Seth Fried, author of "The Great Frustration," will give a reading presented by the Graduate Writers Association at UMSL on Oct. 5 at The Hinge Gallery in St. Louis.

Each year, the Graduate Writers Association at the University of Missouri–St. Louis works to help grow the St. Louis literary scene through readings by emerging poets and writers. The next GWA reading will feature Seth Fried, author of the acclaimed short story collection “The Great Frustration.”

Fried’s reading will begin at 7 p.m. Oct. 5 at The Hinge Gallery, 410 N. Newstead Ave., Suite 4W, in St. Louis.

The event is free and open to the public. It will feature free food and drinks. Fried’s book will be available for purchase, and he will sign books and talk with the audience after the reading.

The National Book Critics Circle called “The Great Frustration,” which was published in 2011, “Certainly one of the most original and startling short story collections of the year.”

“Such an imagination is refreshing, but even more rewarding is that the stories don’t rely solely on concept or conceit, and trudge forward into the lovely mess of strong characters wedged into dramatic circumstance,” Publisher’s Weekly wrote of “The Great Frustration.”

Fried’s short stories have also been published by Tin House, One Story, McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern, Electric Lit, The Missouri Review and Vice.

The Graduate Writers Association is a student organization composed of students from the MFA in Creative Writing at UMSL. It serves as an opportunity for the students to network with emerging and established writers, as well as gain insight into the process of running a reading series.