Penn State’s Department of English will kick off the semester’s first Mary E. Rolling Reading Series reading this month, and one very distinguished guest will headline the event. Celebrated author and Penn State professor Charlotte Holmes will give the reading on Thursday, January 21, at 7:30 p.m. in Foster Auditorium.

The Mary E. Rollings Reading Series has been a consistent event for a few years, and has featured distinguished readers such as Richard Blanco in 2013 and Merrill Gilfillan this past year.

Holmes’ work has been featured in publications such as “The New Yorker” and “The Antioch Review” and was anthologized in several others. Holmes is also the author of two short story collections, including “Gifts and Other Stories,” which was published in 1994. Her second collection, “The Grass Labyrinth,” was recognized by both Narrative Magazine and Publisher’s Weekly. The collection will release in February.

In addition to the extensive list of awards she received for her work in literature, such as the D.H. Lawrence Fellowship in Fiction and two Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowships, Holmes is constantly being recognized for her work in the classroom. Holmes is a professor of Creative Writing and Women’s Studies, and was honored with the George Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching, the College of Liberal Arts Award for Outstanding Teaching By Tenure-Line Faculty, the College of Liberal Arts Outstanding Advising Award, and the Stephanie Pavlouck Shields Award for Mentoring of Women. Holmes also directs the Creative Writing Program in the Department of English.

The reading by Professor Holmes is free and open to the public.