Richard Blanco, Jia Tolentino Headline Major Author Reading Series
In its 10th year on campus, the series brings writers to campus for readings and discussion.
In April, Manhattan College will host two powerhouse writers in its Major Author Reading Series: poet Richard Blanco on April 1 and New Yorker writer Jia Tolentino on April 16.
Richard Blanco, poet and memoirist
Wednesday, April 1, 6:30 p.m., Hayden Hall, room 100
In 2013, Blanco was selected by President Obama as the fifth inaugural poet in U.S. history, joining the ranks of such luminary poets as Robert Frost and Maya Angelou. He stands as the youngest, first Latino, immigrant, and gay person to serve in such a role. Since 2016, he has served on the Obama Foundation’s storytelling committee.
A builder of cities as well as poems, Blanco holds degrees in civil engineering and creative writing from Florida International University. In addition, he has received honorary doctorates from Macalester College, the University of Rhode Island, the University of Southern Maine, and Colby College.
Jia Tolentino, staff writer, The New Yorker
Thursday, April 16, 6:30 p.m., Hayden Hall, room 100
Jia Tolentino is a staff writer at The New Yorker. Raised in Texas, she studied at the University of Virginia before serving in Kyrgyzstan in the Peace Corps and receiving her MFA in fiction from the University of Michigan.
She was a contributing editor at The Hairpin and the deputy editor at Jezebel, and her work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Grantland, Pitchfork, and other publications. She lives in Brooklyn.
Both events are free and open to the public.
For more information, contact Dominika Wrozynski, Ph.D., at dominika.wrozynski@manhattan.edu, or Adam Koehler, Ph.D., at adam.koehler@manhattan.edu.