Artists/Writers@Grinnell: Dan O’Brien

Award-winning poet and playwright Dan O'Brien's second visit to Grinnell College this semester features a reading of the first act of his award-winning play, The Body of an American, at 5:30 p.m. Friday, April 17.

In March, O’Brien taught an English and theatre short intensive course on the creation of a one-act play. Students of the course learned the fundamentals of dramatic structure. They will present 10-minute excerpts from their one-acts at 3–6 p.m. Saturday, April 18.

Both events are free and open to the public, and will be held in Wall Theatre Lab, Bucksbaum Center for the Arts, Room 154.

The Body of an American records the story of the relationship between war reporter Paul Watson, known for his iconic photograph of a dead American soldier being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu, and O’Brien, who helped each other process their roles in bearing witness. The Body of an American won the Horton Foote Prize for Outstanding New American Play, the PEN Center USA Award for Drama, and other awards. O’Brien’s poetry collections include Scarsdale and War Reporter.

O’Brien’s visit is sponsored by Writers@Grinnell and Artists@Grinnell.

Grinnell welcomes and encourages the participation of people with disabilities. You can request accommodations from the event sponsor or Conference Operations.