Robbins Oclon. Fiction Writer, teacher, Chronic Smiler!

Lauren Stacks. Fiction Writer, Roosevelt Professor, Chronic Florist!

Watch in amazement as they read from their carefully constructed theses! Celebrate their hard work! And then show them the love they deserve! Check out more event details here! 

Dominic Smith Reads at Roosevelt This Monday!

This coming Monday, as part of the Roosevelt MFA Fall Reading Series, author Dominic Smith will read from his newest novel, Bright and Distant Shores. In the book, Smith has created a fantastical historical world which brings readers from the heights of Chicago's first skyscrapers to a valiant nautical expedition in the South Seas. The books works the challenging topic of America's colonial legacy into an enthralling story filled with fascinating and diverse characters.

The Kirkus Review says of the book, "Written with extraordinary literary grace, Smith's third novel gleams as a gem of evocative historical fiction."

The reading will take place at the Gage Gallery on Monday, September 19th. At 4:30, prior to the reading, there will be refreshments and a chance to meet with Smith and discuss his work. The reading begins at 5 PM.

John Dufresne closes out Reading Series

Join us Monday April 11th in the Gage Gallery for the last RU reading series of the semester.  Roosevelt welcomes John Dufresne, the author of the novels Louisiana Power and Light, Deep in the Shade of Paradise, and Requiem, Mass., as well as the short story collections, The Way That Water Enters Stone and Johnny Too Bad. He also has two guides to writing fiction, The Lie that Tells a Truth and, most recently, Is Life Like This?

Dufresne will be reading at 5:00 as well as signing your books and answering questions.  Don't be shy! Come buy early and sip coffee and eat cookies with us before hand!  18 S Michigan Avenue!


photo from John Dufresne

Reading Series Welcomes Kim Dana Kupperman, March 29th

This coming Tuesday, the Roosevelt Reading Series welcomes Kim Dana Kupperman, author of the critically acclaimed collection of essays, I JUST LATELY STARTED BUYING WINGS, from Graywolf Press. This powerful collection has received the 2009 Katherine Bakeless Nason Prize in Nonficion from the Bread Loaf Writer's Conference. Kim is the founder of Welcome Table Press, which dedicates itself to publish and celebrate the essay and all of it's forms. She also is the current managing editor of The Gettysburg Review and teaches nonfiction at Fairfield University. Her writing has appeared in Alaska Quarterly, Fourth Genre, Baltimore Review, Best American Essays 2006, and many, many more publications.  

Come on by, Tuesday, March 29th! Coffee and conversation will commence at 4:30, and the reading itself will begin at 5:00. Say hello to friends and some great literary nonfiction, and goodbye to March as it flies away, on wings, perhaps, perhaps not.    

Reading Series welcomes Jericho Brown, March 1st

This Tuesday the Roosevelt Reading Series welcomes acclaimed poet Jericho Brown.  Brown worked as the speechwriter for the Mayor of New Orleans before receiving his PhD in Creative Writing and Literature from the University of Houston. The recipient of the Whiting Writers Award and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University, the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, and the Krakow Poetry Seminar in Poland, Brown is an Assistant Professor at the University of San Diego.  His first book of poetry, PLEASE, won the American Book Award.  

Stop by the Gage Gallery on Tuesday March 1st.  Coffee and conversation will begin at 4:30 and the reading will begin at 5:00.  With Brown and the RU Reading Series, you can welcome March in like a line of poetry, not  a lion. 

Get to Know Your MFA Blog!

Over your winter holiday, take some time to get to know the RU MFA Blog! The blog can be a great resource for information.  Are you wondering about what requirements you need to take this Spring to graduate on time? Check out the Handbook link!  Want to learn more about a Professor? Check the Faculty  pages!

The RU MFA blog is also a great tool for aspiring authors.  Find out about contests and calls for submission on our Submissions listings.  Or perhaps you want to get out there and hear what others are writing? Check out our Up Coming events.

