In search of an audience, English grad students set reading of original works
Grad student Zac Walsh organized a fiction reading for his fellow students, to be held Feb. 18.
- January 18, 2010
Five English graduate students will share their original fiction at a program presented by the Cal State East Bay English Department Feb. 18.
Organized by graduate student Zac Walsh, the 7 p.m. reading will be in the Biella Room of the University Library, 25800 Carlos Bee Blvd., Hayward, 94542. Admission is free; parking is $7 per vehicle at pay lots.
Walsh said he created the program to fill a void. “I decided that our grad program was filled with talented people, but that because of the busy nature of our students — 'real' jobs, families, class work — we were becoming a purely commuter based group," he said. "Coming to class, stressing about time to finish papers, and flying home to the rest of our responsibilities.”
"I, along with some of my peers, thought it would be good for the energy and morale of the program to set up a few readings. There is nothing a young writer craves more than an audience – and I wanted to create a venue to get people excited about the work we do – so often alone behind closed doors," Walsh added.
Students Sylvia Martinez Banks, Grant Bergland, Zina Krivoruk, Phili Nguyen, and Walsh will each read original fiction pieces. Each reading is expected to be 15-20 minutes long, enough time for a fully developed story. Two people will read excerpts from novels in progress and the other three will share short stories.
Banks’ reading will focus on coping with local issues while physically at a distance, and Bergland’s will be a love story about two student athletes, a wrestler and a gymnast, who create a new world with its own rules. Krivoruk’s story will deal with saying “goodbye,” Nguyen’s will come from a novel in progress about a mother’s struggle to support her family, and Walsh will read from “The Freshness of Night,” an unexpected two-day jaunt in a young man’s manic life.
“This should be an exciting reading with young, fresh writers showcasing their best work. It’s a great boost for the graduate program, and I hope it becomes an annual event,” said Steve Gutierrez, English professor and faculty liaison for this project.
For information, contact Steve Gutierrez, steve.gutierrez@csueastbay.edu or 510-885-3400.
CSUEB welcomes persons with disabilities and will provide reasonable accommodation upon request. Please notify event sponsor in advance at 510-885-3118 if accommodation is needed.