Join us for an evening celebration of poetry and nonfiction! Twelve graduate students from PLNU’s M.A. in Writing program will read nonfiction or poetry (3 minutes apiece). Headliners Mac Crane (nonfiction) and Kazim Ali (poetry) will each read for 7-10 minutes to close out the evening. Mac Crane and Kazim Ali will sell and sign books post-reading. PLNU M.A. in Writing Program Readers: Carol Blessing Sophie Cornwell Aliah Fabros Meghan Coley Abigail Franklin Jaden Goldfain Ell Huang Tony Le Calvez Denise Magloire Emma McCoy Josiah Roberts Jessie Taylor Headliners: Nonfiction: Mac Crane is an author, sweatpants enthusiast, and basketball player. Their debut novel, "I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself," was a NYT Editors' Choice and the winner of a LAMBDA Literary Award in Speculative Fiction. Their second novel, "A Sharp Endless Need," which is a queer, yearning coming-of-age novel about ambition, basketball, and obsession, is forthcoming from Dial Press in May 2025. Poetry: Kazim Ali was born in the United Kingdom and has lived transnationally in the United States, Canada, India, France, and the Middle East. His books encompass multiple genres, including the volumes of poetry "Inquisition," "Sky Ward," winner of the Ohioana Book Award in Poetry; "The Far Mosque," winner of Alice James Books’ New England/New York Award; "The Fortieth Day"; "All One’s Blue"; and the cross-genre texts "Bright Felon" and "Wind Instrument." His novels include the recently published "The Secret Room: A String Quartet" and among his books of essays are the hybrid memoir "Silver Road: Essays, Maps & Calligraphies" and "Fasting for Ramadan: Notes from a Spiritual Practice." He is also an accomplished translator (of Marguerite Duras, Sohrab Sepehri, Ananda Devi, Mahmoud Chokrollahi and others) and an editor of several anthologies and books of criticism. After a career in public policy and organizing, Ali taught at various colleges and universities, including Oberlin College, Davidson College, St. Mary's College of California, and Naropa University. He is currently a Professor of Literature at the University of California, San Diego. His newest books are a volume of three long poems entitled "The Voice of Sheila Chandra" and a memoir of his Canadian childhood, "Northern Light."