And, for the facebook loving soul, The blog is a great social network! Check out the Student Page! These are real people who could really be your friends, well... most of them.  Read through old Archived articles to see all the awesome stuff these hep cats are doing! You might even find more on the blog than we knew existed.  Quantum blogging.  Who knows what other dimensions of RU MFA exist! 

Heather Sellers at RU 11/17

Here's one more thing to be thankful for before Thanksgiving break: Heather Sellers! Sellers, author of the new, critically acclaimed memoir, You Don’t Look Like Anyone I Know, will read from her work, which chronicles a dysfunctional childhood and her rare neurological disorder, prosopagnosia, or face blindness , at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 17 at Roosevelt University, 18 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago. As always, coffee and cookies will be served at 4:30 p.m.

“I remember she came into the class and told us right away that every time she sees a face it’s as if she’s seeing it for the first time. She only knew me by my long blond hair,” said Roosevelt University Creative Writing Program student Lauren Stacks, an aspiring novelist, poet and short-story writer whose idea it was to bring Sellers to Roosevelt University as part of this year’s Creative Writing Program reading series.

Sellers, whose struggle has been featured by the New York Times, NBC Today, ABC’s Good Morning America, People Magazine, Time and other national outlets. Her memoir is also a November pick for Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club. Get to the Gage before Oprah's Book Club does, or there wont be any good cookies left!

Grimes and Writing Center Readings

Be sure to come out to the Roosevelt Reading Series Event tonight to spend an evening with novelist, playwright, and memoirist, Tom Grimes. Read an excerpt of Mentor beforehand, and consider supporting your writer by picking up a copy at the Reading, which you can get signed at the dinner to follow. Mentor is freshly released by Tin House.

And tomorrow, dine on pizza and sip refreshments at the Halloween Reading hosted at the Writing Center (Room 650) from 4:30-6pm. Winners of the 2cd Annual Flash Fiction contest will be announced and their stories read. Writers were asked to write a story on fear--the results were not only stimulating, but also creepy and fantastic.

Ben Fountain Reading on Monday!

In 1986, Ben Fountain left his stable job as an associate at a Realty office in Dallas to devote himself entirely to writing. Since then, he has been published in Harper's, the Paris Review, and Stories form the South: The Year's Best, 2006. His work has earned the PEN/Hemingway Award, The Barnes &Nobles Discovery award, an O.Henry Prize, and two Pushcart prizes, among others.

This Monday we welcome him to Roosevelt to read from and speak about his award winning collection Brief Encounters with Che Guevara.

Don't miss Ben Fountain at the Gage Gallery tomorrow, on Monday September 27th. Coffee, cookies and stimulating conversation at 4:30 pm. Peruse the new exhibit, Crisis & Opportunity: Documenting the Global Recession. Fountain reads from his collection at 5:00pm. We would be delighted if you might join us.

Roosevelt Reading Series Fall Preview

The Roosevelt Reading Series kicks off next Monday with a reading by Ben Fountain. Fountain will read from his acclaimed novel,
Brief Encounters with Che Guevara.

Tom Grimes (author of Mentor) will read on October 27th, and Heather Sellers (published in three genres) will conclude the fall Roosevelt Reading Series on November 17th.

Reading Series events are hosted at the Gage Gallery, across the street from Millenium Park. Coffee and cookies are served at 4:30pm, and the readings begin at 5pm.

Greetings, new academic year

The summer's over. Classes start today.

We welcome the incoming cohort of MFA students. Be sure to navigate the loop via foot or L, stare at the beloved Bean down the street, and listen to the 9th floor's music waft through the hallways during your first week.

As programs across the country commence their 2010-2011 academic year, submission season reopens. September calls for submissions can be found on our listings page.

The Roosevelt Reading Series for fall and spring has also been posted.


image by Marit & Toomas Hinnosaar