Campus Community
Posted: Thursday, October 25, 2007Writer Ishmael Reed to Visit Campus
Buffalo State is delighted to welcome writer, poet, and 1998 MacArthur Fellow Ishmael Reedto campus on Friday, November 2, at 11:00 a.m. in Upton Hall 230.
Reed, who recently retired from a longtime teaching position at the University of California, Berkeley, delights, outrages, and confounds audiences and critics alike. He has published numerous novels as well as collections of poetry and essays. Born in Chattanooga, he grew up in Buffalo and began his writing career here as a correspondent for the Empire Star Weekly. His first novel, The Freelance Pallbearers, was published in 1967.
“We are delighted that Mr. Reed is able to come,” said Ralph Wahlstrom, associate professor and chair of the English Department. “His writing helps us hold a mirror to ourselves and offers us insight into the truth of the American culture and people.”
The MacArthur Fellowship, frequently referred to as the “genius award,” is a generous, unrestricted fellowship awarded to “talented individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction,” according to the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation's Web site.
Reed’s visit to campus is sponsored by an Equity and Campus Diversity Minigrant. Reed will also speak at the African American Cultural Center, 350 Masten Avenue, on Thursday, November 1, at 7:00 p.m. Tickets for this event are $15 for general admission, $10 for students and senior citizens.
