Previous Kelly Writers Series Guests
A complete list, from 1999 on, of our featured participants in the James and Marilou Kelly Writers Series.
Spring 2022:
Poet: Lee Ann Roripaugh
Fiction/Non-Fiction Writer: Matthew Gavin Frank
Fall 2021:
Poet: Joe Heithaus
Fiction Writer: Gabriel Bump
Spring 2021:
Poet: Lee Ann Roripaugh (rescheduled to 2022)
Fiction Writer: Elizabeth Eslami
Fall 2020:
Nonfiction Writer: Rajpreet Heir
Poet: Clayton Adam Clark
Spring 2020:
English Department Faculty Reading
Fall 2019:
Poet: Eugene Gloria
Memoirist: Terese Mailhot
Fiction writer: Mia Alvar
Poet: Marcelo Hernandez Castillo
Spring 2019:
Poet: Chen Chen
Nonfiction Writer: Dinty W. Moore
Memoirist: Roxane Gay
Fall 2018:
Fiction and Dramatic Writer: Chris White
Fiction and Nonfiction Writer: Alexander Chee
Poet: Joshua Bennett
Poet Laureate of the United States: Tracy K. Smith
Spring 2018:
Poet: Nate Marshall
Fiction Writer: Robin Black
Nonfiction Writer: Dinty Moore
Poet: Marilyn Chin
Fall 2017:
Memoirist and Poet: Randall Horton
Fiction Writer and Playwright: James Magruder
Poet: Natalie Diaz
Spring 2017:
Memoirist: Shulem Deen
Novelist: Dana Spiotta
Fiction Writer: Bonnie Jo Campbell
Fall 2016:
Poet: Ross Gay
Novelist: Lance Olsen
Novelist and Journalist: Lili Wright
Essayist and Editor: Sarah Gorham
Spring 2016:
Poet: Tarfia Faizullah
Fiction Writer: David James Poissant
Poet: Adrian Matejka
Fiction Writer: Sarah Gerkensmeyer
Essayist: Angela Pelster
Fall 2015
Playwright: Heather McDonald
Poet: Adonis
Fiction Writer: Karen Joy Fowler
Spring 2015
Fiction Writer: Mary Gaistkill
Poet: Natalie Shapero
Fiction and Nonfiction Writer: Rick Bass
Fall 2014
Poet: Nathalie Anderson
Fiction Writer: E.J. Levy
Novelist and Nonfiction Writer: Jess Walter
Spring 2014
Poet: Rowan Ricardo Phillips
Memoirist: Michael Hainey
Writer, Actor, Photographer, and Director: Benjamin Busch
Playwright: Kris Diaz
Fall 2013
Poet: Rodney Jones
Fiction Writer and Memoirist: Tobias Wolff
Fiction Writer: David Crouse
Spring 2013
Poet and Essayist: Danielle Cadena Deulen
Poet: Shane Book
Author: George Saunders
Fall 2012
Poet: Eugene Gloria
Fiction Writer: Antonya Nelson
Fiction Writer: Robert Boswell
Poet: Matthew Dickman
Spring 2012
Indiana State Poet Laureate: Karen Kovacik
Poet: Joseph Heithaus
Author: Danielle Evans
Nonfiction Writer: Ian Frazier
Fall 2011
Poet and Teacher: Major Jackson
Playwright: Itamar Moses
Fiction Writer: Antonya Nelson
Spring 2011
Author: Ian Frazier
Nonfiction Writer: Diana Joseph
Poet: Gjertrud Schnackenberg
Author: Jennifer Egan
Fall 2010
Fiction Writer: Nic Pizzolatto
Writer: Matt Dellinger
Poet: Sharon Olds
Spring 2010
Writer: Aleksandar Hemon
Poet: Aracelis Girmay
Author: Nick Reding
Poet: Crystal Williams
Fall 2009
Memoirist: Honor Moore
Poet: Khaled Mattawa
Fiction Writer: Ron Carlson
Nonfiction Writer: Scott Raab
