COLLOQUIUM & READING SERIES
presents

MICHAEL ONDAATJE author of "The English Patient" and one of the world's foremost poets and novelists, will read from his work Monday, May 19th, at 7:30 p.m. at the Art Auditorium at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. Admission is free.

Born in Sri Lanka, the former Ceylon, of Indian/Dutch ancestry, and now living in Toronto, Michael Ondaatje is the author of five novels, a memoir, a nonfiction book on film, and several books of poetry. The English Patient won the Booker Prize, the film version won several Academy Awards. Anil's Ghost won the Irish Times International Fiction Prize, the
Giller Prize, and the Prix Mdicis. His latest novel, Divisadero, takes us from the city of San Francisco to the raucous backrooms of Nevada's casinos and eventually to the landscape of south-central France. Breathtakingly evoked and with unforgettable
characters, Divisadero is a multilayered novel about passion, loss, and the unshakable past, about the often discordant demands of family, love, and memory.

This reading is the third public event in The Marjorie Putnam Sinclair Edel Reading Series, which honors the memory of poet, novelist,
biographer, and teacher Marjorie Edel (1913-2005) and her lasting contributions to Hawai'i's and the University's literary communities from
1935 into the twenty-first century.

(Co-sponsored by the Department of English, the Center for Biographical Research, and the Center for South Asian Studies, University
of Hawai'i at Manoa.)

LINDA SPALDING, novelist, poet, and writer of creative non-fiction, will read from Who Named the Knife, her recent book on a Honolulu murder trial and its aftermath, on Tuesday, May 20th, at 7:30 p.m. at the Korean Studies Center at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. Admission is free.

In 1982 she was a juror in the trial of Maryann Acker, who was accused of kidnapping, robbery, and murder. Spalding kept a notebook during the trial, noticing that the prime witness for the State, Acker's ex-husband, was frequently changing his story. On the last day, Spalding-five minutes late-was excused from the jury, and Acker was convicted. Two months later, Spalding moved to Canada. Eighteen years later, Spalding found the diary she had kept during the trial. She then contacted Maryann Acker, and began the process of trying to get her a new trial.

Publishers Weekly writes that Spalding's "strong, elegant prose carries the story along effortlessly. With her own life full of tragedy-a failed marriage, the accidental death of a brother and sister-in-law-Spalding both relates to Acker and suffers from guilt, knowing her vote might have spared Acker a life behind bars. Along the way, Spalding weaves a beautiful story about coming to terms with her mother's imminent death and her unresolved relationship with her often violent-tempered father. This
delicate yet powerful work should find a wide readership."

Linda Spalding is the author of the novel Daughters of Captain Cook, the non-fiction memoir A Dark Place in the Jungle, and two other novels, one written with her sceenwriter daughter, Esta. She has also been the editor
of Brick, A Literary Journal. She lives in Toronto with Michael Ondaatje. (Co-sponsored with the UHM Center for Biographical Research).

For more information, contact 956-7619, or biograph@hawaii.edu.

“The support and guidance of experienced, professional teachers and scholars such as Professor MacMillan are critical to the success of our students doing graduate work,” said UH Manoa Chancellor Denise Konan. “We applaud the Graduate Council’s initiative in identifying outstanding faculty for this annual recognition.”

A letter of nomination for MacMillan said, “Ian embodies all of the Council’s criteria. While he continues to publish an unbroken stream of short fiction and novels, he provides guidance to an astonishing number of students who benefit from his artistic discernment, conscientious instruction, and strong advocacy. Each of us feels privileged to study with a prolific, award-winning author who liberally shares his time and expertise. In short, he actively helps each student fulfill his potential as a writer by devoting countless hours to reading manuscripts, offering insightful advice, writing letters of recommendation, and encouraging students toward publication.

Distinguished Writer in Residence, Albert Wendt, continues as Citizens' Chair for the English Department through Spring, 2008.

Albert Wendt was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Literature by Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, May, 2005. The film "A New Oceania: Albert Wendt, Writer", premiered at the Auckland Film Festival in July and has been shown at the Hawai‘i Film Festival in October 2005. His play, "The Songmaker's Chair" has been staged in Honolulu by Kumu Kahua Theatre in Spring 2006.