RELEASE: IMMEDIATE      DATE: 3/18/05

CONTACT: EMILY SILVERMAN, (413) 545-0995

 

FRIENDS OF THE UMASS AMHERST LIBRARY
HOSTS THIRD ANNUAL AUTHOR EVENT and FUNDRAISER

“Dinner with Friends” is April 2, 2005

     Amherst , Mass. – On Saturday, April 2, 2005 , at 6:30 p.m., the Friends of the UMass Amherst Library will host the third annual “Dinner with Friends” at the University Club on the UMass Amherst campus. This elegant and fun evening is a key fundraising event for the UMass Amherst Library.

     This year's event features five notable authors—George Howe Colt, Anne Fadiman, Julius Lester, Hilary Price, and Betty Rosbottom— a delicious feast, silent auction, and an autographed book raffle.

     George Howe Colt was a staff writer at Life magazine for fifteen years. His first book, The Enigma of Suicide , was described by the Los Angeles Times Book Review as “A great and moving triumph. . . . Not only is this a masterly piece of journalism, it is also, strangely enough, a profoundly life-affirming study.” His second book, The Big House: A Century in the Life of an American Summer Home , was a New York Times Notable Book and a finalist for the 2003 National Book Award. He lives in Whately , Massachusetts , with his wife, Anne Fadiman, and their two children.

     Anne Fadiman is the inaugural Francis Writer in Residence, Yale University 's first endowed chair in nonfiction writing. She is the author of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down , the story of a Hmong family from Laos and their conflicts with the American medical system. It won the National Book Critics Circle Award for general nonfiction, the Salon Book Award for nonfiction, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for current interest nonfiction, and the Boston Book Review Award for nonfiction. The Washington Post called it “an intriguing, spirit-lifting, extraordinary exploration.” Fadiman's second book, Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader , is a collection of personal essays about her lifelong love affair with books and language. The London Observer called Ex Libris “witty, enchanting, and supremely well-written.” Fadiman has won National Magazine Awards for both Reporting and Essays. From 1998 to 2004, she was the editor of the literary quarterly The American Scholar . She has also edited two books: Best American Essays 2003 and Rereadings, a collection of literary essays from The American Scholar that will be published this fall.

     Since 1968, Julius Lester has published 40 books - 7 nonfiction, 29 children's books, 1 book of poetry, and 3 adult novels. Among the awards these books have received are the Newbery Honor Medal, the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, National Book Award Finalist, American Library Association Notable Book, National Jewish Book Award Finalist, Boston Globe/Horn Book Award, National Book Critics Circle Honor Book and New York Times Outstanding Book. His most recent book is The Autobiography of God: A Novel (2004). Lester has published more than two hundred essays and reviews in such publications as The New York Times Book Review , The New York Times , Boston Globe , Village Voice , The New Republic , Moment , Forward , and Dissent . He has also recorded two albums of original songs, hosted and produced a radio show on WBAI-FM in New York , and hosted a live television show on WNET in New York . Professor Lester joined the faculty of UMass Amherst in 1971 where he was a full professor in the Judaic and Near Eastern Studies Department, and adjunct professor in the English and History departments before his retirement in January, 2004. He received all three of the university's most prestigious faculty awards: The Distinguished Teacher's Award, the Faculty Fellowship Award for Distinguished Research and Scholarship, and the Chancellor's Medal, the University's highest honor.

     Hilary Price draws her comic strip in Florence , Massachusetts , in what was once a thriving toothbrush factory, since converted to studio space for artists. She began Rhymes with Orange in San Francisco in 1995, and is the youngest woman ever to have a daily syndicated comic strip. Rhymes With Orange appears in newspapers nationwide, and has made cameos in People magazine, Forbes , Glamour , and The Funny Times . Hilary Price is the a uthor of Reigning Cats and Dogs (2003). She and her partner live in western Massachusetts with their dog, two cats, and two fish.

     Betty Rosbottom writes a weekly syndicated column called “That's Entertaining” for the Tribune Media Services (formerly The Los Angeles Times Syndicate) , which appears throughout the U.S. She is also a frequent contributor to Bon Appetit Magazine . Rosbottom has authored American Favorites (1996), First Impressions (1992), and Weekends With Friends (2000). Her newest book is The Big Book of Backyard Cooking (Chronicle Books, 2004). In 1976, she founded the nationally recognized La Belle Pomme Cooking School in Columbus , Ohio , and served as its director until 1995 when she moved to New England . Now Rosbottom teaches at Yankee Candle in South Deerfield, Massachusetts, as well as at cooking schools throughout the U.S. She also leads culinary tours to France and teaches there as well. She has served on the board of directors of the International Association of Culinary Professionals and is a Certified Culinary Professional. Rosbottom's extensive television work includes a PBS series on entertaining, and several appearances on national television, including “The Today Show.”

     All proceeds of the event will benefit the Friends of the Library Endowment, w hich funds the acquisition of books, journals, and other materials for the UMass Amherst Library. This endowment is eligible for the state's 50% gift matching program, the Public Higher Education Capital & Endowment Incentive Program , which will match, at a rate of 50 cents per dollar gifts contributed to qualifying endowed funds received by June 30, 2005 .

     Tickets are $125 per person or $200 for two. The tax-deductible donation is $90 per person or $130 for two. Reservations are limited to the first 80 respondents.

     The goal of the event is to raise awareness of and support for the UMass Amherst Library. The Library is the largest public research library in the region, and this outstanding resource is open to all residents of Massachusetts .

     Last year attendees and sponsors raised over $8,000 for the Library. This year's business sponsors to date are Amherst Athletic Club, Bonbons de Bourguignon®, William J. Cray, Dell Inc., Gravity Switch, Jeffery Amherst Bookshop, Jessica Berger Personal Fitness Training, Mama Nirvana's New Yoga, MicroTek Inc., Inc., Nathan Agencies/Amherst Insurance, National Evaluation Systems Inc., Summa Therapeutic Massage, and Trader Joe's.

     For more information, contact Emily Silverman at the UMass Amherst Library at (413) 545-0995 or email friends@library.umass.edu.