Meet the Writers: José Olivarez Reading + Q&A

A poetry reading and discussion with José Olivarez on February 17, 2020 at Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York.

José Olivarez is the son of Mexican immigrants. His debut book of poems, Citizen Illegal, was a finalist for the PEN/ Jean Stein Award and a winner of the 2018 Chicago Review of Books Poetry Prize. It was named a top book of 2018 by The Adroit Journal, NPR, and the New York Public Library. Along with Felicia Chavez and Willie Perdomo, he is co-editing the forthcoming anthology, The BreakBeat Poets Vol. 4: LatiNEXT. He is the co-host of the poetry podcast, The Poetry Gods. In 2018, he was awarded the first annual Author and Artist in Justice Award from the Phillips Brooks House Association and named a Debut Poet of 2018 by Poets & Writers. In 2019, he was awarded a Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship from the Poetry Foundation. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Paris Review, and elsewhere.

José is an experienced teaching artist. He has taught poetry workshops, developed writing courses, and performed for a variety of community organizations, high schools, book fairs, and universities all over the country including Catapult, The Randolph College MFA Program, Poetry Society of America, Between The Lines Writing Program at Iowa University, the Adirondack Center for Writing, Lincoln Center, The Metropolitan Museum of New York, The National Museum of Mexican Art, Arizona State University, University of Iowa, Young Chicago Authors, San Antonio Book Festival, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Colorado College, and Western Washington University among many others. His speaking agency is Costura Creative, a Latinx owned & operated talent agency representing contemporary poets & writers for speaking engagements, readings, workshops, multi-disciplinary collaborations & more.

About Manhattanville's MFA Program:

Manhattanville’s 36-credit Master of Fine Arts in creative writing program is open to graduates of accredited colleges and universities who demonstrate a strong potential in writing and critical thinking.

Students are admitted to the program primarily on the strength of the writing they submit as part of the application process. Writing will be judged according to its literary merit and its indication of the applicant’s readiness to study writing and literature at the graduate level.

Classes are scheduled flexibly, including evening and some weekend courses, in order to meet the needs of a diverse population of students. The program can be completed in two years, though students may work at their own pace, beginning in either the fall or spring semester — or with Summer Writers’ Week, a comprehensive week-long program that consists of writing workshops in the mornings and special events in the afternoons. Writers’ Week is offered annually at the end of June.

Whether you want to earn an MFA or simply attend public readings, open mic nights, or other special events, Manhattanville welcomes writers and aspiring writers to join its dynamic literary community. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, too!

About Manhattanville College:

Manhattanville College is a private liberal arts college offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in Purchase, New York. Founded in 1841 at 412 Houston Street in lower Manhattan, it was known initially as "Academy of the Sacred Heart", then later as "Manhattanville College" after 1847. In 1917, the academy received a charter from the Regents of the State of New York to raise the school officially to a collegiate level granting degrees as the "College of the Sacred Heart". The school moved to its current location further north, in a suburb beyond New York City in Purchase, New York, in 1952. It is near the hamlet of Harrison in Westchester County.