Netting a national award for his first major work, an alumnus of the MFA Writing Program at UNCG will read at his alma mater to celebrate the novel.

Steve Cushman will read at 8 p.m. Jan. 20 at the UNCG Faculty Center on College Avenue. The event is free and open to the public and celebrates the release of his debut and award-winning novel, “Portisville.” The reading will be followed by a reception and book signing.

“Portisville” – a dark, taut, Southern gothic tale of a man returning to his hometown in Florida to confront his mother’s murder and his father’s slow death from cancer – received the 2004 Novello Literary Award for new and emerging writers. Cushman’s writing has appeared in several anthologies, journals and newspapers, including “100% Pure Fiction,” “The North American Review” and The Raleigh News & Observer.

He lives in Greensboro with his wife and son and works in the radiology department of Moses Cone Hospital.

For more information on this or other readings, contact the UNCG MFA Writing Program at (336) 334-5459 or visit the program's web site.