Vivian S. Delbrook Visiting Writers Series: Emily Wilson

Emily Wilson comes to Shelton Auditorium at Butler University on Tuesday, February 16, 2027, as part of the Vivian S. Delbrook Visiting Writers Series. She's a poet and translator, and a MacArthur Fellow, so the evening will be built around her work in both roles. It's a public reading followed by a Q&A, the same format the series has used for nearly 40 years.

If you're not familiar with the series, it's run by Butler's Department of English in partnership with the Classics Program. It's one of the largest of its kind in the country, bringing in a dozen or so writers every year. The roster of past visitors reads like a who's who of the last few decades: Toni Morrison, Billy Collins, Kurt Vonnegut, Gwendolyn Brooks, Margaret Atwood, Allen Ginsberg, Sharon Olds, Amy Tan, and Colson Whitehead. It's a long-running tradition on campus, and Wilson is the next name on that list.

Beyond the public session, visiting writers work directly with undergraduate and graduate students in Butler's English classes and MFA program. Students may join faculty in a private dinner with each author and formally introduce them at the public reading. So while the reading is open to everyone, there's a whole other layer of student interaction happening behind the scenes.

The reading starts at 7:30 PM. It's free and open to the public, and no ticket is required, so you can just show up. The venue is Shelton Auditorium on the Butler campus in Indianapolis.