Award-winning fiction writer Kat Gonso will spend the next two years leading workshops and mentoring writers at the Milton Public Library as its new Dr. Herb Voigt Writer-in-Residence.

Residents can meet Gonso at a public welcome event Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m. at the library, 476 Canton Ave. The library described the evening as a chance to learn about the programs Gonso will offer during her 2026-2028 residency, according to the library's Writer-in-Residence page. The Milton Scene first reported the event.

Gonso is a Milton resident and self-described "proud Glover mom." She teaches as a professor of the practice in English at Boston College, where she works with first-generation college students, and as affiliated faculty in Emerson College's graduate creative writing program. In 2024, she received the Outstanding Teaching Award from Northeastern University's College of Social Sciences and Humanities, where she previously directed the First-Year Writing program and the Writing Center.

Her short fiction has won several awards, including The Southeast Review's World's Best Short-Short Story Contest, and earned a spot on the Wigleaf Top 50 list of best very short fiction. Her story "Love Spell" was nominated for the 2026 Best Microfiction Series, according to her website.

The residency program honors Dr. Herbert Voigt, who served on the Library Board of Trustees from 2012 until his death in 2018. Voigt also served as a director of the Milton Library Foundation. The program asks each writer-in-residence to create an original piece of work, lead public programming and offer guidance to aspiring local writers during a one- or two-year term.

Gonso follows Kim McLarin, who held the position in 2025-2026. Past writers-in-residence also include Calvin Hennick, Hallie Ephron and Joan F. Smith, the program's first appointee.

Two workshops are already on the calendar. "Keep it Brief! Writing the Very Short Story" meets Monday, Nov. 16, at 6:30 p.m. The session covers flash fiction, works under 1,000 words, and is open to writers of all levels. A second workshop, "Keep it Brief! Writing the Very Short Memoir," follows Tuesday, Dec. 1, at 6:30 p.m. Registration for both opens three weeks before each event.

Library programs are sponsored by the Friends of the Milton Public Library. More information and registration links are available at miltonlibrary.org/events/upcoming-events.

Upcoming at the Milton Public Library

  • Wednesday, Oct. 28, 7 p.m.: Meet the Writer-in-Residence, Kat Gonso
  • Monday, Nov. 16, 6:30 p.m.: "Keep it Brief! Writing the Very Short Story" workshop
  • Tuesday, Dec. 1, 6:30 p.m.: "Keep it Brief! Writing the Very Short Memoir" workshop