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QCC Professor and Writer Joins PEN New England, Part of Worldwide Organization of Writing Professionals

Contact: Cherie Ronayne
Office of Institutional Communications
508.854.2849
cronayne [at] qcc.mass.edu

Release Date: 
3/13/2007

WORCESTER, Mass. –  Quinsigamond Community College Professor Trent Masiki was recently honored at a PEN New England event, a branch of the only worldwide organization of writing professionals.

Masiki was introduced at PEN New England’s annual Discovery Evening last week.  He was one of only four new writers introduced at the annual ceremony, which celebrates new writers and their published work.

Professor Masiki's fiction has been published in the literary journals Callaloo, Obsidian II, Xavier Review, and Reform Judaism Magazine.  In 2003, he received an honorable mention award in Best American Short Stories.  Masiki had an essay published in the anthology These Hands I Know: African American Writers on Family and has written numerous profiles and interviews for Poets and Writers Magazine.

At Quinsigamond, Masiki organizes three annual poetry readings:  “Worcester’s Women Poets,” “The Worcester Poetry Showcase,” and “Local Harvest: A Worcester Poet's Open Mic.”

PEN New England is one of five regional branches of PEN American Center, which in turn is part of International PEN, an association founded in 1921 that is the only worldwide organization of writing professionals.  PEN New England seeks to advance the cause of literature and reading in the New England region.

Quinsigamond Community College is the most affordable higher education in Worcester County. As a regional leader in education and workforce development, QCC serves the diverse educational needs of Central Massachusetts by providing affordable, accessible, and high quality programming leading to transfer, career, and lifelong learning.