A father-daughter reading

OCTOBER 10, 2011
by Summer Woods ’14

For the Aarnes family, a talent for writing is apparently genetic.

Professor Bill Aarnes, an English professor, and his daughter, Emma, will be demonstrating that talent Wednesday when they will perform a public reading of their creative works.

The event will take place at 4 p.m., Wednesday in McEachern Lecture Hall and counts for a Cultural Life Program (CLP) credit.

Aarnes, who has a Ph.D from John Hopkins, will be reading from his two published poem collections: “Learning to Dance” (1991) and “Predicaments” (2001).

Emma has an MFA degree in fiction from Columbia and is currently an assistant to the Director of Film and TV at the Tisch School of Arts at New York University.  She has published three short stories and is currently working on a novel titled Fleeing Charley.  She also hopes to start writing screenplays.

While visiting her father this week, Emma will also work with one of English professor Kolawole P. Olaiya’s film writing classes.

Both Aarnes’ poems and Emma’s short stories showcase different ways in which they, as authors, engage with and perceive reality.

When commenting on their writing styles, Aarnes fondly noted that, “I suppose one could say our focus is similar–how do people get along, how do we negotiate living with each others’ imperfections.  She has a wry sense of humor that I hope I share.  We’re both probably overly fond of puns.”

Emma’s short stories, “Thinking of You” and “Push,” are posted online.