Montclair State Faculty to Participate in Montclair Literary Festival

Montclair State University will once again serve as a co-host of the second annual Montclair Literary Festival, which will take place March 15-18 at locations including the University, the Montclair Public Library, Montclair’s First Congregational Church and the Montclair Art Museum.

Supported by Succeed2gether, Montclair State University, Montclair Public Library, Watchung Booksellers, Montclair Art Museum and many other local sponsors, the four-day series of events will feature more than 100 authors and 50 events. Best-selling authors including The New York Times best-selling author of the The Wife, Meg Wolitzer, best-selling author of One True Thing, Anna Quindlen, and National Book Award Finalist Min Jin Lee (author of the popular best seller Pachinko) will be participating in discussions as part of the festival.

Montclair State University faculty will also serve as panel hosts and participants throughout the four days of programming.

On Friday, March 16 at 3:30 p.m., Assistant Professor of English Michael Robbins will discuss how art can help people make sense – or nonsense – of the world in “Equipment for Living: on Poetry and Pop Music” at the School of Communication and Media’s Presentation Hall on the Montclair State University campus.

On Saturday, March 17 at 11 a.m., Professor of English Lucy McDiarmid will join a St. Patrick’s Day panel discussion titled “Irish Women: Revolution, Romance, and ‘The Troubles’” at The Guild Room at the First Congregational Church in Montclair. Also at 11 a.m., Associate Professor of English Laura Nicosia will participate in a panel discussion titled “Letters to Secretary DeVos: What We’d Like to Discuss With You About Education” alongside Professor of History Leslie Wilson at the Montclair Public Library Auditorium. She will also participate in a panel discussing the reinventing of the Sci-Fi/Fantasy Genre at 2:45 p.m. in The Guild Room at Montclair’s First Congregational Church. Wilson will also present a discussion titled “Building the Great Society: Inside Lyndon Johnson’s White House” at the Montclair Public Library Auditorium at 1:30 p.m.

At 2:45 p.m. on Saturday, Professor of Sociology Yasemin Besen-Cassino and Associate Professor of English Patricia Matthew will participate in a panel discussion titled “Women, Sex, Power, and the #MeToo Movement” at the Montclair Public Library Auditorium. At 4 p.m., Assistant Professor of Justice Studies Jason Williams will present a panel discussion titled “‘They Can’t Kill Us All’: Ferguson, Baltimore, and a New Era in America’s Racial Justice Movement” at the Montclair Public Library Auditorium.

Professor of English and author David Galef will help close the festival on Sunday, March 18 at 10 a.m., with a workshop titled “Flash Fiction,” in which he will lead the audience through the possibilities of creating fiction stories in 1,000 words or less.