Author Reading, Feb 8

Author Sara Majka will deliver a reading at the University of Maine at Machias on February 8 at 6 p.m. This event is part of the Maine Writers Series, and is supported by the university’s English, Creative Writing, and Book Arts Program and the Libra Foundation. The series brings published writers to campus to read their works and interact with aspiring writers on campus and in the community. All authors in the series have connections to Maine, and the events are free and open to the public.

When she was young, Majka’s family moved around the New England coast, living in Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, Maine, and even for a time in a lighthouse. She received graduate degrees from Umass-Amherst and Bennington College and was awarded a fellowship at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown. She will read from her story collection, Cities I’ve Never Lived In. Her first book, the collection includes many stories set in Maine.

The linked stories offer intimate glimpses of a young New England woman whose life must begin fresh after a divorce. “Majka’s words find a way to tear at your insides as they come together to form a vivid picture of isolation,” reads a review in Elle. “Deeply moving, these stories are the kind that’ll make you stare straight into that roaring fire while you think hard about what’s important to you.”

Held in Merrill Library, the reading will be followed by a Q&A session with the author. Light refreshments will be provided, and books will be available for purchase and signing. The readings may contain mature content. The series will conclude for the year on Thursday, March 29 with a reading by author Gabby Schulz.