Major Author Reading Series Returns on October 13

Chuck Hogan, a New York Times bestselling novelist, screenwriter, and television producer, will kick off this fall’s Major Author Reading Series (MARS) on Thursday, October 13. Hogan is perhaps best known as the co-creator and executive producer of the popular FX network horror series The Strain, which he co-created with Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, based on their novel trilogy of the same name. His best-known novel, The Town, was awarded the Hammett Prize for literary excellence in the field of crime writing and was adapted into an acclaimed feature film directed by Ben Affleck. His most recent novel is Gangland, published in August 2022. He is also the screenwriter of 13 Hours, a film directed by Michael Bay and starring John Krasinki. 

CJ Hauser will be the second author appearing in the MARS series on November 16. Hauser is an associate professor of creative writing and literature at Colgate University whose first full-length work of nonfiction, The Crane Wife, a memoir-in essays was published in July. Hauser is the author of Family of Origin, published by Doubleday in 2019 and From-Always, published in 2014 by William Morrow. Their work has also appeared in Tin House, Narrative Magazine, The Paris Review, TriQuarterly, Esquire, Third Coast, The Kenyon Review, The Guardian, Bon Appetit, Elle Magazine UK, Vogue UK and The New York Times. They hold an MFA from Brooklyn College and a Ph.D. from Florida State University.

The series is celebrating its 13th year and continues to introduce students to the best in contemporary literature. Since its inception in 2010, M.A.R.S has welcomed some of the finest contemporary writers including Pulitzer Prize winners Junot Diaz, Jennifer Egan, Claudia Emerson,National Book Awards finalist Joshua Ferris, and New Yorker staff writer Jia Tolentino.  

“As beginning writers, our students have been inspired by our visiting writers,” said Dominika Wrozynski, Ph.D., assistant professor of English and co-director, MARS. “Often the writers we bring to campus — winners of Pulitzer Prizes, National Book Awards, and many other accolades, give readings at famous venues in New York City and the audience pays admission to hear them. MARS affords our students rare and exciting opportunities to interact with these professionals in an intimate setting.” 

MARS was created in 2010 by David Eye, visiting assistant professor of English, and Adam Koehler, Ph.D., the chairperson of the English department, as a way to offer the entire Manhattan College community the ability to benefit from the expertise of prose writers, playwrights, screenwriters and poets. 

The event is free and open to the public, and will be held in Hayden Hall, room 100, starting at 6:30 p.m. MARS. is co-sponsored by the College’s English department and the School of Liberal Arts. The November 16 event with CJ Hauser will also be held at 6:30 p.m. with a location still to be determined. 

For more information about MARS, please contact Dominika Wrozynski at (718) 862-7921 or dominika.wrozynski@manhattan.edu.