FARMINGTON — Essayist, journalist and storyteller Onnesha Roychoudhuri will open the University of Maine at Farmington’s spring 2026 Visiting Writers Series with a public reading at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, in The Landing at the UMF Olsen Student Center.

The event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by UMF’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program.

Roychoudhuri is the author of “The Marginalized Majority: Claiming Our Power in a Post-Truth America,” which was named a Kirkus Best Book of the Year in 2018 and praised by outlets including The San Francisco Book Review, The Rumpus and Book Riot. Kirkus Reviews described the book as “a stirring defense of ‘identity politics’ and the need to reclaim narratives as well as a powerful account of the transformation of a journalist into an activist … with literary flair and a conversational, common-sense approach that seems far more heartfelt than dogmatic.”

Her writing has appeared in Rolling Stone, Kenyon Review, n+1 and The Boston Review. She teaches creative nonfiction at Colby College and regularly leads writing and storytelling workshops for organizations across the country, including The Moth and the Reproductive Health Access Project.

Amy Neswald, associate professor of creative writing at UMF, said Roychoudhuri’s experience and commitment to storytelling make her an ideal choice to open the semester series.

“Roychoudhuri is an amazing storyteller with a wide breadth of experience,” Neswald said. “Her work spans from telling personal stories to journalism to essays and criticism.”

Neswald said Roychoudhuri’s approach to writing and teaching aligns with the program’s goal of helping students develop their own voices.

“Her voice and her deep desire to help others find their voices makes her the perfect first reader for our Spring semester series,” Neswald said. “It’s my hope that with Onnesha, the season will usher in fresh, encouraging, honest, and, thoughtful discourse.”

In addition to the public reading, Roychoudhuri will meet with students in the Writers Guild student club for an informal discussion prior to the event.

Neswald said visiting writers play an important role in students’ academic and professional development.

“It is my belief that bringing writers into our community from other areas of the United States (and beyond) is a very important aspect of the Creative Writing BFA program and to the university at large,” Neswald said. “Meeting writers at different stages of their careers is very important for students.”

She said the Visiting Writers Series exposes students to diverse experiences and perspectives within the writing profession.

“These writers offer different views of what writing means and where it can take you,” Neswald said. “We bring these writers into not only share their work, but show the many ways writing and telling stories can inspire others and change the world.”

Students often find the readings valuable as they consider their own futures, she said.

“Not only that, students often find the readings enlightening as they imagine their own individual paths to success,” Neswald said.

Neswald described Roychoudhuri’s style as both direct and inspiring.

“Roychoudhuri is honest. She’s direct. Her work is probing, yet kind,” Neswald said. “She embodies the thoughtful and sincere charisma needed to inspire people to not only find their own unique voices, but also to find the power to raise the voices of others.”

She said she expects Roychoudhuri’s reading to prompt reflection among attendees.

“Having spoken just a bit with Roychoudhuri about her reading, I’m expecting that she will make the audience think about themselves in the world and how they might to contribute to building a more equitable world,” Neswald said.

The Visiting Writers Series regularly brings authors to campus to share their work and engage with students and the broader community.