Spring 2009
Fiction Writer: Charles D'Ambrosio
Poet: Kimiko Hahn
Nonfiction Writer: Ander Monson
Fiction and Creative Nonfiction Writer: Greg Schwipps
Fall 2008
Nonfiction Writer: Rich Cohen
Writer: Michael Martone
Poet: Lynne Thompson
Fiction Writer: Dagoberto Gilb
Spring 2008
Author: Susan Neville
Novelist: Samrat Upadhyay
Poet: Jay Hopler
Poet: Metta Sama
Fall 2007
Poet: Maurice Manning
Author: Kent Haruf
Author & Poet: Barbara Ras
Poet: Sterling Plumpp
Fiction Writer: Tony D'Souza
Spring 2007
Fiction Writer: Brock Clarke
Playwright: Arthur Kopit
Poet: Kay Ryan
Fiction Writer and Novelist: Sara Pritchard
Creative Nonfiction Writer: J. D. Scrimgeour
Poet: Anele Rubin
Fall 2006
Poet: Eugene Gloria
Essayist: Scott Russell Sanders
Writer: Shirley Geok-Lin Lim
Fiction Writer: David Harris Ebenback
Poet: Martin Espada
Spring 2006
Memoirist: Nick Flynn
Poet: Talvikki Ansel
Fiction Writer: Charles Baxter
Poet: Rigoberto González
Playwright: Suzan-Lori Parks
Poet: Dana Roeser
Fall 2005
Fiction Writer: Beth Lordan
Poet: Li-Young Lee
Shakespeare Scholar: David Bevington
Fiction Writer: Scot Nadelson
Spring 2005
Fiction Writer: Pam Houston
Fiction Writer: Cathy Day
Author: Stuart Dybek
Author: Phillip Lopate
Poet: Terrance Hayes
Poet: Mary Szybist
Fall 2004
Novelist: Douglas Bauer
Poet: Maurice Manning
Science Fiction Writer: Kim Stanley Robinson
Performance Poet: Jessica Care Moore
Prose Writer: Patricia Sarrifian Ward
Spring 2004
Biographer Writer: Jonathan Coleman
Critic: Susan Gubar
Poet: Tracie Morris
Poet: Vince Gotera
Fiction Writer: Pam Houston
Poet: Beth Ann Fennelly
Fall 2003
Fiction & Creative Non-Fiction Writer: Tom Chiarella
Fiction Writer: Dan Chaon
Poet: Kevin Young
Poet: Naomi Shihab Nye
Fiction Writer: Kellie Wells
Spring 2003
Poets: Robert Wrigley & Brently Johnson
Fiction Writer: Brady Udall
Poets: Mông-Lan & Patti White
Poet & Critic: Peter Balakian
Author: Beth Hawkins
Fall 2002
Poet: Amiri Baraka
Speaker: Kristina Bross
Memoirist: Lili Wright
Fiction Writer: Erin McGraw
Literary Critic: Bill Little
Screenwriters: Mark & Virginia Spragg
Prose Writer: Elizabeth Rosner
Spring 2002
Poet: Robin Behn
Fiction Writer: Susan Minot
Poet: Tenaya Darlington
Author: Bobbie Ann Mason
Fall 2001
Poet: Maurice Manning
Writer: Elizabeth Stuckey-French
Writer: Dr. Lee Clark Mitchell
Poet: Garrett Hongo
Fiction Writer: Michael Zadoorian
Spring 2001
Author & Editor: Houston A. Baker, Jr
Poet: Dana Levin
Literary Critic: Pamela Caughie
Fiction Writer: Geoff Schmidt
Fiction Writer: Barbara Bean
Literary Critic: Joy Castro
Fall 2000
Poet: Billy Collins
Poet: Kevin Stein
Essayist: David Sedaris
Spring 2000
Poet: Robin Metz
Fall 1999
Poet: Marianne Boruch
Fiction Writer: Patricia Henley
Spring 1999
Fiction Writer: Kent Haruf
Fiction Writer: Jesse Lee Kercheval
Fiction Writer: Alyce Miller