FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Cindy Deppe, media relations, 641-269-4834

September 25, 2007

WRITERS@GRINNELL SERIES OPENS OCT. 3

Grinnell College's Writers@Grinnell program will open Oct. 3 with a year-long schedule of readings, talks, and presentations by prominent writers of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and translations.

"The Writers@Grinnell program brings accomplished writers from around the country to take part in the college community's ongoing conversation about the art and importance of writing," said Ralph Savarese, associate professor of English and director of the writers program. "This series is an exceptional opportunity for aspiring writers to connect with recognized craftspeople."

Writers scheduled to read at Grinnell during October include:

Oct. 3: Non-fiction writer and lawyer Rick Wirick will read from his most recent book, "One Hundred Siberian Postcards," which grew of out of travel assignments to the Ukraine and Siberia and the adoption of his Siberian daughter. Wirick's fiction, essays, and journalism have appeared in a number of popular publications, and he is currently at work on a collection of short stories, "Fables of Rescue."

Oct. 11: Non-fiction writer Kevin Kopelson will read from "Sedaris," his new book about comedic author David Sedaris. Kopelson, a faculty member at the University of Iowa who specializes in 20th-century literature, critical theory, and cultural studies, has been recognized for his scholarship and publishing of five books, including "Neatness Counts: Essays on the Writer's Desk."

Oct. 16: Iowa's first poet laureate Marvin Bell will read from his latest volume, "Mars Being Red." A long-time member of the University of Iowa's Writers' Workshop faculty, Bell has published 16 books of poetry and been honored for his craft by the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Academy of American Poets, and National Endowment for the Arts. He currently teaches in the MFA program at Pacific University and divides his time between Iowa City, Iowa, and Washington state.

" Oct. 29: Poet Peter Cole will read from his translations of Hebrew Golden Age poets which help readers to understand medieval Spain, where Jewish cultural communities grew while under Islamic rule. When Cole began studying and translating Hebrew in the early '80s, he also started dividing his residence between Israel and the U.S. He has since published three collections of poetry and received numerous awards for his work, including the 2004 PEN-America Award for Poetry in Translation.

All Writers@Grinnell events will be held in the Joe Rosenfield '25 Center, Room 101, at 8 p.m. on the Grinnell College campus unless otherwise noted. The series will continue in November with readings by non-fiction writer and poet Judith Tannenbaum (Nov. 2), poet Tessa Rumsey (Nov. 9), and non-fiction writer and poet Amy Scattergood (Nov. 28).

For more information about the Writers@Grinnell program, go to http://www.grinnell.edu/academic/english/creative/conference/. The Rosenfield Center is located at 1115 8th Ave. on the Grinnell College campus. -30-