Fiction writer Aryn Kyle read short stories from her book "Boys and Girls Like You and Me" to both students and the public Wednesday night.

"Boys and Girls Like You and Me" appeared in publications such as The Atlantic Monthly, Ploughshares, The Best American Short Stories 2007 and Best New American Voices 2007, according to her personal webpage.

The event was part of the Live Oak Reading Series, an event sponsored by the English department, that brings guest authors to campus every semester.

The crowd sat and listened to one chapter of her book "Take Care," which is a story about two girls who grew up together and shared adventures and mishaps into adulthood.

As Kyle read, audience members laughed from the use of profanity throughout the program.

“The story I read today, I tend to read at a lot of colleges,” Kyle said. “I usually just eyeball the audience and pick what story I am going to read. I knew that it was a younger college audience and that they would understand the jokes and relate to the humor.”

Matthew Pitt, an assistant professor of English, said he coordinated the event with Kyle after they paired at the Sewanee Conference.

“After meeting her, hearing her talk about writing and personal exchanges, in the back of my head I knew that I would like to have her visit campus,” Pitt said.

Pitt said Kyle visited his fiction workshop class Wednesday to give students another opportunity to meet with her.

“To come to a place and get to read and sense reactions, you can feel them get still, get quiet and the laughter from the audience,” Kyle said.

After Kyle read, those in the audience had the opportunity to meet with her and have a book signed

“I think she is such an honest writer," junior English major Nickie Vogt said. "You could really hear that in her voice when she read to us. Every word is very good.”