As part of the Living Writers Series, author Toni Jensen will share selections from her first book, “From the Hilltop” on Wednesday, Oct. 8 in the Love Library. The stories in Jensen’s book draw on American Indian oral traditions.

Jensen is an assistant professor at the University of Central Florida. She has short stories in other anthologies and collections, including “New Stories from the South: The Year’s Best, 2007” and “Best Stories from the Southwest.”

Her debut novel, “From the Hilltop,” is a collection of short stories based around Native American culture and society. It was released in 2010 and published by University of Nebraska Press.

“A brother falls off the roof of an abandoned hotel, a young bride tries to connect with a family she’s never met, and an adopted teenage girl seeks acceptance where she is viewed as an outsider,” UNP says about the novel. “These are the souls that populate Jensen’s stories, finding tentative connections with the past, the future, one another and finally us.”

Jensen’s book has received praise from Publisher’s Weekly, Feminist Review and even fellow authors such as Sandra Cisneros, author of “The House on Mango Street.” The praise is well given, and this is the opportunity to discuss the book with Jensen herself as she answers questions to students and staff after the reading.

The free event will start at 7 p.m. on Oct. 8 in the Love Library, room 430. The event is a collaboration by both the library and the Department of English and Comparative Literature, this event is one not to be missed on campus.