Author, professor Laura Moriarty featured in pair of 2014 KU Common Book events


Thu, 10/23/2014

author

Sarah Crawford-Parker

LAWRENCE – Laura Moriarty has been a member of the University of Kansas faculty since 2008, but for the next 48 hours she’ll be the university’s distinguished guest in celebration of her 2003 novel, “The Center of Everything.” Moriarty will be welcomed as the author of the 2014 KU Common Book for a pair of public events.

Moriarty will present a keynote at An Evening with Author Laura Moriarty at 7:30 p.m. today, Oct. 23, at the Lied Center. She will also participate in a more intimate session as part of Coffee and Conversation featuring Laura Moriarty at 9 a.m. Friday, Oct. 24, in the Natural History Museum.

Moriarty joined the KU faculty in 2008 and earned her bachelor’s degree in social work and her master’s degree in creative writing from KU.

“I remember when I was writing this book, I was thinking a lot about what it meant for me to come to KU as an undergraduate,” Moriarty said. “As a new student from a small, faraway town, I was of course sometimes anxious or bewildered, but even then, I understood that being here, being part of a community so focused on research and learning, was a gift. Now that I'm on the faculty, I still feel fortunate to be part of this kind of community, and so personally, this selection means a great deal.”

No tickets are required for either event. Priority floor seating for An Evening with Author Laura Moriarty at the Lied Center is available exclusively for KU students. Moriarty will take questions from the audience following her address at the Lied Center and will be available to sign copies of “The Center of Everything” after the program.

Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little will present introductory remarks on Thursday, and Moriarty will be introduced by Alice Lieberman, professor of Social Welfare.

"We have so many talented faculty across campus, and this year’s KU Common Book gives our students and the community the unique opportunity to interact with one of our most impressive writers," Gray-Little said. "We’ve been engaging in the shared experience of choosing to attend KU and a discussion of cultural issues that are relevant today."

Thu, 10/23/2014

author

Sarah Crawford-Parker

Media Contacts

Sarah Crawford-Parker

University Honors Program

785-864-4225