October 14, 2004 SELINSGROVE, (Pa.) – Ron Hansen, a critically acclaimed author of eight books, will read from his work as part of The Writers Institute’s Visiting Writers Series at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 27, in Isaacs Auditorium of Seibert Hall. The reading is free and open to the public. Hansen, who is visiting Susquehanna as the second extended-residency creative writer, will be on campus for a week. His most recent work includes the novel Isn’t It Romantic published in 2003 by HarperCollins, and a collection of essays on faith, titled A Stay Against Confusion, published in 2002 by HarperCollins. His novel Atticus (HarperCollins, 1996) was a National Book Award Finalist. His list of critically acclaimed books also includes Hitler’s Niece, Mariette in Ecstasy, Nebraska, Desperadoes, and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. He has also written a children’s book, The Shadowmaker (HarperCollins, 1987), which the New York Times named the Outstanding Children’s Book of 1987. He edited the anthology You’ve Got to Read This: Contemporary American Writers Introduce Stories That Held Them in Awe with Jim Shepard. His work has appeared in Esquire, Atlantic Monthly, and The Paris Review. Hansen has taught literature and fiction at universities such as Cornell, Stanford, Michigan, Iowa, and Arizona. He now teaches at Santa Clara University in northern California where he earned his master’s degree in spirituality in 1995 and lives with his wife, novelist Bo Caldwell. Hansen is the second of six writers scheduled to read at Susquehanna during the 2004-2005 school year as part of the Visiting Writers Series, sponsored by The Writers Institute. Hansen’s public reading is also part of Susquehanna University’s “Religion in the Public Square” initiative, a year-long focus featuring a number of events that explore what role religion appropriately plays in the public life of a democracy. Contact: Victoria Kidd 570-372-4119 #vk/0966#