Christine Kitano, assistant professor in the Department of Writing at Ithaca College, has been named the Poet Laureate of Tompkins County.

Student guides continued to play a role in this year's festival, even as the event was held virtually through Zoom.

As well as producing original work, The Cherry Artspace will be hosting other theater companies, performances and events.

Henderson described “The Short Short” as a marathon: The two-hour event kept flowing until all the readers finished sharing their stories.

Eleanor Henderson said the writing department looks for acclaimed authors who will challenge new writers and help them with their own projects.

To conclude this semester’s Distinguished Visiting Writers Series, the Department of Writing will welcome fiction writer Dana Spiotta.

The Distinguished Visiting Writer Workshop is a one-credit course at the college that allows students to attend readings by three distinguished authors: one poet, one nonfiction writer, which will be Kiese Laymon and one fiction writer, which will be Dana Spiotta. Students also get the opportunity to study under and conference individually with one writer in the area of their choosing. For example, students interested in poetry will submit poem samples and conference with Limón. Each author also teaches two 90-minute classes throughout the semester that all students attend regardless of their concentration. Limón is the author of four books of poetry, including “Bright Dead Things,” which was a finalist for the 2015 National Book Award in Poetry, a finalist for the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award and one of the Top Ten Poetry Books of the Year, according to The New York Times. Her work explores issues of identity, relationships and language from both personal and worldly perspectives.

Twelve percent of U.S. private-sector workers have access to paid family leave through their employer, according to the U.S. Department of Labor website. While Ithaca College is part of this 12 percent, some faculty on campus said they wish there were clearer guidelines regarding parental leave.

The film adaptation of Ithaca college faculty member Eleanor Henderson's popular novel will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival Jan. 23.

"Ten Thousand Saints" by Eleanor Henderson, assistant professor of writing, is being turned into a feature film.