Series and Conferences

Each semester, through our Writers Series, the English Department brings prominent writers of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction to UNH to read from their work in public presentations and, in most cases, to spend in-class time with students during the day. Our Speakers Series sponsors Professors of English and other disciplines from various academic institutions for a visit to UNH during which they present a current paper and discuss their research. The first Friday of every month is reserved for our First Fridays Series, which features UNH English Department professors presenting their current research. Our Visiting Journalist series brings a prominent journalist to campus for a full week during which he or she works with students and gives a public lecture. All series are free and open to all students and the public.

Recent Writers Series visitors include Elyssa East, Debra Spark, Darcy Frey, Tony Hoagland, Julia Glass, Victor LaValle, Mark Doty, Tom Perrotta, Meredith Hall, Nahid Rachlin, Alistair MacLeod, Billy Collins, Edward P. Jones, ZZ Packer, Phillip Lopate, Ha Jin, Li-Young Lee, and Russell Banks.

Recent speakers include Barbara Walsh, journalist; Patricia Meyer Spacks, University of Virginia; Linda Woodbridge, Pennsylvania State; Ayanna Thompson, Arizona State; and Jonathan Culler, Cornell; among others.

2012-2013 Writers Series

Fall 2012

Monday, October 1
Kate Bolick
Contributing editor for The Atlantic and author of Atlantic cover story “All the Single Ladies”
Sponsored by the Frederick Hyde Hibberd ’88 Fund
5 p.m., MUB 1

Thursday, October 25
Tom Sleigh
Author of poetry collections Army Cats and Space Walk
5 p.m., MUB 1

Spring 2013

Thursday, February 21
Stuart Dischell
Author of award-winning poetry collections Backwards Days, Evenings & Avenues, and Good Hope Road (1991 National Poetry Series Selection)
5 p.m., MUB 1

Thursday, March 21
Dan Chaon
Author of National Book Award Finalist Among the Missing and new short story collection Stay Awake
5 p.m., MUB 1

The UNH Writers Series is made possible through the support of the MacArthur/Simic and Edmund G. Miller Funds.

The English Department also hosts a bi-annual composition conference, and has hosted other major conferences in the past, including a literary conference, a British post-modern poetry conference, and a journalism conference.