BY KAREN WERNER Alberto Álvaro Ríos and the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing offer a haven for writers and readers House of Words Photos by Scott Foust Built in 1907, the Piper Center was designed by architect James M. Creighton in the Western Colonial style. It was restored in 2005. 42 | FRONTDOORS MAGAZINE

FRONTDOORS MAGAZINE | 43 love opening the door to people who have never been here. They’ve walked by the house a million times, but don’t know what it is,” said Christie Swedbergh, associate director of the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing. “It has a soul of its own.” Built in 1907, the two-story brick cottage is one of the oldest buildings on ASU’s Tempe campus. Home to three university presidents — Arthur John Matthews (1904-30), Ralph W. Swetman (1930-1933) and Grady Gammage (1933-59) — it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. “It’s like stepping back into history, seeing all these different architectural details,” Swedbergh said. “You enter this new world where creative ideas come out of you.” Sheila Black, Alberto Álvaro Ríos and Christie Swedbergh are passionate about connecting the community through the written word. “I Courtesy Piper Center for Creative Writing COVER STORY