Award-winning author and Department of English faculty member Michael Czyniejewski will read from his newly published work, “The Amnesiac in the Maze,” Thursday, August 31 from 7-8:30 p.m. in Cheek Hall 102 on the Missouri State University campus.

The event, sponsored by the Department of English, is free and open to the public. A reception at Pagination Bookshop will follow.

Published by Braddock Avenue Books, Czyniejewski’s short fiction fantasy collection depicts a range of characters who face dreaded life circumstances and offers an element of surprise the reader can’t help but engage with.

Czyzniejewski was also recently awarded a 2024 Pushcart Prize for his story “Jorie, Jr.,” published in Boulevard Magazine. Founded in 1976, The Pushcart Prize is one of the most honored literary projects in America. Literary magazines and small presses from around the globe nominate works of poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction published during the previous year. From the thousands of nominees, only a small fraction—just over sixty in 2023—receive a Pushcart Prize and are published in the annual volume.

Czyzniejewski also serves as Editor-in-Chief of Moon City Press, a literary press housed within Missouri State’s English department.

For more information about upcoming readings and other events sponsored by the English department, visit the English department website or call 417-836-5107.

News written by Mariah Hunter, edited by Reynolds College Communications Team. Photo credit: Karen Craigo.

Mariah Hunter is a graduate assistant working toward her master’s degree in writing at Missouri State University.