Do you like listening to stories? Are you a writer struggling to find some perspective on the craft? Want to pick the brains of real-life writers and poets? Now’s your chance! Dixie State University is hosting a poetry reading and book signing.
Ben Gunsberg and Shanan Ballam, two nationally and internationally recognized writers, are coming to Dixie State to talk about their craft, read their poetry, and do a book signing.
This event will be held on campus on Thursday, October 10, in the Jeffrey R. Holland Centennial Commons. Both events are free and open to the public. The schedule is as follows:
- 2:30 – 3:45 p.m. Creative Writing Talk in room #470
- 6 – 8 p.m. Poetry Reading and Book Signing in room #457
“The craft talk and poetry reading will bring together the Dixie State University campus and our community for a culturally enriching experience with two writers whose work is both nationally and internationally recognized” Dr. Cindy King, Dixie State assistant professor of creative writing and the Southern Quill faculty adviser, said. “These events will also allow our students to engage with living, breathing writers who live and work in our state.”
Both writers are celebrated English professors at Utah State University. They have published poetry collections and had their work featured in prominent literary magazines. During the event, you can not only ask them about their work or writing in general, but you can also learn about how to get published, and how their experiences have influenced their writing.
Ben Gunsberg lives in Logan, Utah, and has studied at the University of Alabama and the University of Michigan. His poems have appeared in numerous literary magazines, including CutBank, Tupelo Quarterly Review, and The South Carolina Review. He is the author two poetry collections, “Rhapsodies with Portraits” and “Welcome, Dangerous Life.”
Shanan Ballam, who was recently named Logan City Poet Laureate and the 2014 Lecturer of the Year for the College of Humanities & Social Sciences of Utah State University, is a Senior lecturer that teaches creative writing and composition. She is the author of the poetry chapbook “The Red Riding Hood Papers,” and two full-length poetry collections “Pretty Marrow” and “Inside the Animal: The Collected Red Riding Hood Poems.”
The reading is part of the Dixie State University Visiting Writers Series and is made possible by the Dixie State University Department of English and the College of the Arts.