The annual Emporia State University Creative Writing Program’s Visiting Writers Series kicks off Friday.
The program will be welcoming filmmaker Derek Sellens, an expert in narrative and documentary storytelling with more than two-decades of experience, to campus. ESU Professor and former Kansas Poet Laureate Kevin Rabas, a guest of KVOE’s ESU Buzz, says Sellens brings a wealth of knowledge with him, having worked with award-winning names in the filmmaking industry.
Sellens’ presentation will take place at 7 pm inside ESU’s Plumb Hall, room 408. Rabas notes Friday’s presentation, and all included in the series, are completely free to attend and open to both the campus and Emporia communities.
Following Sellens will be author Tim Bascom Wednesday, February 25th and filmmakers Patrick Poe and Lolo Loren on March 6th. In addition to these upcoming appearances, Rabas says he is also very excited for an event coming up in April in partnership with Emporia’s House of Morrow, highlighting the local non-profit Diverse Voices creative writing program.
During his interview with KVOE News Thursday, Rabas also touched on the university’s Reichardt Center for Publishing and Literary Arts podcast studio, which opened back in early 2025. The studio is open to both the campus and city community and hosts a regular Visiting Writers’ Series podcast, which just released its 15th episode.
For more information on the Visiting Writers Series, the Visiting Writers Podcast, and the ESU Creative Writing Program, visit Emporia.edu.
