The Writers Series

Since 1978 the Program in Writing and Humanistic Studies has hosted a series of readings and talks by novelists, critics, essayists, poets, and editors. These events are free and open to the public and are sponsored by Angus N. MacDonald Fund. Their purpose is to present as wide a range as possible of contemporary writers and thinkers. Recent guests have included Arnold Rampersad, John Ashbery, William Corbett, Camille Paglia, David McCullough, Michael Ondaatje, Susan Sontag, Salman Rushdie, Ben Okri, Saul Bellow, Richard Eder and Edward Hoagland.

 

2009-2010 readings

  • October 30, 2009: Merlinda Bobis
  • October 15, 2009: Andrea Barrett
  • October 6, 2009: Thomas Levenson
  • September 24, 2009: Thrity Umrigar

 

2008-2009 readings

  • April 9, 2009: Amitava Kumar
  • April 2, 2009: Masha Gessen
  • March 12, 2009: Nick Montfort
  • February 12, 2009: Thomas Glave
  • October 30, 2008: Courtney Humphries
  • October 23, 2008: Karl Iagnemma
  • September 25, 2008: Junot Diaz
     

2007-2008 readings

  • April 3, 2008: Chris Eyre
  • March 13, 2008: Deborah Blum
  • March 4, 2008: Jhumpa Lahiri
  • November 8, 2007: Ana Castillo
  • October 25, 2007:Valerie Boyd
  • September 27, 2007: Joe Haldeman
  • September 25, 2007: Robert Kanigel
     

2006-2007 readings

  • April 10, 2007: Nalo Hopkinson
  • April 2, 2007: Stephen Alter
  • November 7 2006: Allegra Goodman
  • October 26, 2006: Suzan-Lori Parks
  • October 11, 2006: Helon Habila
     

 2005-2006 readings

  • April 6, 2006: Barbara Goldoftas
  • March 1, 2006: Dorothy Allison
  • November 3, 2005: Jonathan Lethem
  • November 2, 2005: Kalamu ya Salaam
  • October 6, 2005: Haruki Murakami
  • September 22, 2005: Mark Jay Mirsky
     

2002-2003 readings

  • December 3, 2003: Russell Banks
  • September 18, 2003: Patricia Powell
     

2001-2002 readings

  • February 18, 2003: Hama Tuma
  • April 10, 2002: Glimpses of India
  • September 25, 2001: Saul Diskin
     

2000-2001 readings

  • November 2, 2000: Jhumpa Lahiri
  • October 17, 2000: Richard Preston

1999-2000 readings

  • March 27, 2000: Scientific Celebrity: Darwin in Caricature by Dr Janet Browne
  • February 10, 2000: Barry Yourgrau
  • December 6, 1999: Translation at MIT
  • December 2, 1999: Gerald Early
  • October 28, 1999: Paul Auster
  • September 30, 1999: Nancy Sommers

 

1998-1999 readings

  • April 29, 1999: Jeffery Paine
  • March 19, 1999: Lawrence Krauss
  • February 22, 1999: James Ellroy 
  • November 16, 1998: Joan Bolker
  • October 27, 1998: Cynthia Ozick
     

1997-1998 readings

  • April 30, 1998: Jennifer Ackerman
  • April 16, 1998: Stephen Alter