Award-winning author Laurie Lawlor to speak on campus Nov. 13

November 12, 2007

The beauty of Wisconsin's natural resources can mean many different things for many different people. For author Laurie Lawlor, it meant peace after her father's death as well as an unexpected inspiration for her writing. On Nov. 13, Lawlor will share that inspiration at 7:30 p.m. in the Kachel Center.

Lawlor is a highly distinguished author of 33 published books for children and young adults. She also has accumulated many awards in her career including the Carl Sandburg Award for Children's Literature and the American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults Award.

Much of Lawlor's inspiration for her books from nature and past life experiences. She is a part-time faculty member at Columbia College in Chicago, where she teaches writing to undergraduate and graduate students, and facilitates teacher workshops. Along with her presentation on Nov. 13, Lawlor will visit the 2:15 p.m. Nature Writing class at UW-Whitewater to give students advice on how to channel their experiences into stories.

"Lawlor is a remarkable guide to the natural world of Wisconsin, a writer consistently filled with wonder and curiosity about everything she sees around her," said Alison Townsend, associate professor of languages and literatures. "She weaves personal narrative of Wisconsin's rare and endangered wetland into a book as vivid as the landscape she describes, at the same time urging the reader to reflect on his or her own landscapes."

For more information on Lawlor or the event, contact Alison Townsend at (262) 472-1036 or via e-mail at TownsenA@uww.edu.