2026 Lynne Burris Butler Visiting Artist Events with Florence Poet Laureate Shannon Milliman

The UNA Writers’ Series invites the community to attend the fall 2026 Lynne Burris Butler Visiting Artist events.

Shannon Milliman, the 2026 Lynne Burris Butler Visiting Artist, will give a reading and workshop on Wednesday, October 14. Her bio is below:

Shannon Milliman is the inaugural Poet Laureate of Florence, Alabama. A poet, playwright, essayist, performer, and storyteller, her work explores the merging of family, faith, identity, and place. She is the author of What If God Is? What If I Am?, published by 7 Points Press, and creator of the nationally toured one-woman show Not So Supernova, a humorous and jagged edge exploration of motherhood and human imperfection. Most recently, she appeared as Karen Weston in August: Osage County at Cypress Moon Studios in Sheffield. Raised in Alaska, shaped by the Pacific Northwest, and now rooted in the Shoals, Milliman blends theatricality, vulnerability, and humor to create memorable experiences on both the page and the stage. By day, she works in training and workforce development, where she champions lifelong learning and believes creative expression is not reserved for artists alone but is essential work for us all.

The generative workshop will be in Cramer 307 at 11am on October 14. Interested students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend. For anyone who would like to attend, please contact Jason McCall (jmccall2@una.edu)

The reading will be in the Wesleyan Auditorium at noon on October 14. There will also be time for questions and book signings after the reading.

.