Migratory Ghosts: An Autumn Reading Series

Project description:

Zhongyuan Festival, Halloween, Día de los Muertos—why is autumn such a season of remembrance and transformation, and how are these themes conveyed in creative writing and translation? This reading series, loosely based on the theme of “Migratory Ghosts,” will celebrate autumn’s complexities with four monthly readings that celebrate student works with guest writers of poetry, fiction, and translation. The series invites a playful yet profound examination on memory and community. What are the ghosts that haunt or comfort the writers in their work? When writers write about ghosts, what does the imagery symbolize? Can ghosts be celebrated, or must they only be appeased?

The series will kick off in September with a poetry translation workshop led by Austin Woerner. In October, Megan McDowell will host a reading and Q&A. Students can submit works of poetry and prose through an open call, with selected students chosen to read alongside visiting writers Juli Min and Zhou Sivan in November. To conclude the semester, there will be a screening and Q&A with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen.