The Juniper Summer Writing Institute will hold its 2026 Reading Series June 21-26, with readings beginning at 7:30 p.m., followed by a Q&A.

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The Juniper Summer Writing Institute, in association with the University of Massachusetts Amherst MFA for Poets and Writers, brings together writers of all levels to work closely with renowned poets and writers. Workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction are the heart of the program that includes craft sessions and manuscript consultation with guest writers.

The summer Reading Series is accessible and open to the public. There is no cost for admission, but attendees are invited to make a donation to the institute’s scholarship fund. Books by the readers will be for sale through Amherst Books, and the readers will be available to sign their work after the event.

The readings Sunday through Thursday will be held at the Great Hall in Old Chapel and Friday’s reading will be held at the Orchard Hill Pavilion. There is no reading scheduled for Wednesday, June 24. In the event of inclement weather, Friday’s reading will also be held in Old Chapel’s  Great Hall.

More information and complete biographies of the authors scheduled to read during the series can be found on the Juniper Institute website.

Schedule of Readings

• Sunday, June 21 - Leila Chatti, Dantiel W. Moniz and Khadijah Queen
• Monday, June 22 - Noy Holland and Ocean Vuong
• Tuesday, June 23 - Sarah Aziza, Madeline ffitch, and Patrycja Humienik
• Thursday, June 25 - Dur e Aziz Amna, Desiree C. Bailey, and Yasmin Zaher
• Friday, June 26 - Aria Aber, Eula Biss, and Craig Santos Perez

The Juniper Summer Writing Institute is supported, in part, by the University of Massachusetts Amherst Department of English, College of Humanities and Fine Arts, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Amherst Books, the Charles Hayden Foundation, the J.E. and Marjorie B. Pittman Foundation, Fiction Collective Two, institutional partners who support their students to attend the conference and individual contributors.