The Fall 2014 Reading Series kicked off on Sept. 5 at the Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House with a reading by Brando Skyhorse, author of “The Madonnas of Echo Park,” and NYU alumnus Kseniya Melnik, whose work “Snow in May” was published this summer. The series is organized by the NYU Creative Writing Program in order to expose students to the works of various respected authors, as well as to provide a platform for emerging writers to showcase their work.

At the event, Skyhorse stressed the power of storytelling while reading from his second book, “Take This Man: A Memoir,” published this year. The work recounts Skyhorse’s childhood of being raised Native-American despite his Mexican lineage. His book “The Madonnas of Echo Park” won the PEN/Hemingway award in 2011 as well as the Sue Kaufman Award for First Fiction.

Regretting that he let many opportunities pass him by during his college years at Stanford, Skyhorse urged students to take advantage of the many opportunities NYU and the city have to offer.

“Go out, find out your own stories, record them and distill them in your own voice,” Skyhorse said.

Melnik read the story “Rumba” from her recently published book, featuring a string of short stories linked to her hometown of Magadan, Russia. “Snow in May” was one of Amazon’s Best of the Month  and received a nomination for the Dylan Thomas Prize.

Some of Melnik’s past NYU professors were in the audience of the reading. But speaking to the students she offered her opinion about what it takes to be a writer and other pieces of advice for aspiring authors.

“If you want to be a writer, you should try to be a good literary citizen,” she said.

So far, the series has been well-received by students. Not only did the event provide advice for writers and a model for career success, but it also had an entertainment factor. CAS sophomore Ella Kuzmenko, who attended the event, said she loved the way Skyhorse presented his work.

“It was impossible to miss the element of humor throughout Brando’s reading,” Kuzmenko said.

NYU’s Creative Writing Program has several author readings each month that take place featuring fiction and nonfiction authors, as well as poets. Regardless of majors or schools, these events are engaging for all readers.

 A version of this article appeared in the Monday, Sept. 8 print issue. Email Tejas Sawant at [email protected].