Tobias Wolff. Photo submitted

First-year students in the English Department’s Composition Program will have a chance to speak with the author of this year’s required book reading when Tobias Wolff visits campus in April 2010.

As the fourth guest in the Distinguished Speaker Series, Wolff will discuss his 2003 novel, “Old School,” at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 1, 2010, in McKenna Theatre.

Pauline Uchmanowicz (English), director of the Composition Program, said the composition faculty is delighted that Wolff has been chosen as Distinguished Speaker for spring 2010.

“Tobias Wolff’s visit to our campus will offer students in the Composition Program a rare opportunity to make a connection between literary page and living author. It may even encourage some to undertake a writer’s life,” said Uchmanowicz.

Wolff is best known for his memoirs and short stories. Notable works include “This Boy’s Life” and “In Pharaoh’s Army: Memories of the Lost War;” the short novel “The Barracks Thief;” and four collections of short stories – “In the Garden of the North American Martyrs,” “Back in the World,” “The Night in Question” and, most recently, “Our Story Begins: New and Selected Stories.”

Tickets for the event will go on sale in early 2010.

In “How to Change the World with Your Bare Hands,” Booker spoke about his struggle through political procedures; a lack of hope in the Newark community; and his personal growth through his professional life. He also discussed about the strength of positive thinking and encouraged attendees to look at each thing in their lives as a “positive possibility” for something to flourish from.

Ticket prices are $18 for the public and $13 for faculty, staff and seniors. Tickets can be purchased at the Welcome Center in person or by phone at x7869 during business hours beginning Aug. 24.

Booker will present his speech, “How to Change the World with Your Bare Hands,” at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 1, in McKenna Theatre. Booker is the third guest in the college’s Distinguished Speaker Series that began in 2008.

City of Newark Mayor Cory Booker. Photo submitted

Cory Booker, mayor of Newark, N.J., has been selected as the next guest in the college’s Distinguished Speaker Series.

The third event in the series takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 1, in McKenna Theatre.

Booker became mayor of the City of Newark in May 2006. Prior to his election for the top post, he served as a councilman in Newark’s Central Ward.

The former varsity football player, class president at Stanford University, crisis hotline director, and Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, is dedicated to civic responsibility and encourages others to get involved in creating change in their communities.

In August 2009, Booker will be featured in a documentary series called “Brick City,” which focuses on how the City of Newark is working to become a defining example of urban transformation.

“Democracy is not a spectator sport,” said Booker. “It’s about rolling up your sleeves and getting to work. Change comes from good people coming together with collective struggles and doing something about it.”

The Distinguished Speaker Series was created in 2008 to connect students and their families, faculty, staff, alumni, friends and community members with well-known luminaries. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Dave Barry was the inaugural speaker in November 2008. Jonathan Alter, senior editor of Newsweek, visited the campus in April 2009.

Tickets will go on sale in August. For more information, visit the Distinguished Speaker Series Web site.

Award-winning columnist, television analyst and author Jonathan Alter will visit the campus at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29, as the second guest of the college’s Distinguished Speaker Series.

In a talk titled “The American Presidency in War and Peace,” Alter will discuss the first 100 days of President Barack Obama’s administration. Alter has been senior editor at Newsweek for more than two decades.

Tickets are available online and at the Box Office in Parker Theatre. The Box Office (x3880) is open Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Ticket prices are $13 for faculty, staff, students and seniors and $18 for the public.

Jonathan Alter

Tickets for the second Distinguished Speakers Series event, “Jonathan Alter: The American Presidency in War and Peace,” are now on sale.

Alter, a bestselling author and Newsweek senior editor, will discuss the presidency as it relates to Barack Obama’s first 100 days in office, on April 29 at 7:30 p.m. in McKenna Theatre.

Alter is the second speaker in the college’s Distinguished Speaker Series. Last November, humor columnist Dave Barry appeared as the program’s inaugural speaker.

Tickets for the Alter event are $13 for faculty, staff, students and seniors and $18 for the general public. Purchases can be made online at www.newpaltz.edu/speakerseries or by calling x3880.

At a networking session prior to his appearance as the first guest of the college’s Distinguished Speaker Series on Nov. 12, author Dave Barry (far right) spoke with (l-r) Chrissy Corrigan ’09 (English), Marlea Liguori ’09 (Organizational Communication), Lee Conell ’09 (English) and Alyssa Jung ’10 (Journalism) about the future of journalism. Following the networking session, Barry spoke to an audience of 900 in the Athletic and Wellness Center. The evening ended with a reception with the Pulitzer Prize-winning author for premium-ticket holders. On April 29, the college will welcome Newsweek senior editor Jonathan Alter in McKenna Theatre. The focus of his talk will be "The American Presidency in War and Peace" as it relates to the new administration’s first 100 days in office. Photo by Danny Wild ’06 (Journalism)

For more photos of the Dave Barry event, visit http://tinyurl.com/5o2yb8.

For more information about the Distinguished Speaker Series, visit www.newpaltz.edu/speakerseries.

Jonathan Alter Image submitted

The Newsweek senior editor will speak on campus on April 29, 2009, in McKenna Theatre. The focus of his talk will be “The American Presidency in War and Peace,” as it relates to the new administration’s first 100 days in office.

“Alter’s insight and intimate knowledge of the upcoming presidential election, and therefore the future administration, will be of great interest to our community in April when he speaks,” said Rachel Reuben (Public Affairs), organizer of the event.

Ticket prices will be announced in the spring.

For nearly two decades, Alter has written a widely acclaimed column that examines politics, media, and social and global issues. For more than a decade, Alter has worked as a contributing correspondent to NBC News. His 2006 book, “The Defining Moment: FDR’s Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope,” was a national best-seller.

The 2008 presidential campaign marks the seventh election Alter has covered for Newsweek. In addition to regularly breaking news, he has frequently interviewed American presidents and other world leaders. His more than 50 Newsweek cover stories have included pieces on the public’s shrinking confidence in the American news media; Bill Clinton’s first interview after leaving the presidency; and Barack Obama’s first magazine cover before he arrived in the U.S. Senate. Alter also shared his personal story of living with cancer with Newsweek readers.

Alter follows this fall’s inaugural Distinguished Speaker Series event, “An Evening with Dave Barry,” which begins at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 12, in the Athletic and Wellness Center gymnasium. Barry is a humor columnist and best-selling, Pulitzer Prize-winning author.

The hope for the Distinguished Speaker Series is to raise funding to invite well-known speakers from a variety of disciplines to campus – one during the fall semester and one in the spring – to connect with members of the community. This year, the series is made possible in part by a donation from Peter and Helena Bienstock of the Shawangunk Valley Conservancy.

Arrangements for the appearance of Dave Barry and Jonathan Alter are made through Greater Talent Network, Inc., NY, NY.

Tickets for the Dave Barry event are available at the Mckenna Theatre Box Office or online at
www.newpaltz.edu/speakerseries.

Dave Barry

Barry, a humor-columnist and best-selling, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, will speak at 8 p.m. in the Athletic and Wellness Center.

Rachel Reuben (Public Affairs), organizer of the event, said the Distinguished Speaker Series was created to connect students and their families, faculty, staff, alumni, friends and community members with well-known luminaries.

The series is made possible in part by a generous donation from a member of the New Paltz community.

Arrangements for the appearance of Dave Barry are made possible through the Greater Talent Network Inc., New York, N.Y.

For information about ticket prices and purchasing methods, visit www.newpaltz.edu/speakerseries.