Nebraska Wesleyan University has announced its spring Visiting Writers Series, which will feature three nationally-recognized writers.

Hannah Tinti, co-founder and editor-in-chief of One Story magazine, will kick off the writers series on Wednesday, April 7. Tinti recently won the 2009 PEN/Nora Magid Award for her editorial work in One Story. Her collection of short stories titled, Animal Crackers was a runner-up for the PEN/Hemingway award and has been sold in 16 countries. Tinti has been a recipient of the American Library Association’s Alex Award, won the John Sargent Sr. First Novel Prize, and been recognized as the author of a New York Times Notable Book of the Year for her first novel, The Good Thief. Tinti’s reading and discussion will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Callen Conference Center, located on the lower level of the Smith-Curtis Administration Building, located one block east of 50th Street & St. Paul Ave.

On Tuesday, April 13, poet Arthur Smith, an English professor at the University of Tennessee will give a reading. He has been awarded the Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize and the Norma Farber First Book Award for his book of poetry titled, Elegy on Independence Day. His poems have appeared in numerous journals including The Nation and The New Yorker. Smith is the recipient of a “Discovery”/The Nation Award, a National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship, and two Pushcart Prizes for his poetry. His reading will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Callen Conference Center.

All Visiting Writers Series events are free and open to the public.

Poet Meg Kearney, who was originally scheduled to give a reading on March 25 cancelled her event due to a family death. Her reading will be rescheduled for later this semester or next fall. Details will be forthcoming.