by Jeffrey Ronay Forty-year-old Tom Riley climbed into his spacesuit and dialed the helmet ring to the external setting. Angie, the Suit’s reassuring voice, confirmed, “Suit pressure is nominal—internal temperature set to seventy-one degrees.” A smile flashed on his weathered skin, tiny lines drawn from too much exposure to the…
by DJ Cooper Moving into a new year is a natural time to think about goals. What we want to accomplish, improve, or simply attempt. Last year, I set an ambitious writing goal. It was to write one million words, and it sounded outrageous. But it wasn’t just about the…
Each year, Southern New Hampshire University’s (SNHU) Word for Word Literary Series dedicates an event to instructors from its online creative writing programs. This year, on Wednesday, November 19, the spotlight was on nonfiction, with instructors Tracy Crow, from the Online MFA, and Dan Gleason, from the online MA, reading…
On Wednesday, January 15, 2025, the Word for Word Reading Series at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) featured the winners of the Penmen Review’s tenth annual Fall Fiction Contest. This year’s contest had more than 750 submissions, from which five winners were chosen: First place, “Train a Comin’,” by N….
By Rebecca LeBoeuf Michelle Shreeve ’15G ’16G was a child when she lost her mother, and resources were limited for young families coping with the death of a parent. This experience fueled her desire to help others deal with similar grief, and through her love of writing, she addressed what…
by Pamme Boutselis A Kentucky native, Bobi Conn grew up in an Appalachian holler, withstanding a tumultuous childhood while developing an innate love for words and the natural beauty of her surroundings. Both still run deep and she’s instilled each in her debut publication “In the Shadow of the Valley:…
by Rebecca LeBoeuf Alexander McCall Smith’s impressive repertoire of more than 100 books span many genres, including academic non-fiction, fiction and children’s books. His work is published in 47 languages and he has publishers all around the world. Since the publication of his first book in 1980, the international bestseller…
by Rebecca LeBoeuf Kevin O’Hara’s passion for his Irish roots have been the impetus for his memoirs. His first book, “Last of the Donkey Pilgrims,” recounts his eight-month and 1,800-mile journey around Ireland in 1979, with only his donkey, Missie, and the small cart she pulled. O’Hara’s second book, “A…
by Tricia Dannhauer The past year was momentous for one of Southern New Hampshire University’s faculty, Elane Johnson. At the 2016 commencement, she received the “Excellence in Teaching Award,” followed by earning “Best Essay Prize” in Creative Nonfiction magazine for her work, “The Math of Marriage,” in July. In addition…
by Rebecca LeBoeuf Richard Adams Carey wrote his 2015 book, “In the Evil Day: Violence Comes to One Small Town,” about the 1997 Colebrook, New Hampshire, shootings that claimed the lives of four people. Carey tells the story of a tragedy in a town of 2,500 people that made headlines worldwide….
by Rebecca LeBoeuf Journalist Mark Sundeen is on tour across the United States, promoting his newly published book, “The Unsettlers.” This work of nonfiction follows couples in search of simple, authentic lives in America. Sundeen published three other books, one of which won the 2015 Green Book Festival (“The Man…