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Author Stuart Dybek will visit WIU Feb. 25-26
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Author Stuart Dybek To Visit Western Feb. 25-26

February 16, 2004

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Author Stuart Dybek will visit Western Illinois University Wednesday, Feb. 25 and Thursday Feb. 26. Dybek will give a reading from his most recent works of fiction at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 25 in the Union Sandburg Theatre and he will discuss the craft of writing at 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 26 in the Simpkins Hall Theatre



The author of three collections of short fiction and a volume of poetry, Dybek’s writing has been frequently anthologized and has appeared in numerous journals and Magazines, including “The New Yorker,” “The Atlantic Monthly” and “Harper’s.” The author Studs Terkel said of Dybek’s latest collection of fiction, “I Sailed With Magellan,” “It's hard to tell where Nelson Algren leaves off and Stuart Dybek begins--they're a couple of naturals. They each capture the lyricism of Chicago's backstreets: the city behind the billboards. They celebrate our alleys as well as our boulevards. Stuart Dybek is, at this moment, our city's blue-collar bard. These eleven lovely stories comprise the Chicago novel of today.” Dybek has won numerous awards including several O. Henry Prizes, a PEN/Bernard Malamud Prize and Pushcart Prize.



Dybek earned a master’s in fine arts degree from the University of Iowa and holds an master’s degree in literature from Loyola University in Chicago. Currently, he is an English professor at Western Michigan University and a member of the permanent faculty for the Prague Summer Writers Seminars. He is a contributing editor for several magazines and serves regularly as a judge for various literary awards.



Dybek’s appearance at Western sponsored by Western’s College of Arts and Sciences, the department of English and journalism and a gift from the Fred E. and Lola Austin Case Endowment. The Case Writer-in-Residence Endowment provides learning for a lifetime through extended residencies for visiting writers and greater opportunities for more interaction between students and established writers. For more information contact English and Journalism Department Chair David Boocker at 309/298-1103.



The community is invited to attend Dybek’s 7:30 p.m. reading free of charge.

Case Writer-in-Residence Endowment

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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