All events are free and open to the public
VANCOUVER — Six writers will speak about their work as part of the annual WSU Vancouver Creative Writers Series. The series features presentations on six Tuesday evenings between Jan. 21 and April 7. Each event begins at 7 p.m. in the Library Building, Room 201.
The university’s Council on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion will sponsor receptions after the talks on Jan. 21 and March 3. All events are free and open to the public. The schedule follows.
Jan. 21: Garrett Hongo, “Poetry and Heritage”
Hongo is a fourth-generation Japanese American poet, memoirist and essayist whose work draws on Japanese American history and his own experiences. He has won several prestigious fellowships and awards and has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry. Born in Hawaii, Hongo teaches at the University of Oregon.
Feb. 4: Heather Durham, “Field Notes: Human/Nature”
Durham’s “Going Feral: Field Notes on Wonder and Wanderlust” (2019) is described as a memoir-in-essays about the restless human animal. She holds master’s degrees in both creative nonfiction and environmental biology, and works at Wilderness Awareness School in the foothills of the Washington Cascades.
Feb. 18: Cameron McGill, “Poet on the Run”
McGill is a writer, educator and musician who lives in Idaho and teaches at WSU Pullman, where he is poetry editor of Blood Orange Review and co-director of the Visiting Writer Series. His chapbook “Meridians” will be published in February.
March 3: Turiya Autry, “Performance Art and the Black Experience”
Through her work as artist, author and educator, Autry encourages social change and creativity. Her work incorporates the arts, pop culture and history within the context of personal, community and political struggles. She brings a strong woman’s perspective to the Black experience in America.
March 24: Beth Harrington, “Writing and Rockabilly”
An independent film producer, director and writer, as well as rock singer and guitarist, Harrington often explores American music, history and culture. She has been nominated for a Grammy Award and worked on documentaries for PBS. She currently serves on Vancouver’s Culture, Arts and Heritage Commission.
April 7: Rebecca Clarren, “One Writer’s Path: From Investigative Journalist to Novelist”
Clarren is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in such publications as Mother Jones, The Nation and Salon.com. She turned to fiction with her debut novel, “Kickdown,” in 2018, which was shortlisted for the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction.
About WSU Vancouver
WSU Vancouver is located at 14204 N.E. Salmon Creek Ave. in Vancouver, east of the 134th Street exit from either I-5 or I-205, or via C-TRAN bus service. Find a campus map at vancouver.wsu.edu/map. Parking is available at meters and in the Blue Daily Pay lot for $2 after 5 p.m. and free after 7 p.m.
As one of six campuses of the WSU system, WSU Vancouver offers big-school resources in a small-school environment. The university provides affordable, high-quality baccalaureate- and graduate-level education to benefit the people and communities it serves. As the only four-year research university in Southwest Washington, WSU Vancouver helps drive economic growth through relationships with local businesses and industries, schools and nonprofit organizations.
Information provided by Washington State University Communications.
