For the last 20 years, faculty at the University of Michigan have nominated undergraduate writers to showcase their work at a live event in the Shapiro Library.

The event, Café Shapiro, is going virtual this year, and the new format will include guest hosts, among them U-M alums who have forged successful careers in creative media:

Bridget Bodnar (U-M alum; BA, 2011) is a senior producer of On-Demand at Marketplace, the suite of Emmy-award winning public radio programs and podcasts about business and the economy from American Public Media. 

Michael Farah is chief executive officer of the comedy website and production company Funny or Die, known for creating unique (and sometimes viral) content featuring famous faces, including the Emmy Award winning series "Between Two Ferns."

Joe Farrell is executive vice president of Funny or Die.

Christopher Farah (U-M alum; BA, 1998, MA 2002) is a professional ghost-writer and a consultant at Funny Or Die.

This year's series features about 40 students reading short stories, poetry, lyrical essays, opinion pieces, creative nonfiction, and screenplays over four nights; see our event listing for full details. All are welcome. 

Café Shapiro seeks to highlight the power of a humanities degree, so we asked this year’s guest hosts for some advice for students interested in pursuing careers in a creative industry. (Their responses have been edited for length and clarity.)