CANTON -- The SUNY Canton Virtual Living Writers Series will kick off this fall with a returning guest author whose recent thought-provoking memoir has received positive reviews from The New York Times, NPR, Time.com, OprahMag.com and Buzzfeed.

Melissa Febos will discuss her national bestseller, "Girlhood," at 6:30 p.m. (EST) Wednesday, Sept. 29, via Zoom, followed by a question-and-answer session. The book, released in March, blends investigative reporting, memoir and scholarship, according to the publisher. Febos examines the narratives women are told about what it means to be female and what it takes to free oneself from them.

She has appeared on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," WNYC's "All of It With Alison Stewart," and NPR's "Fresh Air." Her writing has earned several awards, including the Jeanne Cordova Nonfiction Award from LAMBDA Literary.

Febos previously visited the college in 2013 to talk about her first memoir, "Whip Smart." She is an associate professor at the University of Iowa, where she teaches in the nonfiction writing program.

"Since Melissa's last visit, her career has skyrocketed," said SUNY Canton Associate Professor and Director of the Living Writers Series Phil K. LaMarche, who is a recipient of the 2021 SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching. "We are looking forward to a conversation discussing her latest book and more."

The event is free and open to the public. Participants can find the meeting ID and passcode information at www.canton.edu/writers/.

The Virtual Living Writers Series continues Wednesday, Nov. 17, at 6:30 p.m. with poet Joy Priest, whose debut collection, "Horsepower," won the Donald Hall Prize for Poetry.