Poet Catherine Wagner Kicks Off Spring NWS

The New Writing Series is currently celebrating its tenth anniversary of offering diverse and innovative literary programming to all members of the community at the University of Maine flagship campus in Orono.

On February 4, the poet Catherine Wagner—author of My New Job, Macular Hole, and Miss America—makes her first appearance in the Series.

Her reading at 4:30pm in the Soderberg Center Auditorium is free and open to the general public (though seating is limited). We hope you’ll join us!

Catherine Wagner was born in Burma and grew up in Baltimore. She is the author of Macular Hole (2004) and Miss America (2001), both from Fence Books. With Rebecca Wolff, she edited Not for Mothers Only: Contemporary Poems on Child-Getting and Child-Rearing (Fence Books, 2007). Recent chapbooks include Bornt (Dusie, 2009), Articulate How (Big Game, 2008) and Hole in the Ground (Slack Buddha, 2008). She teaches at Miami University in Oxford, OH.

You can learn more about Wagner and her work here. A sample of her early poems, selected for the Boston Review by Rae Armantrout (NWS F’09, S’02) is available here. You can read about her newest book, My New Job, here.

If you’re on Facebook, please consider joining the NWS group here.

The UMaine New Writing Series is sponsored by the English Department and the National Poetry Foundation with support from the Lloyd H. Elliott fund, the Milton Ellis Memorial Fund, the Honors College, and the Cultural Affairs/Distinguished Lecture Series Committee. Grateful acknowledgment is made to the Pulp & Paper Foundation for the use of the Soderberg Center. FMI contact Steve Evans on First Class or at 207-581-3818.

If you have a disability that may require accommodation for a NWS event, please contact Ann Smith in the office of Disability Support Service, 121 East Annex, 581-2319 (Voice) or 581-2311 (TDD).

NWS Seeks Student Assistant

The New Writing Series seeks a Student Assistant for the remainder of the 2009-2010 academic year. Duties will include conducting background research on past, present, and upcoming writers; helping maintain electronic mailing lists; some website and blogging work (will train); cataloging an extensive audio-visual archive from previous seasons; organizing a Series-related poetry library; and assisting with on-campus visits and event coordination. Job requires good research, interpersonal, and organizational skills, and the ability to work independently. The Student Assistant will be expected to commit between three to five hours a week to the position. He or she will gain valuable experience in literary research and programming and will have access to a wide spectrum of visiting writers and events. Candidates eligible for Work Study funding are encouraged to apply.

Students interested in this position should contact NWS Coordinator Steven Evans on First Class, or at steven dot evans at maine dot edu, at their earliest convenience.

Spring 2010 Lineup

NEW WRITING SERIES | SPRING 2010
Celebrating ten years of innovative literary programming at UMaine

FEB 04  CATHERINE WAGNER
FEB 18  LAIRD HUNT
FEB 25  SHARON MESMER
MAR 18 WILLIAM CORBETT
MAR 23 REBECCA S. GRIFFIN & MICHAEL T. FOURNIER*
MAR 30 AMY JIRSA & RACHEL PERRY*
APR 08  EILEEN MYLES
APR 22  DONALD REVELL
and The Grady Awards for Creative Writing (date TBA)

ALL EVENTS THURSDAYS @ 4:30PM except where noted*
SODERBERG CENTER AUDITORIUM, JENNESS HALL, UMaine
FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC though seating is limited
* designates Tuesday events at 4:30pm

If you’re on Facebook, you can join the NWS group here.

The UMaine New Writing Series is sponsored by the English Department and the National Poetry Foundation with support from the Lloyd H. Elliott fund, the Milton Ellis Memorial Fund, the Honors College, and the Cultural Affairs/Distinguished Lecture Series Committee. Grateful acknowledgment is made to the Pulp & Paper Foundation for the use of the Soderberg Center. FMI contact Steve Evans on First Class or at 207-581-3818.

If you have a disability that may require accommodation for a NWS event, please contact Ann Smith in the office of Disability Support Service, 121 East Annex, 581-2319 (Voice) or 581-2311 (TDD).