MFA WINTER RESIDENCY – SARAH DARER LITTMAN AND NORA RALEIGH BASKIN: Writers Nora Raleigh Baskin and Sarah Darer Littman aren’t afraid to tackle difficult —and sometimes controversial —topics. What are the author’s responsibilities to their audience when writing about these subjects? And what responsibility do authors have to themselves when researching and writing about topics that have painful personal resonance?

Nora Raleigh Baskin is a creative writing teacher and the author of fifteen novels for young readers, as well as several personal narrative essays, and a work-in-progress novel of literary fiction for adult readers (The Story of You). Her YA novel, Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story, is a “tense…and thought-provoking” (Kirkus Review, starred review) look at the days leading up to the tragic events of September 11, 2001, and how that day impacted the lives of four middle schoolers.

Sarah Darer Littman is the critically acclaimed author of 19 middle grade and young adult novels, including Backlash (Winner of the Iowa Teen Book Award and the Grand Canyon Reader Award) and Confessions of a Closet Catholic, winner of the Sydney Taylor Book Award. Her most recent book, Some Kind of Hate, was released in November 2022. As well as writing novels, Sarah teaches in the MFA program at WCSU and at the Yale Writers’ Workshop. She is also an award-winning columnist.

All evening residency events are free and open to the public. The event will be held from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in Room 218 of the Westside Classroom Building (President’s Reception Room).