UConn Creative Writing Program presents
Aetna Celebration of Creative Nonfiction featuring Gina Barreca
hosted by Barnes & Noble UConn
“The Aetna Celebration of Creative Nonfiction honors a literary master whose work has shaped the essay canon. It also recognizes the undergraduate and graduate winners of a student essay contest. It’s a festive occasion for the University community to celebrate both an established presence and emerging voices. Past writers include Stephen Kuusisto, Emily Rapp Black, M. T. Anderson, Ginger Strand, and Rigoberto González.” - UConn Creative Writing Program
This year’s featured writer is Gina Barreca, Board of Trustee Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Connecticut.
About Gina:
Gina Barreca has appeared, often as a repeat guest, on 20/20, The Today Show, CNN, the BBC, NPR and, yes, on Oprah to discuss gender, power, politics, and humor. Her earlier books include the bestselling They Used to Call Me Snow White But I Drifted: Women’s Strategic Use of Humor, It’s Not That I’m Bitter, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Visible Panty Lines and Conquered the World, and Babes in Boyland: A Personal History of Coeducation in the Ivy League. Her latest books are part of a series she’s editing on FAST WOMEN for Woodhall Press; these including FAST FUNNY WOMEN: 75 Essays of Flash Nonfiction (2021), FAST FIERCE WOMEN (2022), and FAST FALLEN WOMEN (2023). Of the other seven books she’s written or co-written, several have been translated into to other languages–including Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, Portuguese and German. Called “smart and funny” by People magazine and “Very, very funny. For a woman,” by Dave Barry, Gina was deemed a “feminist humor maven” by Ms. Magazine.
Gina’s work has appeared in most major publications, including The New York Times, The Independent of London, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Cosmopolitan, and The Harvard Business Review; her blog for Psychology Today has well over 7.5 million views. Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Connecticut, Gina’s also the winner of UConn’s highest award for excellence in teaching.
“Barreca’s prose, in equal measures, is hilarious and humane.”
This event is free and open to the public.
PARKING is available in the Downtown Storrs Parking Garage, which is free for your first two hours and just $1/hour thereafter. The garage is about a 2-minute walk from Barnes & Noble UConn.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT.
Enjoy dinner in Downtown Storrs before the event or grab a coffee or a cocktail afterwards and keep the conversation going. There are over twenty eateries located within a 7-minute walk of Barnes & Noble UConn. See what’s cooking here.
Pictured: Dog Lane Café