The Distinguished Writers Series is one of the signal components of the Hunter Creative Writing Program. We have a rich history and continuing tradition of presenting intimate readings and class visits to our MFA seminars from the leading voices in contemporary fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction.

Ayana Mathis's first novel, The Twelve Tribes of Hattie (Knopf, 2012), was a New York Times Bestseller, second selection for Oprah's Book Club 2.0, a 2013 New York Times Notable Book, NPR Best Book of 2013, and was long listed for the Dublin Literary Award and nominated for Hurston/Wright Foundation's Legacy Award. Mathis's nonfiction has been published in the The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Financial Times, Rolling Stone, Guernica, and Glamour. Her work has been supported by the New York Public Library's Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers, the Civitella Ranieri Foundation, and the Bogliasco Foundation. She was a 2020-2021 American Academy in Berlin Prize Fellow. Mathis received her MFA at the Iowa Writers' Workshop and went on to become the first African-American woman to serve as an assistant professor in that program. She currently teaches at Hunter's MFA Program.

No RSVP required. ID needed to enter campus. Free and open to the public.