Featured Writing

Empty movie theater

With This Money

by Claude Chabot Lily had found the powder room in haste, and rapidly finishing her customary ablutions before the start of the feature, hurried to the stairs. This was her ritual before every picture she had seen, and though she could resist it, she felt fully at ease only when…

read more...

Alyssa Cole

Word for Word, Featuring Special Guest Alyssa Cole

On Thursday, February 16, 2023, Word for Word, Southern New Hampshire University’s (SNHU) online literary series, proudly welcomed Alyssa Cole, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of romantic thrillers and more. Her debut thriller, “When No One Is Watching,” won the 2021 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best…

read more...

Two books, a cup and saucer and flowers on a table

Instructors Lauren A. Forry and Gina Troisi Talk Writing

On Wednesday, November 16, 2022, the Word for Word Reading Series at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) presented its first annual Instructor Spotlight event, featuring two SNHU writers: Gina Troisi, an instructor in the English and creative writing bachelor’s program, and Lauren A. Forry, who teaches in the online MFA….

read more...

Joan F. Smith

Author Joan F. Smith on Writing and Publishing Two Novels

On Wednesday, October 12, 2022, the Word for Word Reading Series at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) featured Joan F. Smith, author of “The Half-Orphan’s Handbook.” At the event, Smith read from her forthcoming novel, “The Other Side of Infinity.” She also answered questions from attendees and hosts Jacob Powers,…

read more...

The Penmen Profile: New York Times Bestseller Emma Chase

by Rebecca LeBoeuf Emma Chase, a New York Times Bestseller for two series, “Tangled” and “Legal Briefs,” is a writer of “sexy swagger,” with a focus on contemporary romance and romantic comedy. “Royally Endowed,” the third and latest installment of “The Royally” series, centers on the forbidden relationship between a…

read more...

The Penmen Profile: YA and Adult Literary Fiction Author Natalie Haney Tilghman

By Rebecca LeBoeuf Natalie Haney Tilghman co-wrote “A 52-Hertz Whale,” a young adult novel, with author Bill Sommer. When a juvenile humpback whale separates from its pod, a high school freshman calls upon a young filmmaker who volunteered in his special education program to help him locate it. The plot…

read more...

The Penmen Profile: Award-Winning Author and Columnist Vanessa Hua

By Rebecca LeBoeuf Much of Vanessa Hua’s factual and fictional writing focuses on Asia and the diaspora. Her debut novel, “A River of Stars,” which follows a pregnant Chinese immigrant, is due out in August and available for preorder now. The novel already appears in multiple booklists for 2018, including…

read more...

The Penmen Profile: New York Times Best Seller Elinor Lipman

By Rebecca LeBoeuf Satirist Elinor Lipman, who grew up in Lowell, Mass., is approaching the one-year anniversary of her latest romantic comedy, “On Turpentine Lane.” Reviews written by Oprah.com and the Washington Post praise the novel and compare Lipman’s stories with those of Jane Austen. “Then She Found Me,” one…

read more...

The Penmen Profile: New Novelist Siobhan Fallon

by Kristin Duckworth Siobhan Fallon’s debut novel, “The Confusion of Languages,” takes place in the American embassy community in Jordan during the Arab Spring – a setting Fallon knows well, having been stationed there with her husband. Fallon drew on her own experiences and observations to tell the story of…

read more...

The Penmen Profile: YA Fiction Author Ryan Graudin

by Rebecca LeBoeuf Ryan Graudin, a young adult fiction author, just wrapped up her weeklong tour celebrating the Sept. 26 publication of her latest novel, “Invictus.” The tale, which garnered a starred review from Publishers Weekly, follows Far, the son of a time-traveler. Far fails his time-traveling exam, crushing his…

read more...