October 16, 2015

Annual literary festival set for Oct. 21-23

by Andrea Hahn

CARBONDALE, Ill. – The winners of the 2015 Devil’s Kitchen Reading Awards will highlight the annual Devil’s Kitchen Literary Festival at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. 

The literary festival, which runs Oct. 21-23, features readings, writer panels, book signing and reception. The readings and panel discussions will be in Morris Library’s John C. Guyon Auditorium, while the Oct. 22 reception and book signing will be in the library’s first floor rotunda. 

The “Grassroots” undergraduate literary magazine staff organizes the event each year. The Reading Award winners participate in the reading and receive a cash award.

Here’s the schedule of events, writers won’t necessarily read only from the works listed:

Wednesday, Oct. 21

8 p.m. - Reading by Ben Tanzer, winner of the 2015 Devil’s Kitchen Reading Award in Nonfiction Prose, “Lost in Space: A Father’s Journey There and Back Again.” 

Thursday, Oct. 22

11 a.m. - Writers Panel featuring all visiting writers

2 p.m. - Poetry readings by Crab Orchard Series in Poetry authors: Sass Brown, “USA-1000” and Lisa Fay Coutley, “Errata.”

3:15 p.m. – Reception and book signing featuring all visiting writers.

4:30 p.m. – Readings by the 2015 Devil’s Kitchen Award Winners in Poetry and Fiction: David Tomas Martinez, “Hustle,” and Megan Milks, “Kill Marguerite and Other Stories.” 

Friday, Oct. 23

10 a.m. – 20 Years of Crab Orchard Review: A conversation and Q&A with Allison Joseph, editor-in-chief and poetry editor, and Jon Tribble, managing editor.

1 p.m. – Readings by the “Grassroots” editors and contributors

2 p.m. – Poetry reading by Angie Macri, “Underwater Panther.”