Whittier College News Release

Whittier College
Office of Public Relations
13406 Philadelphia St.
P.O. Box 634
Whittier, CA 90608-0634

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: 562.907.4974 or mediarelations@whittier.edu

CELEBRATED AUTHOR KINGSTON HEADLINES WRITERS FESTIVAL

WHITTIER, CA (September 25, 2006)—Maxine Hong Kingston, author of such award-winning works as The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts, headlines this year’s Whittier College Writers Festival, scheduled October 2 – 4, which includes author talks, readings, and question-and-answer sessions with notable writers from across the country. Tickets are $6.00 per day, $10.00 for a two-day pass, or $15 for a three-day pass. Tickets can be purchased through the Ruth B. Shannon Center for the Performing Arts Box Office, (562) 907-4203 or www.shannoncenter.org.

This year’s Writers Festival features such talents as Kingston, who will give keynote remarks and read from her collection, Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace--a work compiled from her healing workshops and containing the distilled wisdom of survivors of five wars, including combatants, war widows, spouses, children, conscientious objectors, and veterans of domestic abuse. Memoir readings will be given by Christopher Buckley and Emily Rapp. Keynote Speaker Gerald Stern, winner of the National Book Award and numerous other prizes, will be reading from his new collection of poetry, along with award-winning poets Maurya Simon and Stuart Dischell. Fiction will be read by Los Angeles-based writer Frank X. Gaspar, and noted pianist and poet Oni Buchanan will be performing a blend of poetry and music.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Monday, October 2

5 p.m.-6 p.m.               Memoir readings by Christopher Buckley and Emily Rapp                             Founder's Room          Shannon Center,  Whittier College

7:30-9:00 p.m.             Maxine Hong Kingston, reading/talk, followed by Q&A
Robinson Theatre        Shannon Center, Whittier College

Tuesday, October 3

5 p.m.-6 p.m. Poetry and Fiction Readings by Stuart Dischell and Frank Gaspar Founder's Room Shannon Center, Whittier College

7:30-9 p.m. Poetry reading and Q&A by Gerald Stern, Robinson Theatre Shannon Center, Whittier College

Wednesday, October 4

5 p.m.-6 p.m. Poetry readings by Maurya Simon and Mike the Poet Founder's Room Shannon Center, Whittier College

7:30-9 p.m. Poetry and piano presentation by Oni Buchanan

Robinson Theatre Shannon Center, Whittier College

For more information about the Whittier College Writers Festival, please contact Marilyn Chavez in the Whittier College English Department at mchavez1@whittier.edu. For tickets to the event, please contact the Ruth B. Shannon Center for the Performing Arts Box Office, 562.907.4203 or boxoffice@whittier.edu. This event is sponsored by the Garrett Faculty Master's House Program.

Founded by Quakers in 1887, Whittier College is an independent, four-year college offering a traditional liberal arts program integrated with both professional and pre-professional courses of study. With an emphasis on diversity, community, and curricular innovation, the College’s primary mission is to endow students with the education, skills, and values appropriate for global leadership and service. Whittier College is a designated Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

Whittier Law School, which is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools, is located on a separate campus in Orange County.