Inaugural Fred R. Brown Literary Award to Be Presented to Novelist Don Lee, Guest Reader at Pitt's Pittsburgh Contemporary Writers Series Nov. 8

PITTSBURGH—Novelist, literary editor, and teacher, Don Lee has been selected to receive the inaugural Fred R. Brown Literary Award as part of this year's Pittsburgh Contemporary Writers Series; he will read selected writings from his work at 8:30 p.m. Nov. 8 in Room 343 of Alumni Hall, 4227 Fifth Ave. The award carries a $5,000 honorarium and is underwritten by Pitt alumni Fred R. (CAS '71) and Melanie Brown (CGS '86, KGSB '90, KGSB '93) of Bethel Park, Pa.

Lee is the author of "Yellow" (W.W. Norton & Co., 2001), "Country of Origin" (W.W. Norton & Co., 2004), and "Wrack and Ruin" which is scheduled for an April 2008 release by W.W. Norton & Co. Lee's work has appeared in "The Kenyon Review," "GQ," "New England Review," among others. He was the editor of "Ploughshares" a literary journal based in Boston, Mass., for 16 years. He currently teaches creative writing at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn.

The Fred R. Brown Literary Award recognizes fiction writers in the early stages of their writing careers. The most recent addition to the Pittsburgh Contemporary Writers Series, the award is intended to enhance both the series and Pitt's writing programs by attracting outstanding authors to the University. Pitt's fiction faculty, the director of the writers' series, and the director of the writing program select the awardee.

The Browns are owners of Adso Enterprises, Inc., a business-consulting firm founded in 2003. They have been avid followers of the Pittsburgh Contemporary Writers Series since its inception and saw the founding of a new literary award as the best way to show their support for the annual program. The Browns have pledged $25,000 over five years to fund the award.

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