Spring Literary Festival May 10-12

ATHENS, Ohio (April 21, 2000) -- Ohio University's Spring Literary Festival next month features an engaging combination of award-winning authors who span several generations and genres.

Poets Albert Goldbarth and Heather McHugh, fiction writer and Antonya Nelson and film critic Andrew Sarris will present lectures and readings during the festival May 10 through 12. Fiction writer Barry Hannah was originally slated to participate, but will be unable to, due to illness.

"Now in its 15th year, the festival continues to attract an audience that appreciates both new and established literary voices," says festival coordinator Jean Cunningham.

Authors' presentations, which are free and open to the public, will be in Irvine Auditorium. For more information, visit the festival's Web site at www.ohiou.edu/litfestival/

Poet Goldbarth has published more than 20 collections of poetry and essays in the last 27 years. His subjects range from scientific discoveries and historical speculation to ordinary matters of life and love. Goldbarth's works include "Original Light: New and Selected Poems 1973-1983," "Heaven and Earth: A Cosmology" (winner of the 1992 National Book Critics Circle Award) and a new collection of essays, "Dark Waves and Light Matter." He is a distinguished professor of humanities at Wichita State University.

Named one of the 20 best young fiction writers in the country by The New Yorker, Nelson is known for her unique blend of realism and wry humor. A professor of English at New Mexico State University, Nelson has authored three collections of short stories, including her first, "The Expendables," which won the Flannery O'Connor award for short fiction. In 1996, Nelson received the Chicago Tribune's Heartland Award for her first novel, "Talking in Bed." Her other works include the novels "Nobody's Girl" and "Living to Tell," which is expected to be released in June.

McHugh's poetic verse is both comic and profound. Her poetry collection, "Hinge & Sign: Poems, 1968-1993," received The New York Times and Publishers Weekly Notable Book of the Year awards. Her newest release, "Father of the Predicaments," which includes works from 1994 to 1998, continues to showcase her insights into the human condition. In addition to her poetry, McHugh has published several translations of French, Bulgarian and German poets and written a book of essays about famous writers. She is a distinguished writer-in-residence at the University of Washington.

When Sarris writes about the history of cinema, he draws from more than 40 years of experience. He has written for The New York Observer since 1989, and for three decades, his film reviews were a regular feature in The Village Voice. Sarris, a professor in the School of Arts at Columbia University, has published 10 books on the cinema. His awards include a Grammy for "Best Album Notes" and a Silver Medallion at the 22nd Telluride Film Festival.

The participating authors' presentation schedule:

Goldbarth will give a reading at 7:30 p.m. May 10 and present a lecture at 11 a.m. May 12.
Nelson will give a reading at 8:30 p.m. May 10 and present a lecture at noon May 11.
McHugh will present a lecture at 7:30 p.m. May 11 and give a reading at 7:30 p.m. May 12.
Sarris will give a reading at 8:30 p.m. May 11 and present a lecture at noon May 12.

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Albert Goldbarth

Heather McHugh

Antonya Nelson

Andrew Sarris