Joshua Shaw, professor of philosophy and bioethics at Penn State Behrend, will read from and discuss his debut story collection, “All We Could Have Been and More,” on Sept. 7 in the lobby of the Metzgar Center. The reading, which begins at 6 p.m., is free and open to the public.

Shaw began writing fiction a few years ago, mid-career. His stories have been published in Kenyon Review Online, Booth, Cleaver and Split Lip Magazine.

“All We Could Have Been and More” received the Tartt Fiction Award. Kirkus Reviews described the writing in it as “uniformly tight and clever,” with narratives that “rupture the illusion of personhood.”

Shaw’s reading is sponsored by the creative writing program at Penn State Behrend, which leads to a bachelor of fine arts degree. The program is the only one of its kind at Penn State.

To learn more about the creative writing program at Behrend and the Smith Creative Writers Reading Series, which begins Oct. 5, visit behrend.psu.edu/readings or call 814-898-6108.