Jessica Block (MAWP), a graduate assistant for the Department of English, attended the recent Visiting Writer’s event at Lincoln Hall featuring Professors Kathleen Rooney and Hannah Pittard. In this post, Jessica reviews the event and encourages students to check out future events sponsored by the Department of English.

At 6 p.m. on January 25, Lincoln Hall’s auditorium was filled with over one hundred DePaul students, faculty, and guests who joined to hear readings by Professors Kathleen Rooney and Hannah Pittard.

The event, part of DePaul’s Visiting Writer’s Series, which is organized by Professor Miles Harvey, was co-sponsored by DePaul’s Department of English and Lincoln Hall. Attendees enjoyed complimentary appetizers and a playlist of music from Lincoln Hall’s upcoming acts before settling into their seats as Harvey took the stage to introduce the evening’s stars.

Rooney, a founding editor of Rose Metal Press, called upon the audience to assist her with the first of the poems she read from her book of poetry Oneiromance. “When I say marriage, you say run! Marriage,” read Rooney, and the audience eagerly chimed in: “Run!”

Rooney’s reading also included selections from her prose collection, titled For You, For You I am Trilling These Songs, and some poems written in collaboration with Elisa Gabbert. Rooney’s books are available at Amazon and other retailers for $14 and $14.95, respectively.

Pittard read a captivating section—the antics of teenage boys in a crowded auditorium— from her debut novel, The Fates Will Find Their Way, which was released that day. A review in Publishers Weekly notes that Pittard’s novel, which depicts the aftermath of a teenage girl’s disappearance and its effects on the boys who knew her, an “intriguing, beguiling debut.”

Published by Ecco, The Fates Will Find Their Way is available in hardcover for $22.99 or in a digital edition for $11.99 from Amazon and additional retailers. Pittard’s fiction has previously appeared in McSweeney’s and 2008 Best American Short Stories’ 100 Distinguished Stories.

Rooney and Pittard closed the hour-long event by fielding questions from the audience regarding the publishing process, the writing process, and a variety of other subjects.

DePaul’s Department of English frequently hosts readings and social activities, so if you enjoyed it or are sorry you missed out, consider attending the next Visiting Writer’s Event featuring poet Jack Ridl. Ridl will read from his work on Thursday, February 24, 2011 at 6 p.m. in the Rosati Room (300) Richardson Library on DePaul’s Lincoln Park Campus.