Renowned Chicago Fiction Writer Stuart Dybek to read at Saint Xavier University; Monday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. in the Butler Reception Room

Chicago (Feb. 3, 2008) One of Chicago’s most revered writers, Stuart Dybek, will read at Saint Xavier University at 7 p.m on Feb. 25 in the Butler Reception Room of the Warde Academic Center.

The author of three books of fiction and two of poetry, Dybek will deliver Saint Xavier’s annual Evangeline Bollinger Lecture, which is free and open to the public. Dybek is the author of I Sailed with Magellan, The Coast of Chicago, and Childhood and Other Neighborhoods. The Coast of Chicago was the 2004 “One Book, One Chicago” selection.

Dybek also has published two collections of poetry: Streets in Their Own Ink, his most recent book, and Brass Knuckles. His fiction, poetry, and nonfiction have appeared in The New Yorker, Harper’s, The Atlantic, Poetry, and Tin House, among many other magazines, and have been widely anthologized, including work in both the Best American Short Stories and the Best American Poetry series.

“This is simply an incredible opportunity for members of the community to come see one of our great writers in an intimate setting,” said SXU Creative Writing Professor Karen Dwyer. “Stuart Dybek is without question one of Chicago’s literary gems, and we are very pleased he will be this year’s Evangeline Bollinger Lecturer.”

Dybek will read from his recent publications in Poetry magazine titled “Pink Ocean” and “Milk” as part of a lecture entitled “Love, Modern and Post-Modern”.

Among Dybek’s numerous awards are a MacArthur Grant, the Rea Award “for significant contribution to the short story form,” the PEN/Malamud Prize “for distinguished achievement in the short story,” a Lannan Award, a Whiting Writers Award, an Award from the Academy of Arts and Letters, several O. Henry Prizes, and fellowships from the NEA and the Guggenheim Foundation. He is Distinguished Writer in Residence at Northwestern University and a member of the permanent faculty for Western Michigan University’s Prague Summer Program.

The late Evangeline Bollinger began her career at Saint Xavier in 1957 as an assistant professor of English. From 1967 to 1979, she served as dean of faculty and vice president of academic affairs. As a tribute to the caliber of Bollinger’s teaching, Saint Xavier’s graduate program lecture was renamed the Evangeline Bollinger Lecture Series in 1998. For more information about this free lecture, please contact Karen Dwyer at (773) 341-5939.

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