Ferrum, VA, February 13, 2026 — Ferrum College will host an evening of poetry and prose titled “The Work of Hands and Hearts” on Thursday, February 19, 2026, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in the Blue Ridge Mountain Room, Franklin Hall. This literary event honors the dignity, struggle, and spirit of working people through poetry and fiction by Aaron Fagan and Patrick Dacey. The event is free and open to the public.
Fagan and Dacey will share selections exploring themes of labor, class, and the beauty of everyday persistence. A moderated conversation and audience Q&A will follow, offering insight into how each writer captures the language and lived experience of work in contemporary America.
Fagan is the author of several poetry collections, including Atom and Void (2025), Garage, Echo Train, A Better Place Is Hard to Find, and Pretty Soon. His work examines the emotional landscape of modern life, blending the spiritual and the mechanical in language that is both precise and deeply humane. Fagan’s poems have also appeared in a number of journals and magazines.
Dacey, an assistant professor of English, has taught creative writing and composition at Ferrum College since 2025. He taught previously at several universities in the U.S. and Mexico, as well as working as a reporter and substance abuse counselor. His work has been featured on NPR’s Selected Shorts, and in The Paris Review, Zoetrope All-Story, Guernica, The Kenyon Review, and Harper’s, among other publications.
Dacey’s writing has received a number of accolades, including a 2022 Pushcart Prize, a prestigious annual award for the best American literature published by small presses. He is the author of two works of fiction: The Outer Cape and We’ve Already Gone This Far. His fiction offers vivid portrayals of working-class America, marked by humor, heartbreak, and moral depth, often set against the backdrop of small-town life.
English Program Coordinator Katherine Grimes said, “The English program is excited to have another creative writer on our faculty! Patrick Dacey is the fifth current English instructor with one or more books under his name and the third who teaches creative writing courses. We’re happy that he and his colleague are going to share their writing with the college and community.”
“Ferrum College was founded on a belief in the transformative power of both education and honest work,” said President Mirta M. Martin. “This event reflects our institutional heritage and celebrates the artistry, resilience, and dignity of working people. ‘The Work of Hands and Hearts’ reminds us that labor is not only economic—it is deeply human and profoundly creative.”
