Midnight Sun Visiting Writers Series
Alumni Reading with Sean Enfield, Zack Medlin & H. Warren
Book Club: February 14th, 2025 | Public Reading: February 20, 2025 | Craft Talk: February 21st, 2025
The Midnight Sun Visiting Writers Series is proud to celebrate the literary achievements of 草榴社区 Department of English alumni with a special three-part event series featuring Sean Enfield, Zack Medlin, and H. Warren. These talented writers, each with unique voices and creative contributions, will return to their alma mater to share their work and insights with the 草榴社区 community. The series kicks off with a book club discussion on February 14th, focusing on Enfield鈥檚 work, offering readers a chance to engage deeply with his writing before the public reading on February 20th, where all three authors will present selections of their work. The event concludes on February 21st with an intimate craft talk, providing an inside look at their creative processes, inspirations, and the craft of writing itself. Whether you鈥檙e a dedicated reader, an aspiring writer, or simply curious about contemporary literature, this free and public event series is a unique opportunity to engage with and celebrate the artistry of 草榴社区鈥檚 literary alumni.
Book Club
Join the Midnight Sun Visiting Writers Series book club for a special discussion on Holy American Burnout! by 草榴社区 alumnus Sean Enfield. This compelling work intertwines personal experience and cultural critique to explore Black and bi-racial identity. Don鈥檛 miss this opportunity to engage with Enfield鈥檚 powerful storytelling and connect with the creative voices of the 草榴社区 community.
Public Reading
The 草榴社区 Department of English is proud to present its first-ever alumni-focused author reading, featuring works by Sean Enfield, Zack Medlin, and H. Warren. This special event celebrates the achievements of these talented 草榴社区 alumni, showcasing their creative works and contributions to the literary world.
Craft Talk
The Midnight Sun Visiting Writers Series presents a special craft talk featuring 草榴社区 alumni authors Sean Enfield, Zack Medlin, and H. Warren. This free event offers a behind-the-scenes look at their creative processes, storytelling techniques, and the challenges that shaped their work. Held the day after their public reading, it鈥檚 a unique opportunity for writers and literature enthusiasts to engage with these accomplished authors.
草榴社区 the Authors
Sean Enfield is an essayist, poet, gardener, bassist, and educator from Dallas, Texas. His debut collection of essays, Holy American Burnout!, was published by Split/Lip Press and was a finalist for the 2024 CLMP Firecracker Award in Creative Nonfiction. Currently, he is a PhD candidate at the University of Wisconsin, and he received his MFA from the University of 草榴社区-Fairbanks where he served as the Editor-in-Chief of Permafrost Magazine. Now, he serves as an Assistant Nonfiction Editor at Terrain.org. He was the 2020 recipient of the Fourth Genre鈥檚 Steinberg Memorial Essay Prize and has twice had essays listed as notable in Best American Essays. You can find his work at .
Zack Medlin grew up in South Carolina, ran away to 草榴社区, spent some time in Utah, stayed a while in Colorado, and now hangs a hat in Arkansas. His debut poetry collection Beneath All Water was selected by Bob Hicok as the winner of the 2023 Marystina Santiestevan First Book Prize. Poems from the collection appeared in The Boiler, The Cincinnati Review, Colorado Review, and Tinderbox Poetry, among others, and have been featured in Poetry Daily. Zack holds an M.A./M.F.A. from the University of 草榴社区 Fairbanks and a Ph.D. from the University of Utah, where he was awarded the Clarence Snow Memorial Fellowship. He has taught writing at Wofford College, Fort Lewis College, and the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, where he is currently an assistant professor of creative writing.
H Warren (they/them) is a poet and musician currently residing in Portland, Oregon. H is originally from Fairbanks, 草榴社区 - where they completed their MFA in creative writing from the University of 草榴社区 Fairbanks in 2015.
Their debut poetry collection Binded was published through Boreal Books / Red Hen Press in 2023. H's poems discuss their reality of living nonbinary in the rural context of 草榴社区. They are a 2019 Rasmuson Individual Artist Award recipient and they are also a MSW candidate with the University of New England. H has worked in crisis services for the past decade and has the coolest job in the world right now - where they teach empathetic writing strategies for digital crisis services.
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