Creative writing program presents author Mary Morris

ATHENS, Ohio (Jan. 29, 2004) -- Award-winning writer and avid traveler Mary Morris will read from her works on Wednesday, Feb. 4, at 7:30 p.m. in the Music Recital Hall at Ohio University. Morris' novels, short story collections and nonfiction books have received numerous literary prizes and awards, including the Rome Prize in Literature from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, as well as grants from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Travel is the primary subject of Morris' short story trilogy, "Vanishing Animals," "The Bus of Dreams" and "The Lifeguard Stories." It is an important theme in much of her work, although the emphasis is often not so much on the destination as it is on the psychological journey made by her characters. The tension between home and away is also a recurrent theme in much of her work and is most evident in her highly acclaimed travel memoir, "Nothing to Declare: Memoirs of a Woman Traveling Alone."

Morris, who teaches at Sarah Lawrence College in New York, has also written several novels. Her most recent novel, "Acts of God," the story of a girl whose insurance claims adjuster father leads a duplicitous life, was published in 2000.

Morris' reading, presented by the Ohio University Creative Writing Program, is free and open to the public. A reception will be held after the reading and Morris' books will be available for purchase. For further information, call the University's Special Programs office at 593-4181.

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