Award-winning short story author next in Gwen Frostic Reading Series

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—A nationally acclaimed short story writer will be the next reader in the Fall 2017 Gwen Frostic Reading Series.

Danielle Evans, author of the story collection "Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self," will read from her works at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, in 157-159 Bernhard Center. The reading is free and open to the public.

Danielle Evans

"Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self" won the PEN American Robert W. Bingham Prize, the Hurston-Wright Award, the Paterson Prize and was a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 selection. The book has been described as an eclectic debut story collection about mixed-race and African American teenagers, women and men struggling to find a place in their families and communities.

Her work has appeared in a variety of magazines, including The Paris Review, A Public Space, Callaloo and Phoebe. It also was anthologized in "The Best American Short Stories 2008," "New Stories from the South" and "The Best American Short Stories 2010."

Evans earned a master's degree in fiction from the Iowa Writers Workshop, was a fellow at the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing and is now teaching creative writing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

About the series

The Frostic Reading Series presents acclaimed creative writers from across the nation and beyond. Every year, a diverse range of readings that encompasses poetry, fiction, nonfiction and drama attract both campus and off-campus audiences.

For more information, visit wmich.edu/english/events/frostic.

For more WMU news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.