About the Contemporary Writers Series

In 1997, the Contemporary Writers Series was inaugurated at Aquinas College through the generous funding of alumni Dr. Tony Foster ('73) and Acclaimed Poet Linda Nemec Foster ('72). The series invites well-known authors to read from their work on campus, for the purpose of inspiring students through Craft Talks, introducing the community to great writing, and learning more about an author and their literary achievements.

 

Contact Contemporary Writers Series

Christina Radisauskas has been the Director of CWS since the summer of 2026. You can email her at radischr@aquinas.edu

 


Picture of AQ Alumnae Linda Nemec Foster (’72) who is the Co-Founder of CWS and a well published poet with  Dr. Shelli Rottschafer, the Director of CWS since Fall 2014. Rottschafer is a Professor of Spanish and teaches Chicanx and Latinx Literature.Picture of AQ Alumnae Linda Nemec Foster ('72) and Dr. Shelli Rottschafer. Photo Credit: Daniel J. Combs Photography

Ms. Nemec Foster is the first Grand Rapids Poet Laureate and served in the position from 2003-2005. She is the author of fourteen collections of poetry and the founder of CWS. To learn more about Linda Nemec Foster, visit her website https://www.lindanemecfoster.com/ 

Dr. Rottschafer was a Professor of Spanish and taught Chicanx and Latinx Literature at Aquinas College. She was Director of CWS between 2014 and 2023.