Writer David James Poissant will read from his work at the upcoming Words To Say It Visiting Writers Series on Thursday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m. in the James Johnson Auditorium at Coastal Carolina University. The reading is free and open to the public, and a reception and book signing will follow.

Poissant will read from his debut short story collection, "The Heaven of Animals." He has been awarded the Matt Clark Prize, the George Garrett Fiction Award, the Rope Walk Fiction Chapbook Prize and the Alice White Reeves Memorial Award from the National Society of Arts and Letters. His stories and essays have appeared in The Atlantic, The Chicago Tribune, Glimmer Magazine, Playboy and other publications.

Possiant earned a Ph.D. in English and comparative literature from the University of Cincinnati in 2011. He teaches graduate-level writing at the University of Central Florida. He lives in Orlando with his wife and daughters and is working on his novel, "Class, Order Family."

The Johnson Auditorium is located in Room 116 of the E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration at 119 Chanticleer Drive E., Conway. For more information, contact Cara Blue Adams, coordinator of the series, at 843-349-2532 or cadams@coastal.edu.