UT MFA Program Presents “Lectores” Speaker Series June 18–25

The University of Tampa MFA in Creative Writing speaker series, “Lectores,” will feature seven nights of reading with a mix of award-winning visiting guests and UT’s world-renowned MFA faculty on June 18–25.

All readings and events are free and open to the public. All begin at 7:30 p.m. in their respective venues on the UT campus (401 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa). The full series follows:

Thursday, June 18 — Man Booker-prize winning author Lydia Davis will read from her work. Vaughn Center, ninth floor.
Friday, June 19 — MFA faculty members Sandra Beasley and Jeff Parker will read. Sykes Chapel and Center for Faith and Values.
Saturday, June 20 — MFA faculty members Tony D’Souza and Corinna Vallianatos will read. Falk Theatre.
Monday, June 22 — MFA faculty member Jason Ockert, along with non-fiction writer S.L. Wisenberg, will read. According to the Chicago Tribune, Wisenburg’s writing is “to be savored, to reread, to read aloud to someone else.” Falk Theatre.
Tuesday, June 23 — MFA alumnus Shane Hinton will read from his new collection of short stories, Pinkies. Poet Sean Thomas Dougherty will also read selections of his poems, which Best American Poetry says “live both on and off the page.” Sykes Chapel and Center for Faith and Values.
Wednesday, June 24 — Poets Tarfia Faizullah and Jamaal May will read. Faizullah’s award-winning collection, Seam, is based on her experiences in Bangladesh while on a Fulbright Scholarship. May’s work has appeared in the New York Times and numerous journals and anthologies. Falk Theatre.
Thursday, June 25 — MFA faculty members Jessica Anthony and Gregory Donovan will read. Falk Theatre.

The UT MFA in Creative Writing program works by bringing students for 10-day residencies in January and June and then facilitating individual mentorship between students and writing faculty from a distance.