Cedar Falls, IA – The Final Thursday Reading Series (FTRS) kicks off its 24th season with a notable event on August 29. Iowa Poet Laureate Vince Gotera will launch his new speculative poetry collection, Dragons & Rayguns, published by Final Thursday Press.
The reading series will return to the Hearst Center for the Arts in Cedar Falls, featuring a creative writing open mic at 7 p.m. and author presentations at 7:30 p.m. All events will also be streamed live on Zoom. Interested parties can register at finalthursdaypress.com.
Gotera, appointed Iowa poet laureate earlier this year, emphasizes that poetry should be accessible and enjoyable. He notes, “Many people find poetry intimidating, like calculus. However, poetry can range from light to heavy, and my new collection spans this spectrum.”
A full interview with Gotera about Dragons & Rayguns is available on finalthursdaypress.com.
Upcoming Fall 2024 Final Thursday Reading Series Events:
Thursday, Sept. 26
Marc Dickinson will read from his new short story collection, Replacement Parts (Atmosphere Press). A UNI English alumnus and MFA graduate from Colorado State University, Dickinson teaches creative writing at Des Moines Area Community College and organizes the Celebration of the Literary Arts series.
Thursday, Oct. 31
For Halloween, UNI’s Brooke Wonders and her horror literature students will present new stories of terror starting at 7 p.m. Wonders’s work has appeared in Black Warrior Review and The Dark. She is an associate professor of English at the University of Northern Iowa and editor of Grimoire, a literary horror magazine.
Thursday, Nov. 21
This event will be held one week early due to Thanksgiving. The program will feature The Cities of the Plains: An Anthology of Iowa Artists and Poets, showcasing 57 contributors from the state. Editor Paul Brooke will join regional contributors for the reading.
The Final Thursday Reading Series is a partnership among Final Thursday Press, the Hearst Center for the Arts, and the University of Northern Iowa College of Humanities, Arts, and Sciences, with additional support from Sidecar Coffee Roasters and Hansen’s Farm Fresh Dairy.