Upcoming Readings and Talks

Elizabeth Kolbert has been a staff writer for The New Yorkersince 1999. She has written dozens of pieces for the magazine, including profiles of Hillary Clinton, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. Her series on global warming, “The Climate of Man,” appeared in The New Yorker in the spring of 2005 and won the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s magazine award. Also in 2006, she received the National Academy of Sciences Communication Award in the newspaper/magazine category and was awarded a Lannan Writing Fellowship.

The Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing is proud to co-sponsor the University of Arizona Poetry Center in Phoenix, featuring poet, translator, and essayist Forrest Gander on Friday, March 3rd, 2017 at the Phoenix Art Museum (1625 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85004) at 7 pm. This event is open to the public and free.

The Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing is a proud co-sponsor of the MFA Alumni reading featuring Allegra Hyde and H. Lee Barnes on Tuesday, March 14th, 2017 from 7:00 to 8:30 pm in the Alumni Lounge in Memorial Union (Arizona State Univeristy, 1290 S Normal Ave, Tempe, AZ 85287).

Spanning multiple fields and methodologies, internationally acclaimed author Amitav Ghosh will draw on his latest book, The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable, to present a talk entitled War, Race and Empire in the Anthropocene: Some Occluded Aspects of Climate Change on Tuesday, March 21st, 2017 at the Tempe Center for the Arts (700 W Rio Salado Pkwy, Tempe, AZ 85821) at 7:00 pm. A short Q&A and a book signing will follow the talk.

Join the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing as we present author Margot Lee Shetterly for a look behind her debut book Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race on Tuesday, April 4th, 2017 in the Virginia G. Piper Repertory Theater at the Orpheum Theater (203 W Adams St, Phoenix, AZ 85003) at 7:00 pm.

The Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing is proud to co-sponsor the University of Arizona Poetry Center in Phoenix, featuring Camille Rankine and Ocean Vuong on Friday, April 7th, 2017 at the Phoenix Art Museum (1625 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85004) at 7 pm. This event is open to the public and free.

National bestselling author Lidia Yuknavitch presents her talk "Cli-Fi Bodies, Heart-Born Worlds" First Friday, March 2nd, 2018 in the Whiteman Hall at the Phoenix Art Museum (1625 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85004) at 7:00 p.m.

Local poet Cody Wilson reads from his newly released chapbook, Nobody Is Ever Missing Monday, June 4, 2018 in the lounge at Crescent Ballroom (302 N 2nd Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85003) with special guests Jesse Sensibar and Jennifer Battisti.

Readings begin at 6:45pm. Book signing and frivolity after. To pre-order, visit https://tolsunbooks.com/books/. 

The University of Arizona Poetry Center presents Charles Simic with Sara Sams Wednesday, October 3, 2018 in Singer Hall at the Phoenix Art Museum (1625 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85004) at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are required. This event is open to the public and free. 

Presented with the Phoenix Art Museum. Sponsored by the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing, the Creative Writing Program at Arizona State University, the Literary and Prologue Society of the Southwest, Superstition Review, and the Angela and Leonard Singer Endowment for Performing Arts.

Join U.S. poet Sally Ball and Czech artist Jan Vičar for an exhibition of HOLD, a collaborative artist’s book exploring the effects of climate change in both micro- and macro-scopic ways, Sunday, November 11, 2018 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. in the Library at the Phoenix Art Museum (1625 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85004).

In addition to an artist talk and readings from the text, guests will have the opportunity to interact directly with the completed book and purchase limited-edition prints. This event is open to the public and free.

The Creative Writing Program at Arizona State University presents the semi-annual ASU MFA Stellar Alumni Reading Series featuring Dorothy Chan (2015, Poetry) and Dana Diehl (2015, Fiction).

The University of Arizona Poetry Center is proud to present Nikky Finney, who will read from her work commissioned for the Poetry Center's Art for Justice grant.  After the reading, there will be a short Q&A and a book signing.

Please note: while this event is open to the public and free, you must RSVP in order to attend. Seats may be available the day of the event. However, as seating is limited, we recommend reserving your seats in advance. Any unclaimed seats will be released to the public five minutes before the start of the reading. 

The Borderlands Reading Series and the Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers Conference present De Las Islas: A Celebration of Cuba and Puerto Rico with Achy Obejas, Jennine Capó Crucet, and Nicole Sealey on Saturday, February 23, 2019 in Carson Ballroom at Old Main, Arizona State University Tempe (400 E Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85281) at 7:30 p.m.

The Creative Writing Program at Arizona State University presents the Stellar Alumni Reading Series, a mixed-genre reading of poetry and prose with Iliana Rocha and Vedran Husić on Thursday, March 14, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. in the Mojave Room (MU 236) at Memorial Union, ASU Tempe (301 E Orange St, Tempe, AZ 85281). A Q&A and book signing will follow the reading. This event is open to the public and free.

