The School of Humanities and Sciences and the Department of Writing are pleased to present film critic A.O. Scott, fiction writer Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, and poet Jean Valentine as part of this semester's Distinguished Visiting Writers series. They will speak at 7:30 p.m. on February 3, February 18, and March 17, respectively. All events are free and open to the public.
A. O. Scott [pictured at right] joined The New York Times as a film critic in January 2000. Previously, he was a Sunday book reviewer for Newsday and a frequent contributor to Slate, the New York Review of Books, and many other publications. He has also appeared frequently as a guest critic on At the Movies with Ebert and Roeper. He will present a lecture entitled "Criticism as a Way of Life" on Tuesday, February 3, in Klingenstein Lounge, Egbert Hall.
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is the award-winning author of 15 books of fiction and poetry. Her work has appeared in the Atlantic Monthly and the New Yorker, among other places, and has been included in over 50 anthologies, including Best American Short Stories, The O'Henry Prize Stories, and The Pushcart Prize Anthology. Her book of short stories, Arranged Marriage, received the 1996 American Book Award. She will read from her work on Wednesday, February 18, in Clark Lounge, Egbert Hall.
Jean Valentine is the author of 11 volumes of poetry, including Dream Barker, which won the Yale Younger Poets Award in 1965. Her collection, Door in the Mountain: New and Collected Poems 1965-2003, was awarded the 2004 National Book Award for poetry. Her other awards include fellowships from the Guggenheim and Rockefeller Foundations and the National Endowment for the Arts. She currently serves as the State Poet of New York (2008-10), and she will read from her work on Tuesday, March 17, in Emerson Suite A, Phillips Hall.
In addition to giving a lecture or a reading, all three visiting writers will share in teaching a master class in writing to Ithaca College students. For more information, visit the DVW webpage or contact Jack Wang (607-274-3493, wang@ithaca.edu).
Distinguished Visiting Writers Website
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/2009012217130581