FARMINGTON, ME —The University of Maine at Farmington is proud to present Danny Strong as the next and final writer in the spring 2013 UMF Visiting Writers Series. The UMF Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program sponsors Strong’s reading at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, May 2, in The Landing in the UMF Olsen Student Center. The reading is free and open to the public. Danny Strong immediately started working as an actor after graduating from the USC School of Theater. His debut script “Recount” was voted number one on the Hollywood Blacklist for 2007. The film aired on HBO in 2008 and it garnered 11 Emmy nominations, 5 Golden Globe nominations and won the Emmy for Best TV Movie. Strong was nominated for an Emmy for Best Writing and he won the Writers Guild of America Award for the script. As an actor, he has an impressive resume with extensive credits in film, television and theater that includes classic movies and TV shows like “Pleasantville”, “Seabiscuit”, “Seinfeld”, “Nip/Tuck” and “Third Rock from the Sun.” He is best known for playing Jonathan on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” for five seasons and is also widely recognized for his four seasons as Doyle on the beloved WB show, “Gilmore Girls.” Most recently he played Danny Siegel on season four of “Mad Men.” Strong was the writer and producer for the HBO Film ”Game Change” that won five Emmys and three Golden Globes, and Strong personally won two Emmys, the Golden Globe, the Producers Guild award, the Writers Guild Award and a Peabody for the film. He is currently writing the two-part finale of “The Hunger Games” series, and he wrote the screenplay for the upcoming film “The Butler” starring Forrest Whittaker, Oprah Winfrey, John Cusack, Robin Williams and Alan Rickman. It will be released this fall by The Weinstein Company.

More information on the UMF Creative Writing Program

As the only Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program in the state of Maine and one of only three in all of New England, the UMF program invites students to work with faculty, who are practicing writers, in workshop-style classes to discover and develop their writing strengths in the genres of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. Small classes, an emphasis on individual conferencing, and the development of a writing portfolio allow students to see themselves as artists and refine their writing under the guidance of accomplished and published faculty mentors. Students can pursue internships to gain real-world writing and publishing experience by working on campus with The Beloit Poetry Journal, a distinguished poetry publication since 1950; or Alice James Books, an award-winning poetry publishing house.