One of the tragic consequences of being confined to a single body is that we will never know what other people experience when they meet us for the first time. We can’t know how someone will register the slight change in the atmosphere that our presence causes when we enter a room. We will never know what another person feels while keeping us company. Memoirist choose to make themselves, someone they can never objectively grasp or fully represent on the page, the primary subject of most of their writing.

Join us for an reading and reception with legendary Chicana writer, feminist, activist, poet, essayist, and playwright Cherríe Moraga as she launches her new memoir, Native Country of the Heart, on Wednesday, April 10, 2019 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Cochise Room of the Memorial Union on ASU Tempe (301 E Orange St, Tempe, AZ 85281). 

Doors will open at 5:00 p.m. The reading will start at 5:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. A book signing will take place after the reading. This event is open to the public and free.

The Borderlands Poetry series and the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing at Arizona State University present a community reading with Beast Meridian author Vanessa Angélica Villarreal on Friday, April 12, 2019 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Palabras Bilingual Bookstore (1738 E McDowell Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85006).

The University of Arizona Poetry Center is proud to present a poetry reading with Naomi Shihab Nye, After the reading, there will be a short Q&A and a book signing.

Please note: while this event is open to the public and free, you must RSVP in order to attend. Seats may be available the day of the event. However, as seating is limited, we recommend reserving your seats in advance. Any unclaimed seats will be released to the public five minutes before the start of the reading. 

Join award winning journalist and author Omar El Akkad for his talk, The Story of the American War, on Thursday, April 18, 2019 at the ASU Memorial Union in the Ventana Ballroom (301 E Orange St, Tempe, AZ 85281) at 6:00 p.m. A Q&A and book signing will follow the talk.

Join author Yi Shun Lai for a community reading from her novel, "Not a Self-Help Book: The Misadventures of Marty Wu," on Friday, April 26, 2019 at Tempe Changing Hands (6428 S McClintock Dr, Tempe, AZ 85283) at 6:30 p.m.

While encouraged, RSVPs are purely for the purposes of monitoring attendance, gauging interest, and communicating information about parking, directions, and other aspects of the event. You do not have to register or RSVP to attend this event. This event is open to the public and free.

Join author Abdi Nor Iftin for a community reading and book signing Sunday, May 5, 2019 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Changing Hands Phoenix (300 W Camelback Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85013).

While encouraged, RSVPs are purely for the purposes of monitoring attendance, gauging interest, and communicating information about parking, directions, and other aspects of the event. You do not have to register or RSVP to attend this event. This event is open to the public and free.

Join the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing for a community reading and book signing with young adult author Todd Mitchell on Friday, May 17, 2019 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Changing Hands Tempe (6428 South McClintock Drive, Tempe, AZ 85283)

While encouraged, RSVPs are purely for the purposes of monitoring attendance, gauging interest, and communicating information about parking, directions, and other aspects of the event. You do not have to register or RSVP to attend this event. This event is open to the public and free.

Join the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing and Burton Barr Central Library for a reading and talk with poet, linguist, and University of Arizona Regents Professor Ofelia Zepeda on Thursday, June 20, 2019 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Pulliam Auditorium at Burton Barr Central Library (1221 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85004).

The University of Arizona Poetry Center with support from the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing Presents a poetry reading with Erika L. Sánchez & sam sax on Wednesday, October 4, 2019 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the Pulliam Auditorium at Burton Barr Central Library (1221 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85004).

Join the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing and Burton Barr Central Library for a talk with poet Danez Smith on Thursday, September 12, 2019 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the Pulliam Auditorium at Burton Barr Central Library (1221 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85004).

While encouraged, RSVPs are purely for the purposes of monitoring attendance, gauging interest, and communicating information about parking, directions, and other aspects of the event. You do not have to register or RSVP to attend this event. This event is open to the public and free.

Join the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing for a poetry reading with Javier Zamora on Saturday, September 14, 2019 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Palabras Bilingual Bookstore (1738 E McDowell Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85006).

Join the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing for a poetry reading with Jake Skeets on first Friday, October 4, 2019 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Palabras Bilingual Bookstore (1738 E McDowell Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85006),

While encouraged, RSVPs are purely for the purposes of monitoring attendance, gauging interest, and communicating information about parking, directions, and other aspects of the event. You do not have to register or RSVP to attend this event. This event is open to the public and free.

To Gabby Rivera, it’s vital to encourage people of all backgrounds to create, daydream, and tell their own stories—and in so doing, open a radical space for creativity. Now, in this affecting talk, Rivera unpacks how she navigates the world as a queer, Latinx, millennial woman; how she incorporates her heritage into her writing; how she strives to be a thoughtful ally for others, and how she celebrates the healing power of community. This is a talk about privilege and power, and what we can do to support the ideas of diverse artists working with progressive politics.

Join the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing for a poetry reading with Diana Marie Delgado and Justin Petropoulos on Friday, October 25, 2019 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the Changing Hands Tempe (6428 South McClintock Drive, Tempe, AZ 85283)

Before there was J. K. Rowling, before there was Stephanie Meyer or Suzanne Collins, there was R.L. Stine. Witty, creepy, and compulsively readable: his books defined horror for a generation of young readers— readers who have now come of age. As recognized by USA Today, R.L. Stine was the best-selling author in America for three years in a row (1993- 95). The Guinness Book of World Records cited him as the best-selling series author in history.

