Melinda Grace, author of “Meet Me In Outer Space,” will give the lecture, “Write What You Know,” on two different dates as part of the Mohawk Valley Community College Cultural Series. The first lecture will take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 26, in Alumni College Center room 116 at MVCC’s Utica Campus, and the second will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, in Festine Auditorium in the Plumley Complex at MVCC’s Rome Campus. Admission is free.

Grace, a graduate of SUNY Oswego, currently works locally as an elementary school counselor. In this role, she has firsthand knowledge of the difficulties many students with disabilities face upon entering college, though it was her own disability that truly inspired her book “Meet Me In Outer Space.” Her debut novel tells the story of Edie, a college student with a learning disability, and her struggle to gain access to academic services while working to maintain agency in her education. In the book, Edie has a central auditory processing disorder, and so does Grace. Unfortunately, Grace was never diagnosed as a child, so much of Edie’s story is told through the lens of students she has worked with throughout her 11 years as a school counselor. Grace’s book is an #ownvoices story. The hashtag started on Twitter and is used to recommend books about diverse characters written by authors from that same diverse group. Learn more at msmelindagrace.com.

The Cultural Series is brought to you by MVCC’s Cultural Events Council, in collaboration with MVCC’s Program Board, with significant support from the Student Activity Fee. Events include concerts, comedians, lectures, film screenings and discussions, workshops, family fun events, and more. The series maintains a major social media presence that can be followed on Facebook at “MVCC Cultural Series.” For the complete series lineup and ticket sales, visit www.mvcc.edu/campus-events.