Amidst rising cuts to humanities departments and grant funding, the annual Visiting Writers Reading Series, sponsored by Whitman’s Department of English, kicked off its first event for the semester on Thursday, Oct. 23. Visiting writer Octavio Quintanilla read from his two poetry collections, “The Wounded Sparrow” and “Las Haras Imposibles/The Impossible Hours.”

Attendees included students in English, Hispanic Studies and Art courses, as well as community members who wanted to hear Quintanilla read his works or pose their own questions for the author. Professor of English and General Studies Sharon Alker viewed the event as a way to experience Quintanilla’s work out loud, rather than solely through reading his texts.  

“Octavio Quintanilla superbly wove together text and image in his poetic work,” English and General Studies Professor Sharon Alker said. “The audience as they listen to the speaker is in the moment, able to think more deeply and more authentically. I always feel fulfilled after leaving one of these events, and I want my community to experience that too.”

The lineup for the visiting writers this school year includes Alina Stefanescu, Sabrina Orah Mark, Kevin Prufer and Maya Jewell Zeller. 

“I feel like it’s curated so well that you get a nice variety of types of work and people,” senior Delilah Hartwell said. “That’s another great thing to see, the diversity of working writers, not demographically but the type of work that’s being published. It’s always good to go and just see what people are doing differently.”

The series is sponsored by the English Department, the Office of the Provost and Dean of Faculty and the Robert Goldstein Trust.  The series presents a consistent opportunity for students, staff and community members to attend lectures and readings from various authors since its conception in 2004. Alker has been attending the events since the series began in the early 2000s. 

“I never want to miss a writer because they bring such creative energy and beauty to campus,” Alker said. “I find the readings to be a transcendent experience that revitalizes me.”

For students in creative writing classes and some introductory English classes, they are required to attend the events or receive extra credit for attending.

“I’ve definitely learned a lot from answers that I’ve gotten from writers that I’ve continued to use,” Hartwell said. “I think it is an opportunity to learn from professionals outside of your discipline.”

An intermediate poetry class taught by Katrina Roberts VanKouwenhoven invited Quintanilla to lead their class in a discussion guided by poetic writing prompts. Senior English major and creative writing minor Pan Deines views the event as a way to ask their questions about a writer’s process. 

“It was really fun,” Deines said. “It’s really awesome to hear them read their work, but it’s also a chance to ask questions.”

Students like Deines and Hartwell view the series as a way to explore and further their own careers in creative writing, while professors and community members like Alker enjoy the opportunity to critically engage with a visiting author. 

In the past year, however, the number of visiting authors has decreased from seven — as seen in previous years — to a planned five authors who will read their works on campus in the 2025-26 academic year. Despite a smaller cohort of visiting writers, attendees hope that future speakers will enrich their reading experience.  

“I don’t know if that’s due to budget cuts, but even five events in a year is a lot,” Deines said. “So, we’re excited to have everybody come.”

As the English department prepares for upcoming visits, students and faculty consider the opportunities provided to students, community members and staff by attending and funding humanities lectures like the Visiting Writers Reading Series. According to Alker, Quintanilla’s interdisciplinary draw for English, Creative Writing, Hispanic Studies and Art students highlights the value of humanities-based events.  

“The Visiting Writer Series is one of the most valuable speaker series at Whitman. It gives the Whitman community access to a plethora of different innovative voices,” Alker said. “Creative writers at Whitman, through this series, ensure that we are able to meet writers from all over the nation who write in a variety of different genres and often across various mediums.”

The Visiting Writers Reading Series gives students the opportunity to hear about different writing styles from a variety of authors, regardless of major or writing experience.