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For Immediate Release

Media contact: Norma Endersby, 260-481-6710

2008-09 Omnibus Lecture Series Features Religion, Politics, Justice, Literacy, and Mark Twain

(Fort Wayne, August 15, 2008) -- Indiana University—Purdue University Fort Wayne's (IPFW) Omnibus Lecture Series will celebrate its fourteenth season this fall with a slate of nationally recognized speakers whose topics include religion, politics, justice, literacy, and the human condition.

The speakers, including the date of their appearance and their topic, are as follows:

John L. Esposito - Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008
The US and the Muslim World: What the Next President Should Know
Esposito is a professor of religion, international affairs, and Islamic studies at Georgetown University. He is a promoter of strong ties between Muslims and Christians, and is the author of more than 35 books. A consultant to the U.S. State Department as well as corporations, universities, and the media worldwide, he has been interviewed or quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and all major television networks, in addition to newspapers, magazines, and the media in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. His books and articles have been translated into more than 28 languages.

Eugene Robinson - Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2008
Politics and the Nation
Robinson uses his twice-weekly column for The Washington Post to pick American society apart and then put it back together again in unexpected and revelatory new ways. He relies on a large and varied tool kit: energy, curiosity, elegant writing, and the wide-ranging experience of a life that took him from childhood in the segregated South--on what they called the "colored" side of the tracks--to the heights of American journalism. Robinson appears frequently on MSNBC as a political analyst with Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews.

David Baldacci - Friday, Nov. 14, 2008
From Thriller to Tradition: Balancing Between Deadly Suspense and Wistful Southern Fiction
Bestselling author, former attorney, philanthropist, engaging speaker and activist, loving husband and father. All these fittingly describe Baldacci, whose affinity for writing began in high school. The years he spent in Washington, D.C. as a trial and corporate attorney gave him plenty of background to write a number of bestselling political and legal thrillers. In addition to being a widely read author, Baldacci is an advocate for literacy and the importance of reading, and participates in numerous charities, including his own family foundation for literacy, Wish You Well Foundation.

*Hal Holbrook - Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009
Mark Twain Tonight
An Emmy- and Tony-Award winning actor who is one of the great craftsmen of stage and screen, Holbrook is best known for his performance as Mark Twain, for which he won a Tony and the first of his 10 Emmy Award nominations. He is not simply an impersonator of Mark Twain, he is an authority on the writer about whom Hemingway said, "American literature began." Thus when Ken Burns started work on his PBS special on Mark Twain, one of the first people Burns contacted was Hal Holbrook, who is prominently featured in Burns' Mark Twain, which aired on PBS in 2002.

*Bruce Feiler - Thursday, March 26, 2009
Moses in America
A New York Times best-selling author of seven books, Feiler is an award-winning journalist and the writer-presenter of the highly rated PBS miniseries Walking the Bible, seen by more than 20 million people in its first month. He has traveled to more than 60 countries on five continents, immersing himself in different cultures. The result is numerous acclaimed books that take readers along on his fascinating adventures and bring other worlds vividly to life. He writes for numerous publications, is a contributing editor for Parade, and a frequent contributor to National Public Radio and CNN.

*Sandra Day O'Connor - Thursday, April 23, 2009
...And Justice for All
The first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, O'Connor served as an associate justice from 1981 until her retirement from the bench in 2006. Nominated to the court by President Ronald Reagan, she served for 24 years. For many years she was a crucial vote on the court because of her case-by-case approach to jurisprudence and her relatively moderate political views. To this day, O'Connor approaches each case with individual treatment and always seeks to arrive at a practical conclusion. Her moderation helped define her role as the centrist coalition-builder.

*These speakers will be appearing in conjunction with the Remnant Trust at IPFW, an on-site collection of original historical manuscripts, books, pamphlets, and related documents that changed the world, coming January 2009. For more information go to http://remnanttrust.ipfw.edu.

IPFW is grateful for the support of the Omnibus Lecture series founding sponsor, the English, Bonner, Mitchell Foundation, and media sponsors WANE-TV NewsChannel 15 and Northeast Indiana Public Radio. Additionally, 2008-09 cosponsors include Fort Wayne Newspapers and United Way of Allen County.

Each lecture will be held on the IPFW campus in The John and Ruth Rhinehart Music Centers 1,600-seat Auer Performance Hall. Except for Hal Holbrook, all lectures begin at 7:30 p.m. and doors open at 6:30 p.m.; the Holbrook evening will begin at 7 p.m. and doors will open at 6 p.m. There is no charge for the events and free parking is accessible in nearby lots.

The John and Ruth Rhinehart Music Center is located on the north end of campus in the arts plaza next to the Ernest E. Williams Theatre and the Visual Arts Building.

For more information and speaker photos, visit www.omnibuslectures.org or contact Norma Endersby, University Relations and Communications director of marketing, at 260-481-6710 or endersbn@ipfw.edu.

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