Founded in 2001 and curated by the faculty of the UA Creative Writing Program, the UA Distinguished Visitors in Creative Writing Series brings writers of distinction to the UA campus. Presented in cooperation with the University of Arizona Poetry Center, the Series has brought such writers as David Foster Wallace, Francine Prose, Isabelle Allende, Marilynne Robinson, Denis Johnson, Cristina García, George Saunders, and Cherríe Moraga to share their work.
Archived readings of most DVS readings can be accessed via the University of Arizona Poetry Center's VOCA archive.
2025-2026 Season
Thomas Dai and Joshua Riedel / September 25, 2025
Fernando Flores and Rodrigo Restrepo Montoya / February 12, 2026
There are no upcoming events listed.
Series History
Brenda Lozano / August 29, 2024
Natasha Wimmer / May 1, 2025
- Margo Steins, Gabriel Palacios, Maddie Norris, and Gabriel Dozal / May 2024
- Dionne Irving / August 31, 2023
- Brian Evenson | February 2, 2023
- Oscar Hokeah | April 6, 2023
- Jennifer Elise Foerster & Michael Wasson | April 27, 2023
- Billy-Ray Belcourt/October 8, 2020
- Bethany Maile, Claire Meuschke, Sarah Minor, Jamie Poissant, Mark Polanzak, John Washington/October 22, 2020
- Danielle Evans/November 12, 2020
- Susan Briante and Ander Monson/September 10, 2020
- Philip Metres/September 24, 2020
- Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum/February 4, 2021
- Kathryn Nuernberger and Paisley Rekdal/February 18, 2021
- T Clutch Fleischmann and Andrea Lawlor /October 10, 2019
- Liz Bernays, Noam Dorr, and Nina Boutsikaris/November 8, 2019
- Aimee Bender/November 12, 2019
- Ivelisse Rodriguez and Fenton Johnson/April 2, 2020
Venita Blackburn/September 13, 2018
James Allen Hall/November 8, 2018
Nicole Walker/January 24, 2019
Cherríe Moraga/April 11, 2019
- Joy Williams / September 14, 2017
- Rubén Martínez / November 9, 2017
- Kristen Radtke and Charles Yu / January 25, 2018
- Lydia Millet and Jenny Offill / March 30, 2017, 7pm
- Elena Passarello and David Shields / April 13, 2017, 7pm
- Francisco Cantú, Sylvia Chan, and Thomas Mira y Lopez/April 19, 2018
- Julie Iromuanya and Karen Brennan / September 8, 2016
- Lawrence Lenhart, Benjamin Rybeck, and Natasha Stagg / October 20, 2016
- Phillip Lopate / November 5, 2015
- Erik Reece / November 17, 2015
- James Hannaham / March 3, 2016
- Brian Blanchfield , Fenton Johnson / April 28, 2016
- Benjamin Alire Sáenz / October 16, 2014
- Willy Vlautin / January 29, 2015
- Elizabeth Evans / March 26, 2015
- C. E. Poverman and Matt Mendez / September 19, 2013
- Lia Purpura / October 3, 2013
- Maggie Nelson / October 10, 2013
- Jenny Boully / October 24, 2013
- Thalia Field / November 10, 2013
- Aisha Sabatini Sloan and Arianne Zwartjes / February 10, 2014
- D.T. Max / February 19, 2014
- Lucy Corin and Susan Steinberg / March 6, 2014
- Brent Hendricks and Nicole Walker / April 22, 2013
- Alan Heathcock / April 04, 2013
- Joan Silber / October 27, 2011
- Timothy Schaffert / November 10, 2011
- Daniyal Mueenuddin / February 24, 2012
- John Price / March 19, 2012
- Monica Drake / March 29, 2012
- Rick Moody / September 23, 2010
- The Contemporary Fairy Tale (with Kate Bernheimer, Joy Williams, Lydia Millet, and Kathryn Davis) / December 1, 2010
- The Art of Editing (with Willing Davidson) / March 10, 2011
- Robert Boswell and Antonya Nelson / October 1, 2009
- John D’Agata / February 22, 2010
- Contemporary Mexican Fiction ( with Alvaro Uribe, Vivian Abershushan, and Cristina Rivera-Garza) / March 11, 2010
- Marilynne Robinson / September 19, 2008
- Gary Nabhan / March 5, 2009
- Denis Johnson / April 9, 2009
- Tribute to David Foster Wallace (with Charles Bock, Marshall Boswell, Greg Carlisle, Ken Kalfus, Glenn Kenny, and Bonnie Nadell) / May 1, 2009
- Lydia Davis / October 16, 2007
- Judy Blunt / October 25, 2007
- Peter Turchi / February 19, 2008
- Junot Díaz / March 24, 2008
- Rubén Martinez / August 31, 2005
- Nina Marie Martínez / October 5, 2005
- Frederic Tuten / February 16, 2006
- Patricia Hampl March 1, 2006
- George Saunders / March 29, 2006
- Cristina García / September 29, 2004
- Rebecca Solnit / October 6, 2004
- Francine Prose / January 19, 2005
- Kathleen Alcalá / April 20, 2005
- Helena María Viramontes / September 4, 2003
- Alfredo Véa / November 12, 2003
- Michelle Serros / January 21, 2004
- Pam Houston / March 3, 2004
- Ann Cummins / April 21, 2004
- Richard Russo / October 23, 2002
- Bharati Mukherjee and Clark Blaise / February 26, 2003
- Denise Chávez and Loida Maritza Pérez / September 12, 2001
- David Foster Wallace and Peter Rock / April 3, 2002
- Lois-Ann Yamanaka / February 9, 2001