(WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.) – Authors Andrea Barrett and Karen Shepard, both of whom teach in the Williams College English Department, will read from their works of fiction on Thursday, September 26, 2013, at 4pm, in Griffin Hall, room 3, on the Williams College campus. Both Shepard and Barrett have published new books this year, and each writer will read from both old and new works. The event is free and open to the public.

Andrea Barrett is a writer of historical fiction. Her work reflects her deep-rooted interest in science, particularly women in science. “Ship Fever” (1996), her collection of novella and short stories, won the National Book Award in 1996. In 2001, Barrett received a MacArthur Fellowship. Barrett’s “Servants of the Map” (2002), a collection of short stories, was a finalist for the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Her fiction book Archangel was published in August.  At Williams, Barrett teaches fiction workshop courses with a particular focus on the art of revision. Barrett received her B.S. from Union College in 1974.

Karen Shepard’s areas of expertise include creative writing, both fiction and creative nonfiction; contemporary American literature; contemporary memoir; and historical fiction. She is the author of three novels, including her latest book “The Celestials” (2013). Shepard’s short fiction and nonfiction have appeared in publications such as the Atlantic Monthly, USA Today, and the Boston Globe. At Williams College, she teaches courses on memoir, fiction, short story and the essay. Shepard received her B.A. from Williams in 1987 and her M.F.A. from the University of Houston in 1992.