Novelist Aja Gabel Opens 2026 Spring Speaker Series, Feb. 25

Novelist Aja Gabel, author of The Ensemble and the new Lightbreakers, will kick off The University of Baltimore's 2026 MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts Speaker Series, on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. in the Bogomolny Room in the UBalt Student Center, 21 W. Mt. Royal Ave. The event is free and open to the public, and is the first of three events in this spring's series highlighting authors from a variety of genres (details listed below). Gabel's appearance at UBalt is co-sponsored by MICA.

Gabel's writing has been published in The Cut, the L.A. Times, Buzzfeed, BOMB, and elsewhere. She studied writing at Wesleyan University and the University of Virginia, and has a Ph.D. in Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Houston. Gabel's work has received recognition from  the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, the Sewanee Writers' Conference, and the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown. Her short story "Little Fish" was adapted into a feature film, and she has written and developed several other screenwriting projects. She resides in Los Angeles.

Critical acclaim has been widespread for Lightbreakers:

• "A marriage story that twists into a sci-fi thriller, posing questions about the elusiveness of the past and the time-jumping nature of grief," said Ling Ma, author of Severance. "Like walking down a hall of mirrors, mesmerized by its reflections and refractions, reading Lightbreakers made me see things anew."
• "Audaciously tackles life's most formative experiences: love and loss," said Rumaan Alam, New York Times bestselling author of Entitlement.
• "You will love this genre-busting book.... A cross of literary fiction and sci-fi, it's also a beautiful meditation of grief, time, and love," said Samin Nosrat, author of Salt Fat Acid Heat.
• "Gabel beautifully explores the ways the past echoes endlessly in the present and into the future—and the unimaginable lure of being with the ones we love no matter the cost. A poignant and sharp novel about love, loss, and finding light in the darkness," said Kirkus Reviews.

The MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts Spring Speaker Series will continue on Thursday, March 5 at 7 p.m., in the Wright Theater in the Student Center, with an AWP Off-Site Reading featuring Tim Seibles, Paisley Rekdal, and UBalt writing professors Jane Delury, Betsy Boyd, Marion Winik, and Steven Leyva.

On Monday, April 13 at 7 p.m., in the Bogomolny Room, the spring 2026 series will conclude with a visit from Jeannie Vanasco, author of the new memoir A Silent Treatment.

Learn more about UBalt's MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts program.