Next Saturday afternoon I will have the pleasure of returning to my alma mater (and my second-semester employer), the University of Pennsylvania, for a homecoming conversation about memoir. John Prendergast will moderate. Buzz Bissinger, Cynthia Kaplan, and James Martin will participate. We hope to see you there.
Here are the facts, as presented on the Kelly Writers web:
Alumni Authors Series: Memoir Writing
Buzz Bissinger, Cynthia Kaplan,
Beth Kephart, and James Martin
4:30 PM, October 27, 2012 in the Arts Cafe
co-sponsored by: the Penn Gazette
moderated by: John Prendergast
Join alumni authors at Kelly Writers House as they read from and talk about
their work in memoir. Panelists include Pulitzer Prize-winner Buzz Bissinger (C'76), whose latest
book is Father's Day: A Journey Into the Mind and Heart of My Extraordinary
Son; essayist and performer Cynthia Kaplan (C'85), whose "true stories" are collected in
Why I'm Like This and Leave the Building Quickly; Beth Kephart C'82,
author of multiple memoirs and young-adult novels, and of the forthcoming Handling the Truth; and James Martin (W'82), author of In Good Company, which tells the story of his conversion from GE executive to
Jesuit priest, and eight other books. Pennsylvania Gazette Editor John
Prendergast (C'80) will moderate the discussion.
H.G. "Buzz" Bissinger is among the nation's most honored and
distinguished writers. A native of New York City, Buzz is the winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the
Livingston Award, the American Bar Association Silver Gavel Award and the National Headliners
Award, among others. He also was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University. He is the author of four
highly acclaimed nonfiction books:
Friday Night Lights,
A Prayer for the City,
Three Nights in August, and
his newest,
Father's Day, his memoir about his twin sons. Born 13
weeks premature in 1983 and weighing less than two pounds, Bissinger's sons have lived
diametrically opposed lives. After obtaining his master's in education from the University of
Pennsylvania, Gerry is now a public school teacher while Zach, because of oxygen deprivation at
birth, suffered trace brain damage and struggles every day with enormous learning disabilities.
Cynthia Kaplan is the author of two collections of humorous essays,
"Why I'm Like This: True Stories" and "Leave the Building Quickly." Her humor pieces have appeared
in many newspapers, magazines and anthologies. She is the the co-host, with CBS Sunday Morning's
Nancy Giles, of the comedy anthology series
The New Jack Paar Show and
has appeared in comedy and rock clubs throughout the country. She has written for film and
television and recently released a comedy album,
Fangry. She has never
appeared on
Law & Order.
Beth Kephart is the award-winning author of fourteen
books—five memoirs, a book of history and prose poetry, a corporate fable, and seven young
adult novels. Three more books are set for release in 2013, including
Handling
the Truth (Gotham), a book about the making of memoir, and its consequences. Kephart teaches
creative nonfiction at Penn during the spring semesters, is the strategic writing partner in a
boutique communications firm, and reviews widely. Her book blog,
beth-kephart.blogspot.com, has twice been named a top
author blog by the BBAW. Her essays are widely anthologized. Kepharts most recent book,
Small Damages, a novel set in southern Spain, was released this past summer
by Philomel to starred reviews.
James Martin, SJ, is a Jesuit priest, contributing editor at
America, the national Catholic magazine, and author of several books,
including
The New York Times bestseller
The Jesuit
Guide to (Almost) Everything, and
My Life with the Saints and Between
Heaven and Mirth, both named by
Publishers Weekly as "Best Books"
of the Year. He is a frequent commentator in the media on matters of religion and spirituality,
and has written for
The New York Times,
The
Washington Post and
The Wall Street Journal. He has appeared in
venues as diverse as NPR's "Fresh Air with Terry Gross," PBS's "Newshour with Jim Lehrer" and
Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report." Before entering the Jesuits in 1988, Father Martin graduated
from Penn's Wharton School of Business and worked for six years in corporate finance. During his
Jesuit training he worked at a hospice for the sick and dying in Jamaica run by Mother Teresa's
sisters, with street-gang members in the housing projects of Chicago, and for two years in Nairobi,
Kenya, helping East African refugees start small businesses.
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