Huntington Times

Marshall University's Department of English is set to host the A.E. Stringer Visiting Writers Series on January 29 at 7:30 p.m. The event, featuring readings by faculty authors Dr. Joel Peckham, Cat Pleska, and Dr. Sara Henning, will be held in the Shawkey Dining Room of the Memorial Student Center. Admission is free and open to the public.

Dr. Joel Peckham has an extensive portfolio with 11 collections of poetry and nonfiction, including "Any Moonwalker Can Tell You: New and Selected Poems" and "Gone the Sun." His spoken word LP, "Still Running: Words and Music by Joel Peckham," was released in 2022. He co-edited "Wild Gods: The Ecstatic in Contemporary Poetry and Prose" with Robert Vivian. Peckham serves as an associate professor of American Literature and Creative Writing at Marshall University.

Cat Pleska, a West Virginia native, is known for her memoirs "Riding on Comets" and "My Life in Water." Her work appears in several anthologies and journals such as Anthology of Appalachian Writers and Heartwood Magazine. Pleska teaches creative writing as well as Appalachian Culture and Literature at Marshall University.

Dr. Sara Henning's poetry collections include "Burn," a Crab Orchard Series selection; "Terra Incognita," which won the Hollis Summers Poetry Prize; and "View from True North," awarded both the Crab Orchard Series Open Competition Award and the High Plains Book Award. Henning has received accolades like the Crazyhorse Lynda Hull Memorial Poetry Prize and the Poetry Society of America’s George Bogin Memorial Award. She coordinates the Stringer Visiting Writers Series at Marshall University.

Henning expressed enthusiasm about showcasing faculty talent through this event. “I am excited for this opportunity to shine a spotlight on our creative writing faculty,” she said. “Our faculty is composed of compassionate and committed professors, but students often lack familiarity with their published work. Hosting faculty readings invites students to see that faculty joyfully practice what they teach.”

The event is organized by Marshall University with support from its Department of English and College of Liberal Arts.