Please join us on October 23 and 24 as we celebrate student authors and their literary works. Both events are free and open to all.

Student Reading at Stanford Bookstore

Friday, October 23
10:00 am –12:30 pm
Stanford Bookstore, 519 Lasuen Mall, Stanford, CA

Join us at the Stanford Bookstore for a special reading hosted by Stanford Continuing Studies. Students from the Novel Writing Certificate will share 5-minute excerpts from their completed novels. With a cafe inside the bookstore, it's the perfect opportunity to grab a cup of coffee and enjoy some exceptional writing from students who have spent years mastering the craft through Continuing Studies.

Student Reading at San Francisco Lit Crawl
Stanford Continuing Studies Presents: The Date from Hell

Saturday, October 24
8:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Curio Bar, 775 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110

2026 Lit Crawl Schedule >
Continuing Studies Lit Crawl Event Page >

Stanford Continuing Studies will host a reading of its Novel Writing Certificate graduates as part of "Lit Crawl" in San Francisco's vibrant Mission District, at Curio Bar. Lit Crawl is the culmination of San Francisco's Litquake, a festival of books and authors. During Lit Crawl, venues all over the Mission neighborhood open their doors to readings and people meander up and down the streets, enjoying listening to authors share their work while sipping on cocktails. Emceed by Novel Writing Certificate lead instructor Malena Watrous, our Lit Crawl reading has become a beloved annual tradition.

Readers at Lit Crawl:

Kim Aikens
Kim Aikens is a physician, writer, and adventurer whose medical experience and love of the natural world shape stories of resilience, moral courage, and hope.

 

Lauren Benson
As a writer and a data scientist, Lauren Benson tells stories with both words and numbers.

 

Kirk Citron
Kirk Citron is a graduate of the Stanford Online Novel Writing program. His debut novel, COMING OF AGE, is about a man trying to reinvent himself—in his sixties.

 

Jaime Pessin
Jaime Pessin is an award-winning writer of fact and fiction. Her debut children's book is forthcoming from Random House in Fall 2027.

 

Hannah Jay Pierce
Hannah Jay Pierce lives in La Selva Beach, California, where she sings in a bar band called Local Honey and writes fiction, articles, and essays.

 

Jennifer Sargent
Jennifer Sargent writes witty, warm, satirical fiction shaped by her tech background, blended family, and Arizona life, creating characters who try—and fail—to get it right.

 

Julia Taylor
Julia Taylor is a fiction writer and graduate of Stanford's Novel Writing Certificate. She is completing a novel exploring how complex relationships unravel and reshape us.

 

QUESTIONS? For questions regarding the upcoming events, please email continuingstudies@stanford.edu. Thank you!