Weber State University Telitha E. Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities Brings Pulitzer Prize Winning Authors To The 31st National Undergraduate Literature Conference

OGDEN, Utah, Jan. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Weber State University Telitha E. Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities (www.weber.edu/cah) has announced two Pulitzer Prize winning authors will attend the 31st National Undergraduate Literature Conference. Each year, nearly 200 undergraduate writers and poets throughout North America, come to Weber State University to present their work and learn from some of the most important writers in contemporary literature. This year's authors are Douglas A. Blackmon and Kay Ryan, two Pulitzer-Prize winners.

"Writers are the voice of conscience for their time," said Mikel Vause, Professor of English and conference  founder. "Creative literature transcends race, gender and socioeconomic status among other differences. These authors show the larger community how they can be part of the change and the voice they want in the world."

Blackmon also is chief of The Wall Street Journal's Atlanta bureau and contributing editor at the Washington Post. He has written or directed coverage on some of the most pivotal stories in American life. Special moments include the election of President Barack Obama, the rise of the tea party movement and the BP oil spill. Blackmon is currently the host of American Forum, a weekly public affairs program that offers thoughtful and informed conversations with America's most important leaders and insightful minds.

"This conference is an opportunity to truly inspire writers," said Sarah Vause, instructor of English and conference organizer. "Students have the chance to learn from Pulitzer Prize winning authors who are living proof that words can change lives."  

Acknowledged as one of the most original voices in the contemporary landscape, Kay Ryan is the author of several books of poetry, including Flamingo Watching, The Niagara River and Say Uncle. Her book, The Best of It: New and Selected Poems, won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. In 2008, Ryan was appointed the U.S. Poet Laureate, a position that she held for two terms. During her time in this role, Ryan advocated for community colleges across the country. Ryan's poems and essays have appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Yale Review and The American Scholar among other journals and anthologies. She was named to the "It List" by Entertainment Weekly and one of her poems has been permanently installed at New York's Central Park Zoo.

The 31st National Undergraduate Literature Conference will run from March 31 - April 2, 2016 at Weber State University. This conference is free and open to the public. For more information on the conference, please visit (www.weber.edu/nulc).

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About the Telitha E. Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities

The Weber State University Telitha E. Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities teaches students to excel as they seek, understand, question and express complexities critical to the experience of being human. The Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities offers undergraduate degree programs in the following five areas: Communication, English, Foreign Language, Performing Arts and Visual Art & Design. Master's degrees also are offered in Communication and English. The college serves more than 2,000 undergraduate majors and 250 graduate students. The Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities is the Western region's foremost institution for student- centered teaching and research that investigates the human experience and aims to educate global citizens who are responsible, creative and critical artists, performers and communicators. For more information, please visit, (www.weber.edu/cah).

Contact: 
Christie Denniston, APR
Director of Marketing and PR
Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities Weber State University
Phone: 801-626-6431
Cell: 303-827-5164
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Weber State University, Lindquist College of Arts and Humanities

Related Links

http://www.weber.edu/cah