Final Thursday Reading Series—Fall 2026

All events take place at the Hearst Center for the Arts. Open mic starts at 7:00 (come a few minutes early to sign up). The featured reader takes the stage at 7:30. Q&A to follow. Books available for sale.

August 27, 2026
Paul Hedeen is the author of the new novel The Killing (Atmosphere Press) and the Final Thursday Press poetry collections Under a Night Sky and When I Think About Rain.

September 24, 2026
Jonna Higgins-Freese is the author of the forthcoming memoir All We Can Do: A Memoir of Parenting and Illness (Bell House Press). She is also a UNI alumna and the author of  Fearless: a Novel of Frances Perkins and Social Security.

October 29, 2026
H.M. Bouwman is the author of several middle-grade novels, including Scattergood (Neal Porter Books/Holiday House), which takes place during WWII in West Branch, Iowa. She teaches literature and creative writing at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota.

November 19, 2026. **one week early due to Thanksgiving
Yasmina Din Madden is the author of the new short story collection You Know Nothing (Northwestern University Press). She teaches creative writing and literature at Drake University.