UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

Schoenfeldt Distinguished Writers Series

Fall 2018 Schoenfeldt Author Omar El Akkad Visiting Campus Nov. 1

Author Omar El Akkad will visit the University campus to discuss his book, American War, on Thursday, November 1, at 7 p.m., in Buckley Center Auditorium. El Akkad is the Fall 2018 Schoenfeldt Distinguished Writer, and his talk will be free and open to all. A book signing will follow.

In addition to the 7 p.m. lecture that is open to the Portland community, a discussion with the author will be held for UP community members on Thursday afternoon from 4-5 p.m. in the Bauccio Commons Terrace Room.

El Akkad’s talks draw on his breadth of experience as a journalist at home and abroad to give his audience rare insights into the most important topics of our time, from terrorism to populist movements to racial tensions in America.  El Akkad is a recipient of Canada’s National Newspaper Award for investigative reporting and the Goff Penny Memorial Prize for Young Canadian Journalists, as well as three National Magazine Award honorable mentions. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

The Schoenfeldt Distinguished Writers Series was founded in 1988 by Rev. Arthur Schoenfeldt, C.S.C., of the University’s Holy Cross community, and his sister, University regent Suzanne Schoenfeldt Fields, in honor of their parents. Twice each year, Schoenfeldt guest writers offer a public reading and also visit students and faculty during their time on The Bluff.

For more information contact schoenfeldt@up.edu or x8264.

Schoenfeldt, ReadUP Author Rebecca Skloot Lecture, Feb. 26

The entire University community is invited to take part in the culmination of the fourth annual ReadUP event, according to Thomas Greene, provost. This year features The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot, who will speak on February 26 as a guest of the Schoenfeldt Distinguished Writers Series. Her lecture will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Buckley Center Auditorium.

This New York Times bestseller tells a riveting story of the collision between ethics, race, and medicine; of scientific discovery and faith healing; and of a daughter consumed with questions about the mother she never knew. Though best-known for The Immortal Life, Rebecca Skloot has written more than 200 feature articles, personal essays, book reviews, and news stories for The New York Times Magazine, O, The Oprah Magazine, Discover, and other publications. She served as co-editor of The Best American Science Writing 2011 and has worked as a correspondent for NPR’s Radiolab and PBS’s Nova ScienceNOW. Her 2010 book was a number one New York Times bestseller and was featured on more than 60 critics’ “best of the year” lists. It was the 2011 winner of the National Academies Communication Award for best creative work that helps the public understanding of topics in science, engineering or medicine.

The “One Book Together” series is a campus-wide common reading program aimed at bringing students, faculty, and staff together. More information regarding book discussions and other highlights can be found at up.edu/readup.

Schoenfeldt Distinguished Writer Martin Flanagan, Nov. 5

flanaganRenowned Australian writer Martin Flanagan will speak and read from his work as the fall 2015 guest of the Schoenfeldt Distinguished Writers Series. His talk will take place on Thursday, November 5, at 7 p.m., in the Bauccio Commons Boardroom, and is free and open to the public.

Flanagan is the author of 13 books of fiction, nonfiction, and poems, including The Call, an imaginative reconstruction of the life of Tom Wills, the founder of Australian football, which was adapted into a play in 2004. Martin’s other books include collections of his newspaper essays, several books about his beloved “footy,” an autobiographical novel (Going Away), and a masterful inquiry into sport and violence and Australian character called The Game in Time of War. He is also the author, with his late father Arch Flanagan, of The Line, based on Arch’s experiences on the infamous Burma Railway, when he was enslaved by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second World War.

Widely considered Australia’s finest journalist, Flanagan was born into a large family in Tasmania (one of his brothers is the novelist Richard Flanagan, winner of the 2014 Booker Award) and graduated in law from the University of Tasmania in 1975. He and his family live in Melbourne, where he writes for The Age newspaper on sport, politics, Australian culture, and the relationship between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. His most recent work, The Short Long Book, is about Aboriginal footballer Michael Long.

The Schoenfeldt Distinguished Writers Series was founded in 1988 by Rev. Arthur Schoenfeldt, C.S.C., of the University’s Holy Cross community, and his sister, University regent Suzanne Schoenfeldt Fields, in honor of their parents. Twice each year (usually in February and October), Schoenfeldt guest writers offer a public reading and also visit students and faculty during their time on The Bluff, especially in literature, science, and journalism classes.

For more information contact Brian Doyle at 8225 or bdoyle@up.edu.