Feb 26 2009 - Novelist William Henry Lewis to Give Literary Reading

Novelist William Henry Lewis will give an evening reading at the University of Pittsburgh at 8:30 p.m. Feb. 26 in 501 Cathedral of Learning, 4200 Fifth Ave., Oakland. The event is a continuation of the 2008-09 Pittsburgh Contemporary Writers Series.

Lewis is the author of the short story collection "I Got Somebody in Staunton" (Amistad/Harper Collins, 2005), which was named one of four finalist for the 2006 PEN/Faulkner Prize for Fiction, and "In the Arms of Our Elders" (Carolina Wren Press, 1995). His works of fiction have appeared in such publications as "Ploughshares," "African American Review," and "Best American Short Stories 1996". His works of nonfiction have appeared in "Black Issues in Higher Education," "Washington Post Book World," and
"O Magazine".

Along with being a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award, "I Got Somebody in Staunton" was named one of Kirkus Reviews top 25 books of 2005 and received a Black Caucus of the American Library Association Literary award. Lewis' other honors include a grant from the Virginia Commission of the Arts as well as the Prize for Short Fiction from the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation.

Lewis was born in Denver, Colo., and grew up in many U.S. cities. As an academic, he has taught at the University of Virginia, Denison University, Mary Washington College, and Trinity College.

The 2008-09 Pittsburgh Contemporary Writers Series season is cosponsored by Pitt's Department of English in the School of Arts and Sciences, University Center for International Studies, Asian Studies Center, China Council Confucious Institute, Cultural Studies Program, Women's Studies Program, and Book Center and by the Carnegie Mellon University Creative Writing Program.

All events in the Writers Series are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Jeff Oaks at oaks@pitt.edu.