A virtual reading by 10 graduating Bachelor of Fine Arts students at the University of Farmington will be presented at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 29. Students will be presenting work from their capstone writing portfolios. The reading is free and open to the public at the following Zoom link.

The student readers include: Avery Allen from Cromwell, Connecticut; Hannah Binder from Farmington; Allison Jarvis from Wells; Ciera Miller from Farmington; Sophie Murray from Rockland; Billie Rose Newby from Wilmington, Delaware; Makena Pauly from Ewa Beach, Hawaii; Cori Schneider from Foxboro, Massachusetts; Lowell Warren from Marlborough, Massachusetts; and Kyra Zabel from Greene, Rhode Island.

“What a pleasure it’s been to watch this group of astounding writers find their voices over the past four years. Fiction and creative nonfiction writers, poets, and screenwriters, they bring their unique worldviews and sense of story to the page,” said Amy Neswald, assistant professor of Creative Writing. “The Creative Writing department is so proud of the accomplishments and commitment of our 2021 graduating seniors.”

As the only Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program in the state of Maine and one of only three in all of New England, the UMF program invites students to work with faculty, who are practicing writers, in workshop-style classes to discover and develop their writing strengths in the genres of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. Small classes, an emphasis on individual conferencing, and the development of a writing portfolio allow students to see themselves as artists and refine their writing under the guidance of accomplished and published faculty mentors. Students can pursue internships to gain real-world writing and publishing experience by working on campus with The Sandy River Review, a student-run literary magazine; Ripple Zine, a feminist magazine; The Farmington Flyer, a university newspaper; or Alice James Books, an award-winning poetry publishing house.

This BFA reading is sponsored by the UMF Creative Writing Department. For more information, contact Amy Neswald, assistant professor of Creative Writing at amy.neswald@maine.edu.