Written/Spoken Series to Celebrate Soon-to-Be Graduating Writers Tuesday, April 5

Come on out to the coffeehouse on Tuesday, April 5 at 7 p.m. to support your fellow bloggers -- and soon-to-be graduating seniors -- Rachel Kuskie, Rin Little, Natalie Strohm, Janelle Sheetz and Katie Mustovich (who's not in our class, but who maintains a nice blog called LitBurgh). They'll all read from their English Writing Capstone projects, and answer any questions you have about being a senior and maintaining a nice work-life balance.

Copies of the Capstone anthology will be available. A reception will follow the readings. The official press release for the event appears below:

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Five soon-to-be graduating writers will headline the April Written/Spoken series reading on Tuesday, April 5 at Pitt-Greensburg. The reading will begin at 7 p.m. in the Village Hall coffeehouse on campus and is free and open to the public.
The line-up will include:
* Rachel Kuskie, a senior English Writing major who specializes in creative nonfiction. Kuskie will be reading from a collection of essays that deal with her experiences as a race-car driver and, especially, her father’s daughter. Kuskie’s work has appeared or is forthcoming in Pendulum magazine, the Pitt-Greensburg Insider, and in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, as well as on her blog – http://www.girlsagearhead.blogspot.com
Kuskie is also the winner of this year’s Ida B. Wells Prize, the annual Pitt-Greensburg award for the best in student nonfiction and journalism.

* Rin Little, a senior English Writing major and poet. Little will be reading a poetry sequence dealing with the subjects of mental illness and family. A member of the Sigma Tau Delta literary honor society, Little has published work in Pendulum magazine and elsewhere. She also blogs about her experiences with alternative cultures at http://www.thealternativeandtheunderground.blogspot.com.

* Katie Mustovich, a senior English Writing major with an emphasis in creative nonfiction, will read excerpts from her memoir/essay collection, “I Still Hide Behind My Mother.” Mustovich’s work has been published in Pendulum, and she maintains the literary blogsite, LitBurgh (http://www.litburgh.blogspot.com).

* Janelle Sheetz, the winner of the 2011 Joan Didion Creative Nonfiction Award at Pitt-Greensburg and a senior English Writing major. Sheetz will read from her essay collection, “Fayettenam,” a series of place-based pieces based on Sheetz’ Fayette County home. Sheetz writes more about Fayette County daily on her blog, http://www.fayettepa.blogspot.com.

* Natalie Strohm, a senior English Writing major, journalist and creative nonfiction writer. Strohm is currently at work on a manuscript based on the reportage of oral historian and journalistic pioneer Studs Terkel. Strohm will read from her project, “Serving,” a series of interviews with people who serve others.
Strohm, a runner-up for the 2011 Joan Didion Creative Nonfiction award, writes about her other passion, the TV show “Glee,” at http://www.gleekergirl.blogspot.com.

Professor Lori Jakiela will host the Capstone readings. Jakiela, an associate professor of English and widely-published author, teaches the English Writing senior capstone course each spring.

A reception follows the readings. Free copies of the Capstone anthology featuring work by all the readers will be available.

The Written/Spoken series is sponsored by the Academic Villages, The Pitt-Greensburg Writing Program, Pendulum, and the office of Academic Affairs. For more information about the series, or about the writing program at Pitt-Greensburg, call 724-836-7481.