Writer's Series at the University of North Alabama

I don’t get to take a lot of field trips with my students, but I do have a few that I enjoy each year. One of the most enjoyable annual trips we take is to the University of North Alabama for their annual Writer’s Series. If I’m not mistaken, this year marked the 38th year of this valuable literary program.

This year’s presenter was Carolyn Forche, who is, I imagine, most known for her poetry. (Of course, she was just named a finalist at this past year’s National Book Awards in the memoir category.) We were fortunate to see the acclaimed writer this year because health and safety concerns from the coronavirus put an end to Forche’s book tour a bit early. As it happens, the day of the Writer’s Series was also the release date for her latest collection, In the Lateness of the World.

Forche’s talk was brilliant as she shared selections from her memoir and from her new book. She spoke about the importance of emotional connections and empathy. She was encouraging and spoke directly to my students about being agents of change. She was a phenomenal speaker and a pleasure to be around.

My students enjoyed the talk, too. Several of them purchased books and talked about the reading on the way back (and for several days after the trip).

I’m looking forward to the next one already.