KYLE M. JOHNSON
PRIDE STAFF WRITER

CSUSM’s Community and World Literary Series (CWLS) featured authors Amina Cain and Tisa Bryant (pictured above) reading their works on the night of Oct. 27.

Prior to the CWLS event, Cain and Bryant joined Professor Sandra Doller’s creative writing workshop course for an hour-long private panel.

Doller assigned students Cain’s book “I Go to Some Hollow” and Bryant’s book “Unexplained Presence.”

By taking part in this intimate Q&A panel, the class gained insight into the authors’ experiences regarding such topics as authorial research, the publishing process, small-press publishing and personal experiences in workshop settings.

Shortly after 7 p.m., Dr. Mark Wallace introduced Bryant as a brave risk-taker in her writing— her risks both bold and subtle.

Bryant told the audience how happy she was to be reading. “It’s like a little vacation out of L.A.,” she said. After, she read her short story “Under Cover of Darkness” from her book “Unexplained Presence.”

During her reading of the text, Bryant paused to refer to the intertextuality of the classic film “The Women” mentioned in the story. She acknowledged her vocal reference as a type of intertextuality.

She followed “Under Cover of Darkness” with an excerpt from her manuscript called “The Curator.”

Wallace introduced Cain and her collection of short stories, which touched on issues of sensitivity and loneliness.

First, Cain read her short story “Ugly Things.” She followed with a reading of “Two-Dimensional War” from her book “I Go to Some Hollow.”

After the readings, the authors held a short Q&A. They touched on such topics as networking, personal inspiration and their interests in writing in other mediums, including screenplays.

Bryant and Cain’s readings and presence at the CWLS event defined why these events are held, with Bryant’s insight into her work and Cain’s voice complimenting her text.

“If [students] want to aspire to be published authors, they need to go [to CWLS],” Literature and Writing Studies student Morgan Orr said.

These two featured authors precisely revealed the importance of these events being held at CSUSM: to educate students on the literary community and world with firsthand experiences and interactions with writers.

The next reading series will present Clayton Eshleman on Nov. 17 at CSUSM.

Photo provided by Johnny Roberts