HPU to Host Local Authors Sáma and Catanzano

AMY CATANZANO

"High Point University will host authors Metta Sáma and Amy Catanzano as the first event of the 2014-15 Phoenix Reading Series & Festival. The event will take place at 7 p.m. on Sept. 4 in the Francis Auditorium of Phillips Hall. The event is free and open to the public; tickets are not required.

Sáma, assistant professor and director of creative writing at Salem College in Winston-Salem, and Catanzano, assistant professor of English and poet-in-residence and director of creative writing at Wake Forest University, will each give readings from their works, followed by a Q&A session, book sale, book signing and light reception.

“Their readings will expose HPU faculty and students, as well as the community at large, to innovative creative writing and thought at the forefront of American letters,” says Dr. Jacob Paul, assistant professor of English, who helped organize the event.

Sáma is the author of “Nocturne Trio” and “South of Here.” Her poems, fiction, creative non-fiction, and book reviews have been published or are forthcoming in “Blackbird,” “Drunken Boat,” “Esque,” “The Owls,” “Pebble Lake Review,” “Reverie” and “Vinyl,” among others. Sáma received her M.F.A. and M.A. from Western Michigan and her Ph.D. from SUNY-Binghamton.

METTA SAMA

Catanzano’s most recent book is the fiction and poetry hybrid “Starlight in Two Million: A Neo-Scientific Novella.” Her second book, “Multiversal,” received the PEN USA Literary Award in Poetry. Catanzano has an M.F.A. from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

The Phoenix Reading Series & Festival brings a diverse array of writers and thinkers to the HPU campus each year. It is sponsored in part by an HPU Cultural Enrichment Grant. This year’s series is produced in conjunction with the HPU Year of the Arts.

At High Point University, every student receives an extraordinary education in an inspiring environment with caring people.℠ HPU, located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, is a liberal arts institution with over 4,200 undergraduate and graduate students. It is ranked No.1 by U.S. News and World Report in three categories: No. 1 Best Regional College in the South; No. 1 Up and Coming School in Regional Colleges in the South; and No. 1 for A Strong Commitment to Undergraduate Teaching in Regional Colleges in the South. HPU was named this year the No. 4 private school in NC for the best return on investment, and it is a 2014-2015 College of Distinction. The university offers 44 undergraduate majors, 43 undergraduate minors and 11 graduate degree programs. It is a member of the NCAA, Division I and the Big South Conference. Visit High Point University on the Web at highpoint.edu."

- A Press Release