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Thursday Night Reading Series (TNRS)

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UL’s Graduate Student Readings

As one of the English Department’s longest-standing traditions, our Thursday Night Reading Series (TNRS) features weekly readings of original poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, drama, and experimental works from UL graduate students and faculty. With each year’s venue and post-reading activities varied, the weekly event aims at bringing our graduate students’ creative writing into the community.

Here's a video featuring one of our TNRS readings:

 

Community Presentation

Graduate students who take part in TNRS are given the opportunity to showcase their writing to their peers, professors, students, and the general Lafayette public. This opportunity affords readers a space to refine their presentational skills, showcase revisions of work from UL workshops, and detail their writing interests and projects in front of a welcoming audience.

Graduate students also have the opportunity to co-host TNRS, gaining invaluable experience in event organization and execution. By learning how to partner with Lafayette venues, organize reading schedules, maintain communication in and outside of the department, manage social media, host the weekly event, and plan post-reading activities (past activities have included broadside readings, book exchanges, Cajun spelling bees, costume contests, literary trivia, napkin stories, and tablecloth chapbooks), hosting TNRS professionalizes those who have interest in managing their own reading series, artistic exhibitions, and beyond.