WILKES-BARRE — The Wilkes University English Department, as part of its Allan Hamilton Dickson Spring Writers Series, will host a reading by guest artist Leah Vernon at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 20, in the Kirby Hall Salon.
Vernon, also known as Leah V, is an international plus-size Hijabi model, award-winning author, inclusive content creator, body-positive activist and inclusion consultant. Her content has garnered over four million views combined and her face has been plastered on billboards in Times Square. She’s making waves in both beauty and writing.
She’s a Rothschild Fellow and Movers and Makers Awardee, and was shortlisted for the Alpine Fellowship. Vernon has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including The New York Times and Buzzfeed.
Vernon earned her master of fine arts degree in creative writing from Wilkes University. She tells her story in the memoir Unashamed: Musings of a Fat, Black Muslim and explores futuristic fiction in her dystopian novels The Union and The Dissent.
The Wednesday evening with Leah Vernon includes a reading and book signing. The event is free and open to the public.
Following Vernon’s March reading and signing, Wilkes University will conclude this year’s Allan Hamilton Dickson Spring Writers Series with a reading by Daniel Torday at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10. For more information on the series, visit wilkes.edu/dickson.
Established in 1933, Wilkes University is a private college in Wilkes-Barre that prepares students for lifelong success through a wide range of disciplines and opportunities for undergraduates as well as master’s and terminal degree programs.