Emerging Writer to present reading Nov. 14

Tom Bennitt

Tom Bennitt

Credit: Penn State

Tom Bennitt, the Penn State Altoona 2017 Emerging Writer-in-Residence, will read from his work Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 4 p.m. in rooms 101-103 of the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts.

Born and raised in Butler County, Pennsylvania, Bennitt earned an M.F.A. in Fiction from the University of Mississippi, where he was a Grisham Fellow and managing editor of The Yalobusha Review. He received his Ph.D. in English from the University of Nebraska. His fiction, poetry, and nonfiction have appeared in several literary journals, including Texas Review, Prairie SchoonerWord Riot, and Descant. His honors include the Frank O’Connor Short Fiction Award, Glimmer Train’s Very Short Fiction Contest (finalist), a Pushcart Prize nomination, and a residency fellowship from the Virginia Center for Creative Arts. His dissertation, a novel titled Burning Under, was shortlisted for the 2016 George Garrett Fiction Prize.

Penn State Altoona students are invited to stop by Bennitt’s office (Smith C125) this fall to talk with him about creative writing and related issues. His office hours are Mondays and Wednesdays, 10-11 a.m. He will also schedule a series of coffee hour sessions on select Fridays; look for more information on these events during the semester.

Sponsored by the English Program and the Division of Arts and Humanities, the reading is free and open to the public.