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MACKEY PROFESSOR TO PRESENT READING ON SEPT. 10

 

 

Author Scott Russell Sanders

Scott Russell Sanders

Essayist, Novelist and Author

&

2008 Mackey Distinguished

Professor of Creative Writing

Public Reading

Wednesday, Sept. 10

8 p.m.

Eaton Chapel

*****


This event is free and open to the public.

 
An essayist, novelist and author of several children’s books, Scott Russell Sanders is widely regarded as one of the most important writers in America today. His work explores themes of nature, community, social justice and journeys along the path of spirituality. Sanders will serve as the 2008 Mackey Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing at Beloit College. While in residence, he will visit classes and present a reading on Wednesday, Sept. 10, at 8 p.m., in Eaton Chapel. Like most events at Beloit College, the reading is free and open to the public.

Sanders’ recent books include the memoir A Private History of Awe (2006), which reviewer Donna Seaman praised for its “thoughtful reflections on the cycles of life, the flashpoints of awe, and our quest for meaning.” His other titles include Wilderness Plots: Tales About Settlement of the American Land (2007), The Force of Spirit (2000) and the children’s picture book, Aurora Means Dawn (2007). The author’s forthcoming book, A Conservationist Manifesto, articulates his vision of a shift to a sustainable society. It will be published in 2009.

In September, the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre in Sanders’ hometown of Bloomington, Ind., will produce a musical stage version of Wilderness Plots—a show inspired by Sanders’ book of the same name.

Sanders has been honored with numerous prestigious awards and citations, including the Lannan Literary Award, the Associated Writing Programs Award in Creative Nonfiction, the Great Lakes Book Award, the Kenyon Review Literary Award and the John Burroughs Essay Award. Recently, the Society for the Study of Midwestern Literature named him the 2009 winner of the Mark Twain Award for his “distinguished contributions to Midwestern literature.”

Sanders serves on the English faculty at Indiana University. He will be in residence at Beloit College for seven weeks. His visit to Beloit is also part of the 2008-09 International Performing Arts & Lectures Series at Beloit College.

For more information, contact Francesca Abbate, assistant professor of English at Beloit College, at 608-363-2029 or abbatef@beloit.edu.