Recently, Creighton celebrated the opening of its new Master of Fine Arts program in Creative Writing with a public reading by esteemed author, Ron Hansen.

At the Oct. 7 event, Hansen read two short stories from his new collection, “She Loves Me Not.” The first, “The Sleepwalker,” details the experience of a woman observing the behavior of her Alzheimer’s-afflicted husband. The second, “The Sparrow,” narrates a young boy’s grieving process following the death of his mother. Hansen’s final story of the night, a story sharing the name of his first collection, “Nebraska,” is a flowing narrative of freely associated prose describing in romantic detail scenes from Nebraska which Hansen derived from his own memories.

Hansen is an accomplished writer, having published nine novels and three short story collections.

One of his novels, “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” was released as a movie starring Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck in 2007. “Atticus,” a novel Hansen published in 1996, was a finalist for both the National Book Award and PEN/Faulkner Award.

“For many years, Ron Hansen has been considered one of the most important writers of fiction at work in the United States today,” said Brent Spencer, professor of English. “His achievements have been recognized by many of the most prestigious literary prizes in the country.”

But the reasons for inviting Hansen to appear as part of the celebration of the new MFA program in Creative Writing extend beyond his literary achievement, as he is an Omaha native and a Creighton alumnus.

“Since Ron is the product of a Jesuit education, both Creighton Prep and Creighton University, his many achievements reflect on the kind of education we provide” Spencer said. “Ron’s writing embodies many of the most important Jesuit ideas about life and faith. In his stories and novels he shows a detailed understanding of the human heart in all its wonder and frailty.”