NEWS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE               DATE: 2/26/07 CONTACT: LESLIE SCHALER, COMMUNICATION ASST., (413) 545-0162 FRIENDS OF THE UMASS AMHERST LIBRARIES HOSTS FIFTH ANNUAL RECEPTION AND DINNER “Dinner with Friends” is March 31, 2007   Amherst, Mass. – On Saturday, March 31, 2007, at 6:30 p.m., the Friends of the UMass Amherst Libraries will host the fifth annual “Dinner with Friends” in the Learning Commons at the W.E.B. Du Bois Library on the UMass Amherst campus.      The event features lively talks by three notable authors from the area—Arthur F. Kinney, Charles C. Mann, and Lesléa Newman (authors’ bios follow), a champagne and hors d’oeuvre reception with the Kurian/Nix duo, and a gourmet dinner.  Tickets are $125 per person or $225 for two (of which $90 is tax-deductible, $155 for two).  Complimentary passes for the parking garage will be provided.  Handicap parking is available next to the Library.       Last year, attendees and sponsors raised over $30,000 for the Library, nearly doubling the amount raised the previous year.  Sponsors of the 2007 “Dinner with Friends” to date include Accounting and Tax Associates Inc., Elaine and Alan Barker, Jeffery Amherst Bookshop, Lewis and Caden Mainzer, MicroTek Inc., Nathan Agencies/Amherst Insurance Co., OFI Contract Interiors, UMass Amherst Alumni Association, and UMass Catering.  The evening is a key fundraising event for the UMass Amherst Library, the largest public research library in the region.  All proceeds will benefit the 21st Century Library Technology Fund for the expansion of the Learning Commons and its resources.      The UMass Amherst Library is open to all residents of Massachusetts, offering a rich array of resources and services.  In fall 2005, the Learning Commons—an innovative 23,000 square foot space—was created in the Du Bois Library.  The Learning Commons is a gathering place for study, research, and learning in collaborative, technology-rich settings.  In the summer of 2006, the Learning Commons was expanded to include new computer workstations and more glass study rooms, and the second and third floors were renovated to create quiet study space with new modular work stations and upholstered chairs. The Learning Commons has more than 150 computers, of which nearly 60 are open to the public. For more information and to make reservations, contact Emily Silverman at the UMass Amherst Library at (413) 545-0995 or email friends@library.umass.edu. Dinner with Friends, March 31, 2007 – Authors’ bios: ARTHUR F. KINNEY is Thomas W. Copeland Professor of Literary History and Director of the Center for Renaissance Studies at UMass Amherst.  His current interests are the performance of Renaissance drama; the development of Renaissance English poetry and fiction; the history of the book, and of reading and literacy; and the use of cognitive theory in understanding the early modern period.  Besides the early modern period, he has published several books on William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, and Dorothy Parker and has a strong interest in American literature in the twentieth century.  He is the author and editor of more than thirty books and the recipient of numerous fellowships and grants. CHARLES C. MANN’s most recent book 1491: New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus (2005) is a history of the Americas before Columbus. A correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly, Science, and Wired, he has covered the intersection of science, technology, and commerce for many newspapers and magazines in the U.S. and abroad.  He has co-written four other books: The Second Creation: Makers of the Revolution in 20th-Century Physics (rev. ed. 1995); The Aspirin Wars: Money, Medicine, and 100 Years of Rampant Competition (1991), Noah’s Choice: The Future of Endangered Species (1995), and @ Large: The Strange Case of the Internet’s Biggest Invasion (1998). LESLÉA NEWMAN is the author of over 50 books including Heather Has Two Mommies, A Letter To Harvey Milk, Writing From The Heart, In Every Laugh a Tear, The Femme Mystique, Still Life with Buddy, Fat Chance, and Out of the Closet and Nothing to Wear.  Her recent projects include a young adult novel Jailbait (2005), a middle-grade novel Hachiko Waits (2004), and several picture books including A Fire Engine for Ruthie (2004) and The Boy Who Cried Fabulous (2004). She is the author of poems, short stories, and novels, and writes for both adults and children. She has received many literary awards including Poetry Fellowships from the Massachusetts Artists Fellowship Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, the Highlights for Children Fiction Writing Award, the James Baldwin Award for Cultural Achievement, and two Pushcart Prize Nominations.