Three Chester College Faculty Members to Read Feb. 4

Chester College of New England’s Visiting Writers Series will feature three faculty members in its first reading of the semester.

Christopher Anderson, Byron Petrakis, and Mark Sleiter will read at 6 p.m., in Powers 26 on Wednesday, February 4. Admission is free for students with ID and a suggested $5 donation for all others.

Christopher Anderson is currently Chester College of New England’s Visiting Assistant Professor of Writing and Literature. He received a BA in Professional Writing in 2002 from Chester College and holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Texas State University. He has had stories and poetry published in the Beloit Fiction Journal, Nothing Shocking, and other magazines. Since returning to Chester College, Anderson has taught Intro to Fiction Writing, Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop, Speculative Fiction Writing, Irish Literature, The Beat Generation, and Graphic Novel. He is currently at work on his first novel, as well as a memoir about his life as a musician.

Byron Petrakis taught English for 5 years at the University of Kentucky in Lexington and for 9 years at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte before returning to his native New England in 1982. After a 19-year career in the restaurant business with his wife's family, he returned to teaching at Chester College of New England in 2001. From 2003 to 2007, he served as Dean of the College, and became Dean of Students in 2007. His poems have appeared in Compass Rose and a special edition of The Poetry Society of New Hampshire. He published an essay in Wine Spectator and his scholarly work has appeared in The Philological Quarterly and The Comparatist.

Mark Sleiter currently teaches fiction writing and composition in the Department of Writing and Literature at Chester College of New England and is a writing instructor for the Washington, D.C.-based online education provider, Smarthinking, Inc. He has also taught fiction writing, literature, and composition courses at Daniel Webster College and the University of Oregon. In 2001, he received a BA in Media Studies and English from Macalester College and holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Oregon. His short stories have been published in Uptown Review, Scratch, and other magazines. In addition to his work on the collegiate level, Mark has tutored high school students in Portland, Oregon, assisted on a variety of grassroots political campaigns, and worked at two Twins Cities-based drug treatment facilities. He is currently at work on his first novel.