Distinguished Writers
Award-winning authors read from and discuss their work, respond to questions, and sign books. The 2010 Distinguished Writers Series has ended. Please check back in early December for the 2011 Season lineup. Additional special events may take place in the fall of 2010.
Widely acknowledged as a major contribution to Dallas's cultural life, Arts & Letters Live has been a sellout since its inception in 1992. Now entering its 20th season in 2011, Arts & Letters Live has showcased over 400 regional, national, and international authors, often in combination with performing and visual arts. The Arts & Letters Live season typically runs between January and June each year. The Distinguished Writers series has featured many of the biggest names in contemporary literature. Past participants in the Distinguished Writers series include Salman Rushdie (Midnight’s Children; The Satanic Verses), John Updike (Rabbit, Run; Rabbit Is Rich), Art Spiegelman (Maus: A Survivor’s Tale), Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid’s Tale), Barbara Kingsolver (The Poisonwood Bible), Frank McCourt (Angela’s Ashes), Augusten Burroughs (Running with Scissors), Azar Nafisi (Reading Lolita in Tehran), Jeffrey Eugenides (Middlesex), Michael Chabon (The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay; Wonder Boys), Ernest Gaines (A Lesson Before Dying), Robert Caro (Master of the Senate: The Years of Lyndon Johnson), Tony Kushner (Angels in America, Caroline, or Change), Thomas Cahill (How the Irish Saved Civilization), Louise Erdrich (Love Medicine, The Painted Drum), Wally Lamb (She's Come Undone), and Ian McEwan (Atonement, Amsterdam), to name only a handful.
Five authors were featured in the 2010 Distinguished Writers Series: Mary Oliver: One of this country's greatest living poets. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize (American Primitive) and National Book Award (New and Selected Poems). She is also the recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment from the Arts. While in Dallas, she read poetry from throughout her career. Tracy Kidder: Hailed by Publishers Weekly as a writer "with an anthropologist's eye and a novelist's pen," he is a master of the nonfiction narrative. His ability to transform the ordinary into something extraordinary has earned him a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award. His enormously influential book Mountains Beyond Mountains is read in universities throughout the country. He discussed his latest book, Strength in What Remains. Peter Carey: The Evening Standard called him "one of the greatest storytellers of our time." He is one of only two authors to have received the prestigious Booker Prize twice, first for Oscar and Lucinda and then for True History of the Kelly Gang. He discussed his latest novel, Parrot and Olivier in America, and participated in an event in conversation with Colm Tóibín. Colm Tóibín: Internationally renowned Irish author Colm Tóibín has established himself as a major voice in contemporary literature. His novel The Master won the Los Angeles Times Novel of the Year and the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. He discussed his latest novel, Brooklyn, and participated in an event with Peter Carey. Isabel Allende: Her books have been translated into more than twenty-seven languages and have become international bestsellers. In 2004 she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Her latest book is Island Beneath the Sea. To date, authors and actors who have been a part of Arts & Letters Live have won: - 33 Pulitzer Prizes
- 18 National Book Awards
- 17 National Book Critics Circle Awards
- 10 Newbery Medals
- 7 Booker Prizes
- 5 National Humanities Medals
- 3 Academy Awards
- 71 Emmy Awards and nominations
Please check back in early December for the 2011 season lineup
Arts & Letters Live is supported by the Kay Cattarulla Endowment for the Literary and Performing Arts, TACA, The George and Fay Young Foundation, The Hoglund Foundation, The Eugene McDermott Foundation, and Annual Series Supporters. Additional support provided by Friends of the Dallas Public Library. Air transportation provided in part by American Airlines. Hotel accommodations provided in part by The Adolphus. Promotional partners include The Dallas Morning News, Einstein Printing,  and  .
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