by N. Ryan Tucker “Train a Comin’” placed first in Southern New Hampshire University’s 2024 Fall Fiction Contest. I don’t remember makin’ the devil no damn deal. Musta bargained with him when I was a kid. Can’t call to mind much of them times anyway. I knew it weren’t no…
Featured Writing
Instructor Spotlight: Adrienne Kisner and Melissa Marr
Each year, the Word for Word Literary Series dedicates an event to instructors from Southern New Hampshire University’s (SNHU) online creative writing programs. This year, the spotlight was on young adult literature, with instructors Adrienne Kisner and Melissa Marr reading and discussing their work. Adrienne Kisner is the author of three…
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,…
Alumna Writes a Resource for Grieving Families While Earning 2 Degrees
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…
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…
The Penmen Profile: Diverse Storyteller Aaron Denius Garcia
by Pamme Boutselis As an actor, screenwriter and author, Aaron Denius Garcia tells stories across broad mediums, drawing upon his skills and experience in new ways. From a bicultural, bilingual childhood to his work on the television show, “Leverage” and other film projects and beyond, Garcia bring diverse perspective and experience…
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…
The Penmen Profile: Women’s Fiction Writer Julie Pennell
by Rebecca LeBoeuf Julie Pennell published her debut novel, “The Young Wives Club,” in February. Pennell’s book follows four young women, still in relationships from high school, as they discover how complicated love is. With praise from Kirkus, Booklist, Bestselling Author Karen White and others, “The Young Wives Club” shifts…
The Penmen Profile: Bestseller Robin Wasserman
by Rebecca LeBoeuf “Girls on Fire,” Robin Wasserman’s first adult novel, was named an NPR and a BuzzFeed Best Book of the Year in 2016. The book also received praise from the New York Times, the Associated Press, Booklist and Cosmopolitan, among many other positive reviews. A faculty member of…
The Penmen Profile: YA Sci-fi Author Ryan Dalton
by Rebecca LeBoeuf Ryan Dalton’s second book from the “Time Shift Trilogy” hits shelves in April, so there’s still time to read his debut novel and book one, “The Year of Lightning.” This young adult science fiction trilogy follows not-so-normal teenage twins as they encounter and solve mysteries and often…
The Penmen Profile: “Jerkbait” Author Mia Siegert
by Rebecca LeBoeuf Southern New Hampshire University professor Mia Siegert writes contemporary young adult, adult thriller and literary fiction in the form of short stories, articles, personal essays and now novels. Published May 2016, Siegert’s coming-of-age novel, “Jerkbait,” was identified as the top new release in Teen and Young Adult…