Bobbie Ann Mason to Give Prichard Lecture

Photo of Bobbie Ann Mason
Bobbie Ann Mason

The Prichard Lecture is open to the public. Tickets may be purchased at the William T. Young Library at (859) 257-0500 ext. 2159 at a cost of $50.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 22, 2005) -- Author Bobbie Ann Mason will deliver the 24th annual Edward F. Prichard Jr. Lecture at 8 p.m. Friday, April 29, at the Crown Plaza Campbell House. The lecture is part of the University of Kentucky Library Associates annual meeting.

Mason , UK’s Writer in Residence, was raised on her family’s dairy farm in Mayfield, Ky., and earned a bachelor’s in English from UK. She earned a master’s at the State University of New York at Binghamton and her doctorate at the University of Connecticut. Mason’s first short stories were published by The New Yorker and some appeared in her first book of fiction, “Shiloh and Other Stories,” published in 1982. She has published three additional books of short stories and four novels including her famed work “In Country.” Random House will publish her newest novel, due August 2005. Mason will read from her Pulitzer Prize-finalist, “Clear Springs,” which relates her memoirs and family history. Mason was the 1998 winner of the UK Libraries Medallion for Intellectual Achievement.

Al Smith Jr., host of KET’s “Comment on Kentucky” and celebrated civic leader, will receive this year’s Medallion for Intellectual Achievement at the meeting. The award, created in 1990, recognizes high intellectual achievement in Kentucky, encouraging education and Kentuckians’ free and creative use of the mind.

The UK Library Associates was organized in 1954 to support the work of the libraries and includes over 1,200 community friends, alumni, faculty and students who make annual contributions. The Associates’ annual meeting will begin with a reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by a dinner at 6:30 pm. The Prichard Lecture and awarding of the medallion will take place at 8 p.m.

As the major research library in the Commonwealth, the University of Kentucky Libraries provides comprehensive access to information essential to teaching, research and service at the University of Kentucky. The Libraries include 15 facilities, more than 3,000,000 print volumes, 28,000 journal subscriptions, and over 400 online databases. For more information on UK’s Libraries, visit the Web site.

The Prichard Lecture is open to the public. Tickets may be purchased at the William T. Young Library at (859) 257-0500 ext. 2159 at a cost of $50. For more information, contact Sharon Ross at (859) 257-0500 ext. 2159 or e-mail.