Upcoming Speakers
Every year, the Schoenfeldt Distinguished Writers Series is committed to bringing two noteworthy guests to the University of Portland.
2026-2027
Novelist Renée Watson, Thursday, Oct. 29, 7-8pm, Buckley Center Auditorium
Author of over 20 works of fiction that have sold over a million copies, Renée Watson was named a 2026 Visionary by Time in honor of her commitment to helping young people reach their full potential. She has spent her career writing about Black girls and women finding their power, about communities rebuilding after loss, and about the quiet dignity of being seen. Her middle-grade novel All the Blues in the Sky won the Newbery Medal, and Piecing Me Together received a Coretta Scott King Award. Her latest YA novel is Everything New Again. Watson’s debut adult fiction novel skin & bones (2024) was named an Amazon Best Book of the Year. For over twenty years, Watson taught creative writing and theater as a writer-in-residence in schools and community centers across the country. She has given keynotes and readings at the United Nations, the Library of Congress, US embassies, and was among the first authors invited to read at the Obama Presidential Center. Watson splits her time between Portland and New York City.
For questions contact English Professor Lars Erik Larson.
