Blackburn Artist-in-Residence, Camille Bordas “Read & Greet”

Camille Bordas, the 2026 Blackburn Artist-in-Residence, graced us during her recent “Read & Greet” by reading from her forthcoming book of short stories, One Sun Only. It was only her second time reading from the collection publicly. She chose to read the collection’s title story, because she wanted to read a piece in its entirety—something a writer seldom gets to do.

It wasn’t just about the length of the story, though: I wanted to read something written in first person, because when it comes to public readings, I personally find it easier to connect with a first-person narrator. Also, “One Sun Only,” though it circles very dark questions, has a lot of funny moments, and I wanted to keep people engaged in that way, not too bored.... It’s so rewarding and thrilling to hear people laugh at some of the dialogue, then grow silent when the story shifts in tone… It’s a very nice wave to ride. - Camille Bordas, 2026 Blackburn Artist-in-Residence

Having the opportunity to listen to the author’s words in her own voice allowed the audience to gain a sense of the author’s intended tone and phrasing, which enriched their understanding and relationship to the story. A couple of Duke English’s Creative Writing faculty member had the following to say about Bordas’ writing:

Camille’s stories, when you read them yourself, are full of sadness. When you hear her read them, you keep laughing and suddenly realize all you have missed. - Professor Akhil Sharma, Duke English

Professor Bordas’s short story held me transfixed, even though nothing dramatic happened. Through close observation of the parent-child bond, she captured funny, insightful moments between a divorced dad and his son and daughter. The story worked because it built on themes that all connected in the end, blending fear, tragedy, and humor. - Professor Amin Ahmad

Duke English PhD candidate Maryn Gardner commented that, as busy adults, we don’t often take the time to enjoy a whole story, nor do we learn firsthand about the creative mind behind the work.

I really enjoyed Camille reading the short story from start to finish—as adults, I don’t think we get to listen to stories in this format as much. It was so delightful to smile, wince, and laugh together in a room full of peers. We laughed and laughed! And Camille’s writing felt so effortlessly funny—so connected to the ups and downs of daily family life—though her comments in the Q&A revealed the long years of work, thinking, and inspiration behind her sentences. 

The audience was intrigued by her writing style and the elements that contribute to it, inquiring about her approach and what goes into it during the Q&A session that followed her reading.

Professor Priscilla Wald asked, “What inspired the story she read, and why did she choose to write the story from the voice of the father?”

During the Q&A, Professor Charlotte Sussman expressed her curiosity about the thought process the multilingual Bordas uses when deciding which language to write in.

Following the event, Bordas shared some of her thoughts on her experience as the 2026 Blackburn Artist-in-Residence, so far.

The Blackburn Artist-in-Residence is the best professional opportunity I’ve ever had, period. Because it doesn’t come with administrative duties, I can fully focus on teaching. I don’t know if it will be the same next semester, but so far, most of the students in my classes have come from scientific majors, and it’s been very exciting to see them realize that there’s a science to writing fiction, too. They are shy at first, when it comes to talking about other people’s writing, but once they see that there’s some kind of engineering that goes into it, that we can think of stories as little machines, break them apart to see how they were constructed to make us feel a certain way or question certain things, they understand that writing and talking about fiction doesn’t have to be the solemn, over-intellectualized thing they initially imagined. That’s very rewarding to me. The creative writing faculty has been extremely welcoming, too, and I’ve particularly enjoyed Professor Maren’s invitation to attend her reading series in downtown Durham (“In Other Words,” every month at Arcana). 

You can watch a Recording of Camille Bordas Reading and Q&A below: