Writers’ Workshop graduate Marcus Burke will read from his new novel, Team Seven, at 7 p.m. Monday, April 7, in a free reading at Prairie Lights Books in downtown Iowa City. The reading also will be streamed live on the University of Iowa Writing University website.

Team Seven follows young Andre Battel from age 8 through his teenage years as he grows away from his Jamaican family, discovers genuine prowess on the basketball court, and eventually falls into a routine of dealing drugs for the local street gang, Team Seven.

“This is a book about people engulfed from childhood in complexities that would baffle any wisdom. Team Seven achieves a rare degree of mature and compassionate insight. It is a remarkable first novel,” says Pulitzer winner and Writers’ Workshop faculty member Marilynne Robinson.

Burke obtained a bachelor’s degree from Susquehanna University, where he played basketball, and he was awarded a James Alan McPherson grant from the UI MacArthur Foundation Fund while at the Writers’ Workshop. He lives in Iowa City.

The Iowa Writers’ Workshop is a graduate program in the University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all UI-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to attending this reading, call Jan Weissmiller at Prairie Lights in advance at 319-337-2681.

For a UI arts calendar and details about upcoming events visit the Arts Iowa website.