Bestselling novelist Alice McDermott Reads at Seton Hall

The Poetry-in-the-Round reading series is honored to welcome one of the great fiction writers of our time to Seton Hall. Novelist Alice McDermott will read from and discuss her work Tuesday, April 1, at 5 p.m. in Bethany A/B.

This reading is free and open to the public. Poetry-in-the-Round and Seton Hall extend a special invitation to all alumni to attend, with a reception for alumni to follow.

About the Event
Author of nine novels and winner of the National Book Award, Alice McDermott is one of the most admired and highly regarded fiction writers in America today. A recent profile in Publishers Weekly described her as “a singular voice in American letters, McDermott is expert at writing impeccable sentences and authentically human characters, many of whom, like her, are Irish American, Catholic and from New York City.”

McDermott will read from her fiction, discuss her writing and career and take questions from the audience. Books will be available for purchase at the event.

About the Author
McDermott’s latest novel, Absolution, was an instant New York Times bestseller, winner of the 2024 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award, finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and named one of the best books of 2023 by Time, NPR, Los Angeles Times, Vogue, Esquire and others.

Her eight previous novels have been finalists for the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, PEN/Faulkner Award, National Book Critics Circle Award, Kirkus Prize and Dublin IMPAC Award. Her novel Charming Billy won the National Book Award for fiction. The Ninth Hour received France’s Prix Femina Étranger. She is also the author of What About the Baby? Some Thoughts on the Art of Fiction.

Her stories and essays have appeared in The New Yorker, Harper’s, The New York Times, Commonweal and elsewhere. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

About the Series
For more than three decades, Poetry-in-the-Round has brought some of the world’s best contemporary writers to Seton Hall. Past guests include Joyce Carol Oates, E.L. Doctorow, Nadine Gordimer, C.K. Williams, Jonathan Franzen, John Ashbery, Russell Banks, Adrienne Rich and many others. The series showcases both established and emerging writers for Seton Hall students and the community.

Nathan Oates, professor of English, is the director of the series. 

Categories: Arts and Culture