First Wellspring Literary Series event scheduled for Sept. 19

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Art Reach of Mid Michigan will host a lively literary community Sept. 19 when the Wellspring Literary Series returns for the third year.

“This series is a celebration of Michigan poets and writers,” said Robert Fanning, assistant professor of English language and literature.

The series opens at 7 p.m. at the 111 E. Broadway St. location and features Francine J. Harris of Detroit, Lake Orion senior Joe Hertler and graduate student Ben Lambright.

The series, created by Fanning, is a partnership between Central Michigan University’s English department and Art Reach of Mid Michigan. It provides a forum for work-in-progress CMU graduate writing students, faculty writers and emerging regional writers to share their writing with the community.

Fanning said the series provides a connection between CMU’s campus and downtown.

Hertler is kicking off the event with his music for the second year in a row.

Jeffrey Bean, assistant professor of English language and literature, said the series is a crossover between the arts that cannot be found in a poetry class.

“I feel so invigorated when I leave there,” Bean said. “It inspires me and makes me want to write.”

Fanning said his students are often pleasantly surprised after attending, and the guest artists have likewise been impressed with the talent of student participants.

“This series is just one piece of the abundantly thriving creative writing community at CMU,” Fanning said.

Harris recently appeared in the journals Rattle, Callaloo and Michigan Quarterly Review and is the author of the recent chapbook “Between Old Trees.” A Cave Canem fellow, she has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, was a Hopwood Award winner and is entering a Zell Postgraduate Fellowship year at the University of Michigan. “Allegiance”, her first collection, is set to be published in spring 2012.

Other Wellspring dates this fall will include: Bill Olsen and Nancy Eimers on Oct. 10 and Traci Brimhall on Nov. 21. There will be six events total in the series this year.