Novels & More: Michael N. McGregor and Shann Ray

A 'Novel Day' Event Moderated by Sharma Shields

How does someone approach the craft of writing novels when they are also a poet, memoirist, biographer, and/or non-fiction writer? This discussion is part of the 2nd annual 'Novel Day.'

This panel features three award-winning novelists who will discuss how their disparate forms of writing inform (or don't inform) their novel writing practice. 

About the panelists: 

Michael N. McGregor is fiction writer, essayist, memoirist, and biographer. Kirkus Reviews named his first novel, The Last Grand Tour, one of its Best Indie Books of the Year and the Association of University Publishers put his biography Pure Act: The Uncommon Life of Robert Lax on its top-ten list in American Literature. His latest book is the memoir An Island to Myself: The Place of Solitude in an Active Life. An award-winning professor of creative writing, McGregor has written about writing for Poets & Writers and The Writer's Chronicle and given writing workshops and presentations across the country. Learn more about Michael here.

Czech American artist, social scientist, and American Book Award winner Shann Ray teaches leadership and forgiveness studies at Gonzaga University and poetry at Stanford. A National Endowment for the Arts Fellow and group Fulbright recipient to South Africa, through his research in forgiveness and genocide Shann has served as a visiting scholar in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, and as a poetry mentor for the PEN America Prison and Justice Writers Program. Ray is an International Book Award winner, a three-time High Plains International Book Award winner, a Bread Loaf Fellow, a Bakeless Prize winner, Western Writers of America Spur Award winner, and winner of the Foreword Book of the Year Readers’ Choice Award. His work comprises a libretto and 17 books, of which 12 are poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction including Where Blackbirds Fly, Atomic Theory 7, The Garment of Praise, Forgiveness and Power in the Age of Atrocity, Balefire, American Masculine, Sweetclover, Blood Fire Vapor Smoke, American Copper, The Souls of Others, and Transparent in the Backlight. Read his full bio here.

This event is part of Novel Day. Novel Day is a celebration of the craft of writing novels, featuring workshops and panels presented by some of the most beloved novelists in our region. Writers at all stages of their writing lives, newbies and published writers alike, are welcome to attend.

By attending library programs, you are agreeing to potentially appear in photos/videos taken at our locations that may be used in promotional materials including social media.

We strive to make events welcoming for people of all abilities. To request accommodations (i.e. hearing assistance, ASL requests, or other ADA inquiries), email sday@spokanelibrary.org.

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