Lion Rock series begins October 6 with Professor Maya Jewell Zeller

The Lion Rock Visiting Writers Series at Central Washington University will kick off its five-author, year-long series on October 6-7 with multi-genre author and CWU creative writing Professor Maya Jewell Zeller.

The two-day engagement will feature two in-person-only events and one virtual event, all of which are free and open to the public. Free brown bag lunches will be provided at the craft talk, and five of the author’s books will be given away to students at each in-person event. 

On Tuesday, October 6, from 12-1 p.m., Lion Rock will host Jewell Zeller’s craft/process talk, “The Mysteries of Mycelium and Book Making,” followed by a Q&A, and a book signing in the Brooks Library attic space.

Jewell Zeller will trace her journey of moving from poetry and ekphrastic collaboration to writing a general interest science book, based on her experience of making The Wonder of Mushrooms (AdventureKEEN Publications), winner of the Museum Store Buyers Choice Award, and a Midwest Book award, among others.

In addition to the book’s lyrical, metaphorical writing and references to poets Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, and Sylvia Plath, Foreword Reviews highlights its researched content on “the practical uses of fungi as food, dyes, or pharmaceuticals, and in potential technologies like sequestering pollution and breaking down microplastics.” 

At 5:30 p.m. on October 6, in the North Academic Commons atrium, Jewell Zeller will deliver a reading from Raised By Ferns (Porphyry Press), her memoir in essays on wildness, education, parenting. The book also explores “intersectional issues affecting those living working and middle-class realities in a fractured, climate-grief America.” The evening presentation will also be followed by a Q&A and book signing.

Then on Wednesday, October 7, from 2-3 p.m., Jewell Zeller will present a Zoom-only talk on Multigenre Paths to Publishing, open to all, including her experiences with various genres and approaches. Those interested in attending are asked to preregister online.  

Jewell Zeller’s signature works include the memoir-in-essays Raised by Ferns; an illustrated nonfiction book, The Wonder of Mushrooms; several poetry collections (including outtakes/ glove box, winner of the 2022 New American Poetry Prize; and an advanced poetry craft guide.

Raised by Ferns, released in March, has been featured on various NPR affiliates, and was recently chosen as the 2027 One Book, One County pick by the Kittitas County Regional Library Board. Kirkus Reviews describes the memoir as “A lyrical and heart-wrenching exploration of the fragility of privilege and the social systems that protect it,” and The North American Review explains that the book employs “close, imaginative examination and fine-tuned language” to “take on topics of class, academia and poverty in America.”  

Recipient of fellowships from University of Oxford, Washington State Artist Trust, The Sustainable Arts Foundation, and the HJ Andrews Experimental Research Forest, Jewell Zeller is currently Coordinator of the Professional and Creative Writing Programs at CWU and has been recognized as University Distinguished Faculty of Scholarship and Artistic Accomplishment.

The annual Lion Rock Visiting Writers Series at CWU features nationally known writers, both in-person and virtually. The series has hosted winners of the MacArthur Genius Award, Washington State Poets Laureate, and recipients of Guggenheim, Lannan, and NEA Fellowships.  

To learn more about the series or the individual guests, email Professor Candace Walsh at candace.walsh@cwu.edu.