Landiss Lecture Series

Ron Rash, acclaimed author, addresses Nashville community

Poet, novelist and short story writer Ron Rash, Parris Distinguished Professor of Appalachian Cultural Studies at Western Carolina University, will be inducted into the Fellowship of Southern Writers in the spring.

Rash pays homage to his Appalachian roots throughout his work and writes as an act of gratitude to the people who came before him. His latest novel, Serena, received acclaimed as one of the top books of the year by the New York Times, Washington Post, and other major reviewers. Burning Bright , his most recent work, is a collection of short stories released last spring. Several collections of his poetry have also been published.

Thursday, October 28, 2010 7:30 p.m.

Admission: Free and open to the public

Lipscomb University, Ezell Center

Book signing and reception follows

Hosted by the Department of English, a program of the College of Arts and Sciences.

For more than 17 years, the Landiss Lecture Series at Lipscomb University has offered the Nashville community the opportunity to meet nationally known practicing writers, critics and scholars that challenge the mind and spirit.

History

The late Dr. Morris P. Landiss, long-time chair of the Lipscomb University Department of English, dreamed of bringing practicing writers, critics and scholars of national reputation to Nashville. He hoped to challenge the minds of those in this community who understood the value of feeding the mind for a lifetime.

Since the twice-yearly Landiss Lectures series began in 1985, such notable speakers as Bret Lott, George Garrett, Terry Kay, John Egerton, Wilma Dykeman, Robert Massie, Richard Marius, Jay Parini, and Robert Morgan have engaged the Middle Tennessee community in conversations that challenge the mind and soul. The lectures have also earned a place of respect among the national community of scholars and thinkers.

Information about supporting the the lectures financially can be found here.

Previous Event

Lipscomb University welcomes Ron Hansen as the spring 2010 Landiss Lecture guest speaker. Hanson is the Gerard Manley Hopkins Professor at Santa Clara University. Hansen was educated at Creighton University, the University of Iowa Writers Workshop, and Stanford University, where he held the Wallace Stegner Creative Writing Fellowship. He has also received fellowships from the NEA, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the Lyndhurst Foundation.

Hansen is the best-selling author of novels Atticus, a finalist for the National Book Award, Marietta in Ecstasy, Desperadoes, Isn't It Romantic?, along with a collection of short stories, and a book for children. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award.

The lectures are free and open to the public. For more information, times and location of the upcoming lecture, click here.