Students, professors and members of the Tuscaloosa community alike will have the opportunity to attend a live reading by two highly acclaimed authors at the Jemison-Van de Graaff Mansion in downtown Tuscaloosa on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

Co-sponsored by the Bankhead Visiting Writers Series and the Hudson Strode Lecture Series – which are sponsored through the creative writing program and the Hudson Strode Program in Renaissance Studies – the event will host authors Rick Moody and Valerie Miner, which Wendy Rawlings, a professor of English and director of the creative writing program at The University of Alabama, said “is a really thrilling opportunity.”

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The Hudson Strode Lecture Series, according to the English department’s website, focuses on bringing “scholars of the early modern period,” a period that includes the works of William Shakespeare and John Milton, to the UA campus to give lectures and seminars on the subject. The Bankhead Series hosts authors of both prose and poetry twice a year for weeklong programs that include public readings, writing discussions and meetings with current creative writing students.

“The Creative Writing Program hosts two Coal Royalty Chairholders per year, and Rick Moody is our spring Chairholder,” said Laura Kochman, assistant to the director of the creative writing program and a current creative writing graduate student. “Each Chairholder gives a public reading of their work as part of their visit, and Rick’s visit happened to coincide with a visit from Valerie Miner, a visitor of the Hudson Strode Program.”

Rawlings said the stylistic differences in Miner and Moody’s work makes the joint event a valuable opportunity for students and aspiring writers.

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“The Strode Program had a series going that brings in female writers that rewrite Shakespeare, and Valerie Miner was coming for them the same week we had Rick Moody, who writes in several different genres and moods,” Rawlings said. “Since they have such different styles, we thought it would be a great opportunity to showcase both of them in the same place.”

Moody is a professor at New York University and is known for his five novels and numerous works of short fiction, satire, non-fiction and novellas. His 1994 novel “The Ice Storm,” which depicts the interaction between two 1970’s-era Connecticut families during a Thanksgiving ice storm, was adapted into a film by Ang Lee in 1997.

According to her website, Miner is a professor at Stanford University and is known for her work as a novelist, essayist and short fiction writer. She has also collaborated on work in theater and museum exhibits and frequently travels to give readings and lectures. Her novels include “Traveling with Spirits” and “A Walking Fire.”

Kochman and Rawlings said the event serves as an opportunity for students and aspiring writers to interact with established, well-known writers.

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“For people who are unfamiliar with Rick and Valerie’s work, this event will introduce them to two wonderful writers, both with a wide body of work,” Kochman said. “It’s also a chance for people to interact with writers who live out of state and to hear the written work spoken aloud, which gives a new perspective on the work.”

Rawlings said the ability to interact and learn from successful modern writers is key to students and aspiring writers.

“Students read a lot of dead people,” Rawlings said. “This event can show them that there are people out there writing and being successful.”

The event will include readings by both writers followed by an opportunity for visitors to speak to the readers after the event. Rawlings said the event is an opportunity to absorb writing from a different perspective.

“A lot of people want books on tape, and this is a step above,” Rawlings said. “Typically, writers go on riffs and they talk about their new work, so we get the chance to take a sneak peek into their work and how they work. It’s a great opportunity.”

The reading will be held at the Jemison-Van de Graaff Mansion, located at 1305 Greensboro Ave. in downtown Tuscaloosa, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Admission is free, and all are invited to attend.