ACCLAIMED AUTHOR TO VISIT OU

THROUGH DR. T.W. ADAMS LECTURE PROGRAM

NORMAN – A University of Oklahoma alumna and acclaimed author of the recent book “Eudora Welty: A Biography” will visit the Norman campus on Thursday, Sept. 28.

Suzanne Marrs, Stewart Family Professor of Language and Literature at Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss., will lead a free, public presentation titled “Deep Waters: Writing a Biography” at 7 p.m. in Beaird Lounge, Oklahoma Memorial Union, 900 Asp. Ave. 

Marrs, who received her doctoral degree in English from OU, has spent the past 22 years researching the life and works of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Eudora Welty. Welty is generally considered one of the great 20th-century American authors who was especially gifted as a practitioner of the short story.

To further her research, Marrs moved to Jackson, Miss., to live near Welty before she died in 2001. In order to more accurately write the biography, Marrs was given full access to unreleased papers written by and about Welty.

“I am particularly interested in the role that biography plays in Welty’s fiction and upon the historical and social contexts out of which her fiction has developed,” Marrs said.

 The presentation, which will include a book signing and reception, is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences’ Dr. T.W. Adams Distinguished Alumni Lecture Program, which brings outstanding alumni back to campus to enhance the intellectual and cultural life of the college.

Adams earned two advanced degrees from the OU College of Arts and Sciences and is a noted author and expert on the country of Cyprus. He retired from the U.S. Foreign Service after a diverse career in government service and business. Adams resides in Washington, D.C., and in 2004, funded an endowment to support the lecture program that carries his name.

In addition to Marrs’ presentation on campus, she will attend American literature classes in the college, where she will visit with students. From 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, Marrs also will be present at Full Circle Bookstore, located in 50 Penn Place, 1900 NW Expressway, Oklahoma City, to sign and discuss her book.

 For more information about Marrs and her research into the life of Welty, visit her Web site at http://home.millsaps.edu/marrss/. For more information on Marrs’ upcoming visit or for accommodations on the basis of disability, contact Catherine Hobbs in the Department of English at (405) 325-4661 or chobbs@ou.edu.