Internationally-known authors shared their work on campus during a special event on Sept. 25 that kicked off the Visiting Writer Series on campus for the 2025-26 year.
Professor of English and Creative Writing and Director of the Center for the Literary Arts Rebecca Entel says that the annual Global Voices event and the whole Visiting Writer Series introduce students to the work of writers they might not encounter otherwise.
“Students’ learning is deepened exponentially by having more writers visit campus,” Entel said. “Student writers deepen their understanding of craft through discussions with multiple writers from a variety of traditions, and they broaden their vocational pursuits by speaking with writers who hold a variety of professional positions.”
Global Voices was held in the Hall-Perine Room in the Thomas Commons and featured Florencia del Campo and Myle Yan Tay. Over the course of an hour and a half, del Campo and Yan Tay read selections from their writing and answered questions from the audience.
Isabella Leo ’28 has attended multiple Visiting Writer events during her time at Cornell.
“Having many authors visit gives students the chance to learn a plethora of tools for their own writing. I appreciate this as an individual who wishes to be a published writer one day,” Leo said. “The writers' events I have attended thus far have done nothing but inspire me, prepare me, and help me excel as a writer.”
Del Campo, an Argentine-Spanish author, has written contemporary fiction, poetry, young adult novels, and children’s books. She has won awards such as the Ciudad de Barbastro International Novel Award and the La Bolsa de Pipas Prize from Editorial Sloper. Del Campo read selections from her book “Madre Mía,” some of which were also read in Spanish.
Tanatswa Hamadziripi ’26, who is from Zimbabwe, feels valued and heard when international voices visit campus.
“Hearing a bilingual reading made me appreciate the breadth of art that is out there that I do not have access to or awareness of,” Hamadziripi said. “Learning what's important for people to write about provides a window into different cultures, which I enjoy learning more about.”
Myle Yan Tay, a Singaporean author, has written non-fiction and fiction, plays, graphic novels and comics, and video
games. He read the prologue from an upcoming book about conscription in the Singaporean Army and an upcoming essay from the Cincinnati Review on Singaporean funeral traditions.
After hearing about the diverse genres that Yan Tay has explored, the audience wanted to know if he always knows at the start of a project what genre his story is going to be when the piece is finished.
“My process is a little different depending on the story I am trying to tell. With my prose, I’m trying to get into the psychology of the characters. When I’m writing a play, it’s all based on dialogue and is very improvisational,” Yan Tay said. “But, usually, I have an idea at the start of it what is going to suit it.”
Yan Tay and del Campo also met with Professor of English Glenn Freeman’s Introduction to Creative Writing and Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing Scott Morris’ Contemporary Creative Nonfiction. In the past, authors have given talks to writing and literature classes, as well as modern languages, education, and gender, sexuality and women’s studies courses. Writers may also participate in other activities, such as meeting with students at luncheons and workshops.
“Regardless of your major or future focus, these visitor events can push you and teach you how to excel in your self-expression, work ethic, and more. The wisdom and experiences of these writers need to be shared, and if you don't go, you'll be missing out on the experience,” Leo said.
Hamadziripi agreed, saying she took a lot away from this first event.
“The writers are always great people who are fun to talk to and hear from,” Hamadziripi said. “I always learn something new. Plus, the snacks are always delicious.”
The authors scheduled for this year’s Visiting Writers Series include:
Monday, Nov. 3, Van Etten-Lacey House
Visiting Writer Tatiana Schlote-Bonne
Tatiana Schlote-Bonne, author of the young adult horror novels “Such Lovely Skin" and “The Mean Ones,” will read from her work.
Wednesday, Nov. 20, Van Etten-Lacey House
Visiting Writer Anthony Immergluck with Professor Glenn Freeman
Alum poet Anthony Immergluck ’12, winner of the 2024 Autumn House Rising Writer Prize, visits campus to read from his new book, “The Worried Well,” alongside Professor Glenn Freeman, who is celebrating the new second edition of “Drinking with O'Hara.”
Monday, Feb. 16, Van Etten-Lacey House
Visiting Writer Sam Sussman
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) New Writing Award-winner Sam Sussman will read from his new novel, “Boy from the North Country,” which is based on his memoir, "The Silent Type: On (Possibly) Being Bob Dylan's Son"