The Brockport Writers Forum returns this semester, hosting a new lineup of dynamic authors.

Sejal Shah

Author Sejal Shah will come to Brockport on February 11 in the Fannie Barrier Williams Liberal Arts building from 7:30 to 9 p.m.

Shah will present her debut collection of short fiction “How to Make Your Mother Cry”, which weaves together 11 short stories that explore the life experiences of a Gujarati woman navigating the loss of  connection to her own culture and searching for home.

Shah is also known for her essay collection “This Is One Way to Dance”, which earned her a place on the National Public Radio (NPR) Best Books of 2020 list.

Julia Elliott

Award-winning writer Julia Elliott will present her new collection of short stories to the Writers Forum on March 11 in the Fannie Barrier Williams Liberal Arts building from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Elliott’s latest work, “Hellions: Stories”, blends Southern Gothic and horror with fantasy and magical realism to tell several unique stories, from a nun in a plague affected medieval convent toiling over an other-worldly manuscript in an attempt to earn the affection of Christ and a budding sorceress repelling the cruel force of an older, shape-shifting professor.

Alice Elliott Dark

An author of both novels and short stories, Alice Elliott Dark will come to the Fannie Barrier Williams Liberal Arts building on March 25, from 7:30 to 9 p.m.

Dark is the author of short story collections “Naked to the Waist” and “In the Gloaming”, as well as novels “Think of England” and “Fellowship Point”, which was published to critical acclaim in July 2022.

Francis Spufford

English author and Fellow of the Royal Society for Literature Francis Spufford comes to the Writers Forum on April 26 on the Brockport Downtown campus in the Rochester Educational Opportunity Center from 7:30 to 9 p.m.

Spufford is best known for his first novel, “Golden Hill”, published in 2016 to critical acclaim and earning Spufford several prizes and awards.

Albert Abonado

Rounding out this year’s edition of the Writers Forum is Rochester poet and essayist Albert Abonado.

Abonado will come to the Fannie Barrier Williams Liberal Arts building on April 29 from 7:30 to 9 p.m.

Throughout his career, Abonado has released two collections of poetry. In 2020, Abonado first published “JAW” which explores microaggressions in America and examines the navigation of immigration, family and identity through a side by side comparison of American and Filipino cultures.

Abonado also published “Field Guide for Accidents” in 2024, which focuses on the inherent contradiction of the Filipinx-American identity, delving into complex themes such as grief and mortality, largely through the experiences of his parents as immigrants. “Field Guide for Accidents” was selected by the National Poetry Series.

To watch previous episodes of the Writers Forum or read through past interviews, visit here.