Creative Writing Program at Penn State

Ron Rash is the author of the 2009 PEN/Faulkner Finalist and New York Times bestselling novel Serena, in addition to five other novels, including One Foot in Eden, Saints at the River, The World Made Straight, and Above the Waterfall; five collections of poems; and six collections of stories, among them Burning Bright, which won … Continue reading Ron Rash to Kick off Rolling Reading Series →

Juan Felipe Herrera, Penn State's 2016 Dickinson Lecturer, is the 21st Poet Laureate of the United States (2015-2017) and is the first Latino to hold the position. From 2012-2014, Herrera served as California State Poet Laureate. Herrera has published many collections of poetry, and is a recipient of the PEN/Beyond Margins Award and the National … Continue reading U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera to Read →

Ruth Ellen Kocher is the author of seven books of poetry, most recently Third Voice, (Tupelo Press, 2017), Ending in Planes (Noemi Press, 2014), Goodbye Lyric: The Gigans and Lovely Gun (Sheep Meadow Press, 2014), and domina Un/blued (Tupelo Press, 2013), winner of the 2014 PEN/Open Book Award. She lives in Erie, CO, and teaches … Continue reading Reading by Poet and Penn State Grad Ruth Ellen Kocher →