By Eva Ciabattoni

Stanford Continuing Studies sponsored authors David Wright and Audrey Petty in a reading Feb. 23. Both are on the master’s of fine arts faculty in creative writing at the University of Illinois.

Author of the prize-winning “Fire on the Beac Recovering the Lost Story of Richard Etheridge and the Pea Island Life Savers,” Wright read a short story in progress, “Amarillo Boulevard,” loosely based on an encounter he and his sister had with a former classmate turned streetwalker in the Texas Panhandle.

During his flight from Chicago, Wright reworked the ending and presented the new conclusion orally for the first time.

Petty read three short poems and an essay. Elegant and well-received, the essay was about preparing, cooking and eating chitlins with her mother.

Like all good writing, the story contained several layers of meaning - not only about the food but also about the role of ritual and stories in a family and Petty’s role as the middle child. The essay was an exploration that grew out of and fed back into a novel that Petty is writing - her first.

Petty and Wright also spoke about the role of talent versus hard work in writing (both came down in favor of hard work). Wright shared a tip for creating realistic settings in fiction: Get a Sears catalog from the time you’re writing about.

T.M. McNally and Todd Pierce are scheduled to read at 7 p.m. tomorrow. Check events.stanford.edu/ for locations.