FARMINGTON, ME (October 17, 2018)—The Creative Writing Bachelor of Fine Arts program at the University of Maine at Farmington presents Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, Richard Russo as part of its Visiting Writers Series for 2018-2019. Russo will be the second author featured in the 30th anniversary of the Visiting Writers Series. He will read from selected works at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 25, in The Landing in the UMF Olsen Student Center. It will be followed by a meet and greet and book signing. The reading is free and open to the public.
Russo’s works include eight novels, two short story collections and a memoir. His novel, “Empire Falls,” is set in a small Maine town and won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction. It was adapted into an HBO miniseries and his 1993 novel, “Nobody’s Fool,” was made into a movie starring Paul Newman. More recently, Russo has collaborated on screenplays and with his daughter, artist Kate Russo, on the book “Interventions.” Russo has already had two books published in 2018—a collection of essays entitled “The Destiny Thief,” and “Trajectory”, a book of short fictional stories published by Knopf.
Russo lives in Portland, Maine with his wife Barbara and is currently working on a new novel.
More Information on the UMF Creative Writing Program
As the only Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program in the state of Maine and one of only three in all of New England, the UMF program invites students to work with faculty, who are practicing writers, in workshop-style classes to discover and develop their writing strengths in the genres of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. Small classes, an emphasis on individual conferencing, and the development of a writing portfolio allow students to see themselves as artists and refine their writing under the guidance of accomplished and published faculty mentors. Students can pursue internships to gain real-world writing and publishing experience by working on campus with The Beloit Poetry Journal, a distinguished poetry publication since 1950; or Alice James Books, an award-winning poetry-publishing house.
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Media Contact: Jeffrey Thomson, UMF professor of creative writing, at 207-778-7454, or jeffrey.thomson@maine.edu.
EDITOR’S NOTE:
Image: RP189-013
Photo Caption: Richard Russo
Photo Credit: Elena Seibert
Contact:
April Mulherin
UMF Associate Director for Media Relations
office: 207-778-7081
cell: 207-491-0064
april.mulherin@maine.edu