2015-16 Pittsburgh Contemporary Writers Series Season

PITTSBURGH—Award-winning journalists, poets, and writers of diverse creative philosophies compose the 2015-16 Pittsburgh Contemporary Writers Series Season. This is the series’ 16th season on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh.

The 2015-16 season will open with a literary reading by acclaimed nonfiction writer Michael Paterniti. The reading will take place at 8:30 p.m. Sept. 24 in the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium, 650 Schenley Dr., Oakland.

Paterniti is Pitt’s 2015-16 William Block Senior Writer, a designation that acknowledges the career accomplishments of esteemed writers and poets. He is the author of The Telling Room: A Tale of Love, Betrayal, Revenge, and the World’s Greatest Piece of Cheese (The Dial Press, 2013). The Telling Room was a New York Times Bestseller and was named one of the best books of the year by NPR, Entertainment Weekly, and The Christian Science Monitor. Paterniti also is the author of the essay collection Love and Other Ways of Dying (The Dial Press, 2015) and the memoir Driving Mr. Albert: A Trip Across America with Einstein’s Brain (Dial Press Trade Paperback, 2001).

Paterniti is a longtime correspondent for GQ whose work also has appeared in such notable magazines as Esquire, National Geographic, and Rolling Stone. He is the winner of a 1998 National Magazine Award, a National Endowment for the Arts Grant, and two MacDowell Fellowships.

“For the past 16 years, the Pittsburgh Contemporary Writers Series has sought to attract innovative minds whose artistic philosophies and unique approaches to writing make each reading in the series a special occasion,” said Lynn Emanuel, director of the Pittsburgh Contemporary Writers Series and a professor of English in Pitt’s Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. “Michael Paterniti is just the first of a dynamic lineup of artists who will be sharing their writing and life experiences with the city of Pittsburgh this season.”

All upcoming readings in the 2015-16 Pittsburgh Contemporary Writers Series Season are free and open to the public. Readings will be held at 8:30 p.m. in the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium. A complete series schedule follows:

Sept. 24,
Michael Paterniti, nonfiction writer and journalist, opens the 2015-16 season.

Oct. 21,
Anthony Marra, fiction, is Pitt’s 2015-16 Fred R. Brown Literary Award winner. The New York Times bestselling author is best known for the novel A Constellation of Vital Phenomena (Hogarth, 2013). The book won the 2014 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award in fiction, the 2014 Carla Furstenberg Cohen Fiction Award, and the inaugural John Leonard Prize from the National Book Critics Circle.
   
Nov. 19,
Ed Roberson, poetry, is a Pittsburgh native and the author of the nationally acclaimed poetry collections Atmosphere Conditions (Green Integer, 1999) and Voices Cast Out to Talk Us In (University of Iowa Press, 1995). His literary honors include the 2011 Stephen Henderson Critics Award for Achievement in Literature and the 2008 Shelley Memorial Award from the Poetry Society of America.
   
Feb 11,
Rachel Zucker, poetry, is the author of the book Museum of Accidents (Wave Books, 2009), which was named one of the five best poetry books of 2009 by Publishers Weekly. Her most recent book The Pedestrians (Wave Books, 2014) received wide praise and was named amongst the Chicago Tribune’s best poetry books of 2014.
   
March 22,
James Fenton, poetry, is an acclaimed English poet, journalist, and literary critic who has authored more than 15 books. His latest poetry collection Yellow Tulips: Poems 1968-2011 (Faber and Faber, 2012) won both the Queen’s Gold Medal and the Whitbread Prize for Poetry. Fenton is the 2015 PEN Pinter Prize winner, which recognizes British writers of outstanding literary merit.
   
April 7,
Karen Joy Fowler, fiction, is best known for the New York Times best-seller novel The Jane Austen Book Club (Putnam Adult, 2004), which was released as a major motion picture of the same name in 2007. Her most recent novel We are All Completely Beside Ourselves (Penguin Publishing Group, 2013) won the 2014 California Book Award for Fiction as well as the 2014 PEN/Faulkner Award.

The University of Pittsburgh Writing Program and University Store on Fifth cosponsor the 2015-16 Pittsburgh Contemporary Writers Series. For more information, visit pghwriterseries.wordpress.com or contact 412-624-6508.

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