MFA Reading Series: Lydia Conklin

The MFA Reading Series presents Lydia Conklin, author of the debut story collection, “Rainbow Rainbow,” “a groundbreaking collection of short fiction depicting queer life with remarkable depth and complexity” (Center for Literary Publishing). Heralded as a “writer to watch” by Kirkus Reviews, Conklin “is adept at communicating complexity and writes in a plainspoken style that does not invite sensationalizing. In each story, a rainbow appears. We might read this as a motif underscoring the full range of human sexualities and genders—and, if it’s not too corny, we might see it as a symbol of hope” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).

Conklin will give a reading on Friday, November 10 at 7:30 PM in The Hemingway Center, followed by a book signing. Free and open to the public, the MFA Reading Series brings renowned writers to the Boise State campus each year.

Lydia Conklin received a Stegner Fellowship, four Pushcart Prizes, a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writer’s Award, a Creative Writing Fulbright in Poland, a grant from the Elizabeth George Foundation, work-study and tuition scholarships from Bread Loaf, and fellowships from MacDowell, Yaddo, Emory University, Hedgebrook, Djerassi, the James Merrill House, Lighthouse Works, and elsewhere. Their fiction appears in The Paris Review, One Story, McSweeney’s, American Short Fiction, and VQR. They draw cartoons for The New Yorker and Narrative Magazine, and graphic fiction for The Believer, Lenny Letter, and the Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago. They served as the Helen Zell Visiting Professor at the University of Michigan and currently work as an Assistant Professor of Fiction at Vanderbilt University. Longlisted for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Award and The Story Prize, their story debut collection, “Rainbow Rainbow,” published in 2022. Their novel, “Songs of No Provenance,” will appear in 2025.

You can view all upcoming Creative Writing MFA readings on the events page here.