The Juniper Reading and Conversation Series is held during the week of the Juniper Summer Writing Institute and features readings by our workshop faculty and visiting poets and writers. Institute participants’ tuition costs include access to this reading series, which is funded in part by support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and UMass Campus Climate Improvement Grant. These readings are open to the public, though public seating is limited. We suggest a sliding-scale donation of $5 to $20 from members of the public attending the reading series. You can donate to our scholarship fund online through this secure link.
This series offers…
- Free and open programming to both the UMass community and the broader public, reducing barriers to participation in high-quality literary events that may be otherwise limited by cost or institutional affiliation.
- A wide range of literary voices, lived experiences, and artistic perspectives in shared campus spaces.
- A graduate student moderator program for the MFA Program for Poets and Writers, creating opportunities for UMass graduate students to participate in shaping public intellectual discourse.
Panel conversations with visiting poets and writers take place on two afternoons during the week from 3:30-4:30pm in the UMass Old Chapel. Readings by workshop faculty and visiting poets and writers take place in evenings throughout the Institute week at 7:30pm in the UMass Old Chapel. Faculty readings are followed by a Q&A. More details will be provided in Spring 2027.
