Nassau Community College's Lit, Live! Program Features
Poets Matthew Rotando and Gina Sipley
November 17

October 20, Garden City, NY — The Creative Writing Program at Nassau Community College will present a reading by poets Matthew Rotando and Gina Sipley on November 17 at 11:00 a.m. on the second floor of the A. Holly Patterson Library. Admission is free and the event is open to the public.

As part of the Lit, Live! event, both poets will discuss their works and participate in a Q&A session with the audience.

Matthew Rotando has taught at NCC since 2009. His poetry, influenced by Emily Dickinson, Henri Michaux, Russell Edson, and Federico Garcia Lorca, has been called “innovative and deeply moving” by Poetry Review. Prof. Rotando is the author of The Comeback's Exoskeleton (2008) and Hail (2020).  He holds a B.A. from Duke University, an M.F.A. from Brooklyn College, and a Ph.D. from the University of Arizona.

Gina Sipley, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing and English Program Coordinator at NCC, is the author of Just Here for the Comments: Lurking as Digital Literacy Practice. Her research and essays have appeared in New Media + Society, Al Jazeera America, Newsday, and Slate, and she has presented at many international conferences. Dr. Sipley’s poetry has been praised for offering “a sharp, insightful look at digital culture and its impact on society” (New Media + Society). She is currently working on a memoir.

Sponsored by The Creative Writing Program, the Lit, Live! reading series brings to campus renowned writers from around the world. Among those who have read at NCC are Joyce Carol Oates, Charles Simic, and Jamaica Kincaid.

Lit, Live! also sends writers from Nassau Community College out into the Long Island community to give lectures, readings and/or workshops at libraries, local public schools, art galleries, museums, or other Long Island organizations. The Faculty Profiles page contains biographies, samples of work, and contact information, or, if you would like more general information, contact Dr. Sabrina Davis or at CreativeWritingProgram@ncc.edu.

Event Details:

• Date: November 17, 2025
• Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
• Location: Holly Patterson Library, Second Floor, Nassau Community College
• Admission: Free/Open to the Public

About Nassau Community College
Nassau Community College, a campus of the State University of New York, provides a comprehensive public college experience designed to transform lives through higher education. Serving 17,000 full-time, part-time and continuing education students, NCC offers more than 80 programs that lead to an associate’s degree or certificate. Through on-campus and online offerings, the College educates local and international students and boasts 164,000 alumni. Situated on 225 acres in Garden City, Long Island, the college grounds reside in historic Nassau County, one of the most desirable locations to live in the United States and an epicenter for business and careers. Since 1959, NCC has earned a nationwide reputation for academic excellence, affordability, and ease of transferability to four-year schools.

Release co-written by Renato Rivera, NCC student

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