Sierra Nevada College is expanding the fall literary lineup with the introduction of Writers in the Woods, readings and workshops offered by a cast of luminary literati. Nevada Writers Hall of Fame author Joanne Meschery will kick off the series with a reading on Sept. 24, followed by a Saturday morning fiction workshop.

Catherine Brady will present a reading Oct. 22, and lead a nonfiction workshop Oct. 23; and Brian Turner will give a reading Nov. 19, then lead a poetry workshop the next day.

The Saturday workshops — 9am-noon — are open to the community for a $50 registration fee, as well as to SNC students, and may be taken for credit or non-credit. This group of writers offers something for a wide range of interests — from history to science, drama, politics, comedy and, of course, literature. The Friday night readings (7-9pm) remain free and open to all.

Writers in the Woods: The Lineup

Sept. 24-25: Joanne Meschery

A long-time resident of Truckee, Joanne Meschery was born in Gorman, Texas; spent her early childhood years in Boston, moved with her family to Modesto, and went to high school in Fallon. She is the author of three novels: “In a High Place” (1981); “A Gentleman’s Guide to the Frontier” (1990), which was nominated for a Pen/Faulkner Award; and “Home and Away” (1994), recently reprinted by the University of California Press as part of its California Writers Series. She is currently working on a novel set in Nevada. Her work has been awarded two grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, along with numerous other prizes. She studied at the University of Iowa Workshop and was a Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford University. She is a regular presenter at the Squaw Valley Writers Conference and a member of the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame.

Oct. 22-23: Catherine Brady

Catherine Brady’s biography about Elizabeth Blackburn — one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2007 — tells the story of molecular biologist Elizabeth Blackburn’s life and groundbreaking work on telomeric DNA, which launched the field of telomere research. (Blackburn made headlines in 2004 when she was dismissed from the President’s Council on Bioethics after objecting to the council’s call for a moratorium on stem cell research and protesting the suppression of relevant scientific evidence in its final report). The journal Science magazine wrote of Elizabeth Blackburn and the Story of Telomeres: Deciphering the Ends of DNA, “Catherine Brady’s Elizabeth Blackburn and the Story of Telomeres offers a commanding account of an inspiring effort to overcome gender bias along with advice about doing science, conquering academic politics, and taking responsible positions on science policy.” Brady’s most recent collection, “The Mechanics of Falling & Other Stories”, was published in 2009. Her second short-story collection, “Curled in the Bed of Love”, was the co-winner of the 2002 Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction and a finalist for the 2003 Binghamton John Gardner Fiction Book Award. Brady’s first collection of short stories, “The End of the Class War”, was a finalist for the 2000 Western States Book Award in Fiction. Her stories have been included in Best American Short Stories 2004 and numerous anthologies and journals.

Nov. 19-20: Brian Turner

Iraq veteran soldier/award-winning writer Brian Turner most recently published “Phantom Noise” (Alice James Books) in 2010. Turner’s “Here, Bullet”, a collection of poetry about a year he spent deployed in Iraq, has garnered a number of literary awards, including the 2006 PEN Center USA “Best in the West” Literary Award in Poetry, the 2007 Poets’ Prize, and selection in The New York Times “Editor’s Choice.” Here, Bullet, writes the New Yorker, “is more sandy than muddy, has plenty of blood (as well as ‘grease guns, pistols, RPGs’) … and offers its share of sweetness, in the form of date palms, chai tea, and off-hours prostitutes observed through the lenses of high-powered binoculars.” Said Carolyn Forché on Turner’s latest effort, Phantom Noise, “With courage and an uncommon willingness to see the world as it actually is, Brian Turner returns in Phantom Noise with a bullet-borne language in which helicopters hover like spiders over a film of water.” Turner was featured in a profile on Page A1 of the New York Times this past February and joined SNC’s English faculty on a full-time basis beginning fall 2010.

The literary lineup will continue in the spring with standup comedian Steve Hofstetter performing on March 4 and leading a comedy writing workshop on March 5.In April, the ever-popular annual slam competition will return, offering contenders a chance to win the coveted title of Tahoe Slam Champion 2011.

For more information on the series, contact June Saraceno at jsaraceno@sierranevada.edu or at (775) 831.1314, ext. 7514.