Thursday, April 26, 2012

First Friday Reading Series Presents Free Fiction Reading


The First Friday Reading Series returns on Friday, May 4th, with a free fiction reading by two McNeese MFA candidates at 7 p.m. at the Porch Coffee House & CafĂ© in Lake Charles. The monthly reading series is sponsored by the Arts & Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana and acts as a way to encourage local poets and writers to further take part in the area’s booming literary scene.

Allie Mariano and Kelly Chase are both second year graduate students studying fiction in McNeese’s Masters of Fine Arts program in creative writing which recently was ranked as the 40th best MFA program in the nation by Poets & Writers. Chase, originally from Poughkeepsie, NY, attended college in Oneonta, NY, and spent time working through AmeriCorps in St. Louis before pursing her studies at McNeese. Mariano is a native of Memphis, TN, and earned degrees in English and French at the University of Memphis before teaching in Angers, France.

The Porch is located at 4710 Common Street in Lake Charles, and live music follows each reading. For more information about the reading series, contact the Arts Council at (337) 439-2787 or visit www.artsandhumanitiesswla.org.