Be prepared to be intellectually and creatively inspired when Pulitzer Prize-winning author Junot Díaz speaks at Occidental College on Tuesday, September 22, at 7 p.m. in Thorne Hall.
Díaz will also read from his work and will be available to sign copies of his books after his talk.
"As Oxy's Writer-in-Residence, I'm thrilled to be bringing Junot Díaz to campus," says Danzy Senna, who teaches in the English department and is the creative writing program adviser at the College. "His work stands at the forefront of contemporary American fiction; every time I teach his work, I'm amazed at how it inspires my students and reignites their passion for literature."
Díaz was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in New Jersey. He is the author of the critically acclaimed Drown; The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, which won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award; and This Is How You Lose Her, a New York Times bestseller and National Book Award finalist. He is the recipient of a MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship, PEN/Malamud Award, Dayton Literary Peace Prize, Guggenheim Fellowship and PEN/O. Henry Award.
A graduate of Rutgers College, Díaz is currently the fiction editor at Boston Review and the Rudge and Nancy Allen Professor of Writing at MIT.
Senna is a novelist who frequently writes about the issues and struggles of multiracial and multicultural people. Her first work, Caucasia, has been translated into eight languages and won multiple awards.
Seating is open and there is no cost; however, this event is expected to reach capacity so attendees are advised to arrive early.
