The Arts - Literature

2009-2010 Rosamond Gifford Lecture Series

Now in its 15^th season and famous as the largest library-related lecture series in the country, the Gifford Lecture series takes place at the Civic Center in downtown Syracuse, providing cultural enrichment in all disciplines, with a special focus on students and faculty involved with journalism, religious studies, political science, history, literature, and creative writing. This year’s speakers:

Richard Russo will be at the Civic Center on Tuesday, March 16. Russo is a novelist and former fiction instructor and professor of creative writing, author of Empire Falls, Straight Man, and Nobody’s Fool.
Sara Gruen will be at the Civic Center on Tuesday, April 27. Gruen is a Canadian-born dual citizen and animal lover who lives in North Carolina and has written works including Riding Lessons, Flying Changes, and Water for Elephants.
CNN legal analyst, media expert, and author Jeffrey Toobin will be at the Civic Center on Tuesday, May 18. Toobin served as associate counsel in the office of Independent Counsel Lawrence E. Walsh, and as assistant United States attorney in Brooklyn, N.Y., then worked as a journalist at The New Yorker, ABC News, and CNN as well as authoring Too Close for Comfort, A Vast Conspiracy, and The Nine.

For more information, see: www.giffordlectureseries.org.

Le Moyne College students can purchase discounted tickets through the student development office for this series.

Le Moyne College’s Creative Writing Program will host a series of events both on- and off-campus; transportation is provided for interested students. For the remainder of the 2009-10 academic year:

Fiction Reading and Craft Talk by Novelist Meena Nyak
Craft Talk: Monday, March 15, 5 p.m., Reilley Room
Reading: Monday, March 15, 6 p.m., Reilley Room

Creative Writing Program Student Readings (at the end of spring term.)

More information about the Creative Writing Program.

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In addition to the Creative Writing Program events, other literary events at Le Moyne during the Spring 2010 semester include:

"Newspapers: The Report of Our Demise is Premature" The long-time managing editor of The Pueblo Chieftain will speak on Wednesday, Feb. 24, at 7 p.m. in Grewen Aud. In his talk, Steve Henson will highlight the continuing strengths in the newspaper business, particularly in the mid-size markets. The Pueblo Chieftain is Colorado's oldest daily newspaper and the No. 1 newspaper in the United States in daily market penetration. Henson, who has worked as a reporter and editor at the paper since 1978, is Le Moyne's 2010 Visiting Journalist in the department of communication and film studies.

Gregory Orfalea, who teaches Middle Eastern and Eurasian Emigre Literature at Georgetown University, will be reading from his recent collection of memoirs and essays, Angeleno Days, published in 2009 by the University of Arizona Press. The reading, which takes place on Thursday, March 18, at 4:30 p.m. in the Reilley Room, will touch on Arab-American women and discrimination of the community.

Emily Orlando, visiting assistant professor of English at Fairfield University, will speak on "Intertextual Wharton: Houses of Life, Houses of Mirth" on Monday, March 22, at 5:30 p.m. in the Reilley Room. She is the author of "Edith Wharton and the Visual Arts," which was recognized by Choice magazine as an "Outstanding Academic Title" in 2008.

Journalist and author Laila Al-Arian will discuss her book, Collateral Damage: America's War Against Iraqi Civilians, co-authored with Chris Hedges, on Thursday, April 22, at 4 p.m. in the Reilley Room. Al-Arian is a writer and producer for Al Jazeera English in Washington, D.C. Her work has appeared in The Nation, The Guardian, United Press International and the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs.