October 18, 2019

'Mad Feast' author to offer taste of his writing at SVSU reading

A critically-acclaimed author will read from his work in nonfiction and poetry during a visit next week to Saginaw Valley State University.

Matthew Gavin Frank will visit campus Tuesday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m. in the Emeriti Room — located in SVSU’s Curtiss Hall — to share selections of his work. Admission is free and open to the public.

The Chicago-born author's nonfiction books include “The Mad Feast: An Ecstatic Tour Through America’s Food," an illustrated writing that offers insight on popular food items in each of the nation's 50 states.

Christopher Kimball of The Wall Street Journal reviewed "The Mad Feast" in November 2015: "Mr. Frank is not ‘mad’ as the title might imply, nor is he perversely calculating," Kimball wrote. "He feels his way along his travels and connects one notion to another until he develops a literary skein that vibrates with passion. That, I suppose, is a pretty good definition of writing, the good kind."

Frank's other work includes “Preparing the Ghost: An Essay Concerning the Giant Squid and its First Photographer,” “Pot Farm,” and “Barolo." His work has been showcased by media outlets and magazines including The Chicago Tribune, HuffPost, The Poetry Foundation, North American Review, and Creative Nonfiction.

Frank teaches creative writing in the Master of Fine Arts program at Northern Michigan University, after spending 17 years working in the restaurant industry across the U.S. and internationally. He received his master’s degree in poetry and creative nonfiction from Arizona State University.

For more information about the author, visit his website at https://matthewgfrank.com/.

Frank's appearance is the latest in the Voices in the Valley Reading Series presented by SVSU’s Department of English. The program invites award-winning writers to SVSU, where they provide public readings as well as visit English and creative writing classrooms at the campus.