Chantell Moore
On Wednesday, September 21st, during common hour in the Hillwood Art Museum, our campus welcomed author Joseph Lunievicz. It was a free event that was open to the public and was sponsored by The C.W. Post Poetry Center, Merit Fellowship and the John P. McGrath Fund of Long Island University. There, Lunievicz read from his debut young adult novel, Open Wounds, as part of the Poetry Center’s fall series.
Lunievicz is no stranger to C.W.Post; he is an alumnus of the C.W.Post Honors Program and the English departmemt. His debut novel is a historical novel and also a boy’s coming of age story about an orphan growing up in New York, where he finds a fencing master to teach him how to survive. Lunievicz said he wrote this book simply for the fact he had to.”When the idea won’t go away, an author has to write it down,,” he said.
Dr. Joan Digby, the director of the Honors program and an English professor, invited Lunievicz back to C.W.Post to read his novel and to talk with the students. “I invited him because he is an alumnus, and since he just published his novel, I thought it was wonderful for him to come here and for students who are prospective writers to come listen,” said Digby.
After the reading, many students were very interested and intrigued by the novel. John Steel, a sophomore with a dual major in English and philosophy said,” It’s inspirational to know that a student from C.W. Post can become an author.”
Kirsten Corwin, a freshman music education major, thought it was good to not only get to hear Lunievicz speak but also bring what he was reading to life. “It was just interesting to hear the author read his novel and get his take on what he wrote about,” said Corwin.
Marisa Lant, a freshman speech language pathology major, was also glad to get a better glimpse into his novel. “I really appreciated hearing it and seeing more into the text. I also liked how he emphasized certain points,” said Lant.
Lunievicz’s reading of his debut novel was also the launching of The Poetry Center’s first ever short fiction contest. To enter, applicants must write a short fiction story, which must not be longer than two typed pages. It is open to both undergraduate and graduate students and involves a cash prize. The winner will have the opportunity to read his or her poetry at the Poetry Awards Night on April 10th.
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