March 8, 2005 SELINSGROVE, (Pa.) – Rachel Simon, best-selling author of Riding the Bus with my Sister, will read from her work as part of the Visiting Writers Series at Susquehanna University on Wednesday, March 23. The reading begins at 7:30 p.m. in Isaacs Auditorium of Seibert Hall. Sponsored by the Writers Institute, the event is free and open to the public. Riding the Bus with my Sister, which was named “Best Nonfiction of 2002” by Reader’s Digest, is a nonfiction account of Simon’s mentally retarded sister’s excursions on the city buses, and the year that she spent accompanying her sister riding them. Riding the Bus with my Sister has been adapted by CBS for a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, set to air May 1. It stars Rosie O’Donnell as her sister and Andie MacDowell as Simon. Kirkus Reviews says of Riding the Bus with my Sister: “Rachel’s reflections on her own life are interspersed with memories of a far-from-ideal childhood... The...disparate narratives come together quite well and leave the reader cheering...” Simon is also the author of Little Nightmares, Little Dreams (1990), a collection of short stories, a book of fiction titled The Magic Touch (1994), and The Writer’s Survival Guide (1997), an inspirational book for writers. Simon currently teaches creative writing at Bryn Mawr College where she did her undergraduate studies. Simon is the fifth of six writers scheduled to read at Susquehanna during the 2004-2005 school year as part of the Visiting Writers Series. On April 18, poet/editor Christian Wiman will visit the university. Contact: Victoria Kidd 570-372-4119 #vk/2702#