The Smith Creative Writers Reading Series at Penn State Behrend continues Thursday, Oct. 15, with a reading by Molly McNett, who won a John Simmons Prize for her story collection “One Dog Happy.”

The reading, which begins at 6 p.m. in the lobby of the Metzgar Center, is free and open to the public. A reception with McNett will begin at 5:30 p.m.

McNett teaches fiction writing and ESL composition at Northern Illinois University. Her writing has appeared in “The Best American Short Stories,” “Best American Nonrequired Reading,” and “The Pushcart Prize Anthology.” The New Statesman named her debut novel, “Child of These Tears,” one of the best books of 2025.

The Smith Creative Writers Reading Series is produced by Penn State Behrend’s creative writing program, which leads to a bachelor of fine arts degree. The program is the only one of its kind at Penn State.

To learn more about the series, visit the Reading Series webpage, or call 814-898-6108.