Since English Professor Lester Goran arrived at the University of Miami in 1960, his teaching and leadership have reverberated far beyond the classroom walls. His former students include professors who teach in the United States and in Europe, literary-journal editors, and New York Times best-selling authors. The 2010-2011 Goran Reading Series provides an opportunity for members of both the UM and greater Miami communities to celebrate Goran’s 50-year teaching legacy through readings, master classes, and workshops with some of his most accomplished students.

The first event in the series will feature UM alumna Michelle Richmond. Richmond is the author of The Girl in the Fall-Away Dress, Dream of the Blue Room, No One You Know, and the New York Times bestseller The Year of Fog. She will present a master class at UM on Friday, September 10 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in the Ashe Building, Room 427, and a reading at 7 p.m. at the CAS gallery on the Coral Gables campus. Books & Books in Coral Gables will host a community workshop on Saturday, September 11 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. All events are free and open to the public.

In addition to teaching more than 20,000 students during his career at UM, Goran has continued to publish novels and short-story collections. He was also instrumental in helping to establish the first creative-writing curriculum at UM in 1965 and the MFA program in 1991.

The Goran Reading Series will also feature UM alumni Paul Perry, Chantel Acevedo, and Terrence Cheng. For more information and dates of future readings and workshops in the series, click here.