PhD Candidate Adam Pasen's Dissertation Play to be Staged at York Arena

The jazz age and the gilded age collide in Tea with Edie and Fitz by WMU PhD candidate Adam Pasen. The play is a historical account of the explosive meeting of expatriate literary icons Edith Wharton and F. Scott Fitzgerald in Paris in the 1920s. Scott's outrageous Southern wife Zelda Fitzgerald and the sardonic Ghost of Henry James are also featured. Tea coincides with a major resurgence in interest in F. Scott Fitzgerald within the last year; Scott and Zelda just appeared as characters in Woody Allen's latest film Midnight in Paris and an upcoming remake of The Great Gatby starring Leonardo DiCaprio is slated for next year. Even more exciting, the play marks a milestone in collaboration between the Theatre and English Departments at Western. At WMU playwriting is technically part of the English Department, making it unique among playwriting programs in the county for allowing students to pursue a PhD with a creative emphasis. Tea, however, will be the first creative dissertation at WMU to ever be staged in York Arena using theater department resources. Former chair of the department D. Terry Williams directs and the cast is comprised of Western actors and teachers alike, including Elizabeth Terrell, Chris Grazul, Chelsea Morgan, Susannah Parr, Mitch Voss, and G. William Zorn . Tackling such issues as gender, war, and the role of the artist and bursting with literary allusions and raucous Charlestons, the play has something for everybody. Both nostalgic and timely, Tea with Edie and Fitz is the living embodiment of Fitzgerald's famous quote: "so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." York Arena, July 15, 16 at 8:00 pm 17 at 2:00 pm.

MFA/PhD Festival Readings

We welcome you to join us for WMU’s annual MFA/PhD Festival. The Festival will feature readings from this year’s graduating MFAs and PhDs from the WMU Creative Writing Program. The readings will take place this week on Friday, April 8th, and Saturday, April 9th. Both readings will begin at 7:30 and will take place at the WMU Bernhard Center, room 105-107.

On Friday, the readers will include: Katie Burpo, Mikala Hansen, Amy Newday, and Seth Kay.

On Saturday, the readers will include: Joe Sanders, Gary McDowell, Eileen Wiedbrauk, and Shana Wolstein.

Come on out to help us celebrate the accomplishments of our graduating students over refreshments and great writing.

Playwright Steve Feffer Presents His Work: Spring 2011 Gwen Frostic Reading Series

We welcome you to join us for our second reading of the Spring 2011 Gwen Frostic Reading Series. We’re honored to have playwright Steve Feffer present his work this Thursday, February 17th. The reading will take place at the WMU Bernhard Center, Room 105-107, starting at 8:00 PM. We look forward to seeing you there.

Jaimy Gordon, National Book Award Winner and WMU English Faculty Member, Reads Her Work: Spring 2011 Gwen Frostic Reading Series

We welcome you to join us for our first reading of the Spring 2011 Gwen Frostic Reading Series. We’re honored to have Jaimy Gordon, winner of the National Book Award in Fiction, read her work this Thursday, Jan. 20th. The reading will take place at the WMU Little Theatre, starting at 8:00 PM. We look forward to seeing you there.

Gwen Frostic Creative Writing Awards

The deadline for this year's Frostic Creative Writing Awards is Friday, January 28. We very much hope you'll consider submitting your work. This contest has both graduate and undergraduate awards.

Here are the details:

Submissions will be accepted in four genres: Fiction, Poetry, Non-Fiction, and Drama. You may submit to as many genres as you would like; you may submit up to 3 poems, one story, one essay, and/or one play. Your submission should include a cover sheet with your name, the title(s) of the submission, your contact information, and whether you are a GRADUATE or UNDERGRADUATE student. Submissions should be turned into the mailbox of Steve Feffer, spring Creative Writing Program Coordinator, on the 6th floor of Sprau.

Creative writing faculty will determine the finalists in each genre and classification (GRAD and UNDERGRAD), which will then be passed on to outside judges. Those judges will pick a SINGLE overall winner in each genre and classification. Fiction submissions will also be considered for the annual Gordon Prize in Fiction.

If you have questions, please drop Dustin M. Hoffman an e-mail at:

Dustin.m.hoffman@wmich.edu

Playwright Rebecca Gilman Presents Her Work: Fall 2010 Gwen Frostic Reading Series

We welcome you to join us for our final reading of the Fall 2010 Gwen Frostic Reading Series. We’re honored to have playwright Rebecca Gilman read who will be presenting one of her plays this Thursday, Dec. 9th. The reading will take place at the WMU Bernhard Center, in room 157-158, starting at 8:00 PM. We look forward to seeing you there.

Fiction Writer Christine Sneed Reads Her Work: Fall 2010 Gwen Frostic Reading Series

We welcome you to join us for our fourth reading of the Fall 2010 Gwen Frostic Reading Series. We’re honored to have fiction writer Christine Sneed read her work this Wednesday, Dec. 1st, at the WMU Bernhard Center, in room 105-107, starting at 8:00 PM. We look forward to seeing you there.

Thisbe Nissen Reads Her Work: Fall 2010 Gwen Frostic Reading Series

We welcome you to join us for our first reader of the Fall 2010 Gwen Frostic Reading Series. We’re very honored to have WMU’s new fiction faculty member, Thisbe Nissen, read her work this Thursday, Oct. 7th. The reading will take place at the WMU Bernhard Center, in room 209-210, starting at 8:00 PM. We look forward to seeing you there.

Report from the AWP Bookfair

WMU's Creative Writing Program, New Issues Press, the Prague Summer Program, and Third Coast made the trip to Chicago this February to exhibit in the bookfair of the annual conference for the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP). The 2009 conference was attended by roughly 8,500 writers, poets, publishers, and creative writing professors.



Western Michigan University was represented by four tables staffed by faculty, staff, and students. New Issues displayed their books and held signings by recently published authors at their table. Third Coast displayed their new issue, sold subscriptions, and encouraged writers to submit. Margaret von Steinen nearly went hoarse from speaking to all the former and prospective students who stopped by the PSP table in the book fair.

At the tribute to Herb Scott, WMU alumni Beth Martinelli, James D'Agostino, Matta Sama, and Gladys Cardiff joined Shirley Clay Scott and New Issues poet Malena Morling in honoring the late poet and creative writing professor.