"A border, like race, is a cruel fiction
Maintained by constant policing, violence
Always threatening a new map. It takes
Time, lots of people’s time, to organize
The world this way. & violence. It takes more
Violence. Violence no one can confuse for
Anything but violence."

—from "Brazilian Is Not a Race" by Wendy Trevino, courtesy of The Poetry Project

As people of colour in the diaspora, we’re particularly interested in stories that go beyond slavery. I’m tired of that being seen as the furthest in the past we can go or that swords and sorcery aren’t available to us.

—Marlon James, from "You have to risk going too far," an interview with Alex Preston at The Guardian, February 17, 2019

In order to prioritize the health of our community, this event has been postponed due to concerns around the potential spread of COVID-19. Future dates will be announced on our website and social media as soon as they become available. In the meantime, you can learn more about Wendy's latest book, Gloss, on Amazon.com. If you have any questions, please reach out to Coordinator Ashley Wilkins at Ashley.Wilkins@asu.edu.

In order to prioritize the health of our community, the University of Arizona Poetry Center presents Paisley Rekdal has been cancelled due to concerns around traveling and the potential spread of COVID-19. We are currently working to reschedule events for future dates where possible. If you have any questions, please reach out to Coordinator Ashley Wilkins at ashley.wilkins@asu.edu.

Join the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing for an evening of questions, answers and exciting conversation with authors Gordon and Ilona Andrews on Friday, August 21, 2020 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Arizona Time on Zoom.

Join the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing for An Evening With Hafsah Faizal  on Friday, September 18, 2020 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Zoom.

Faizal will talk about her bestselling debut We Hunt the Flame, getting your foot in the door of the enigma of publishing, and writing while juggling a business—though she's not quite convinced she herself knows how.

Join the Virginia G.

Join the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing and New York Times Bestselling author Jim Butcher for a talk about the fundamentals of writing on Friday, October 9, 2020 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Mountain Daylight time (8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time) on Zoom.

"Africanfuturism is concerned with visions of the future, is interested in technology, leaves the earth, skews optimistic, is centered on and predominantly written by people of African descent (black people) and it is rooted first and foremost in Africa. It's less concerned with "what could have been" and more concerned with "what is and can/will be". It acknowledges, grapples with and carries "what has been"."

Arizona State University hosts writer and artist Myriam Gurba in a virtual reading and conversation on Nov. 3, 2020 at 10:30 a.m. Phoenix MST (9:30 a.m. PST / 11:30 a.m. CST / 12:30 p.m. EST).

This event is sponsored by the Department of English, the School of Transborder Studies, the School of Social Transformation, and the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing – all units in The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at ASU.

Join the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing and Burton Barr Central Library for a reading and talk with Carmen Maria Machado on Friday, November 13, 2020 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Arizona time on Zoom. 

Machado will also be teaching a workshop, Stories That Stand Still. More details about the class will be announced soon.

Join authors and narrative designers Michael A. Stackpole, Bonnie Jean Mah and Marcin Blacha as they discuss their work telling stories for some of the most beloved games of our time. From The Witcher to World of Warcraft and Gears of War, hear how these storytellers build new stories within existing worlds and keep us coming back for more.

Storytelling for Games with Michael A. Stackpole, Bonnie Jean Mah and Marcin Blacha is Friday, December 11, 2020 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Phoenix MST on Zoom .

The Piper Distinguished Visiting Writer Series returns with a conversation between poet and ASU MFA professor emeritus Cynthia Hogue, and the poet and scholar Wendy Barker. Listen in as these two writer friends discuss process, connecting with the Earth, moving with the times, and the endless reinvention of the writer self. Moderated by Piper Center staffer, Sheila Black. We hope you will join us for this celebration of literary community and a memorable reading and discussion between two noted poet-scholars.

Pulitzer-prize-winning author of Less and Less is Lost, Andrew Sean Greer joins NYT bestselling novelist Amanda Eyre Ward of The Jetsetters and The Lifeguards for an up-close-and-personal conversation as part of the Distinguished Visiting Writers Series brought to you by the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing and Changing Hands Bookstore.  Moderated by Piper Center staffer, Joy Young the two will discuss their creative journeys since becoming fast friends in graduate school, what it takes to build a writing life, and where the novel is going.

Join Tommy Orange, author of NY Times bestseller, There There and Debra Magpie Earling, author of Perma Red and the long-awaited The Lost Journals of Sacajewea as the two read from their work, discuss Native fictions, and consider what stories need to be heard and told. Moderated by April Ignacio of the Rez Book Club.  A partnership between the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing and Changing Hands Bookstore. Don’t miss this urgent and necessary “Writers in Conversation.” May 25, 2023, at 6:30 pm.