Lee Upton will discus the special strengths  that poets bring to fiction writing, including a keen attention to sound effects and habits of self-trust, as well as the challenges poets may face in the process of writing fiction, including developing a heightened attention to cause-and-effect. She’ll refer to her experiences as a poet who writes fiction, including short stories, a novella, and novels—and the challenges she continues to face (and enjoy) while moving among genres. She’ll also present a fiction-writing exercise for poets.
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LEE UPTON, a multi-genre writer, is the author of sixteen books. Her most recent book is her seventh collection of poetry, The Day Every Day Is (Saturnalia Books 2023). Her comic novel, Tabitha, Get Up, is forthcoming in May from Sagging Meniscus Press, and another novel, a literary mystery, will appear in 2025. She is also the author of two collections of short stories, Visitations and The Tao of Humiliation, both recipients of the Kirkus star. Her novella, The Guide to the Flying Island, received the Miami University Novella Prize. In addition, she is the author of a collection of essays, Swallowing the Sea: On Writing & Ambition, Boredom, Purity and Secrecy. Her poetry has appeared in The New Yorker, Poetry, American Poetry Review, and in three editions of Best American Poetry. She lives in Easton, Pennsylvania. www.leeupton.com.