January 21, 2009

Books and Coffee series warms February with science fiction and fantasy

Books and Coffee is free and open to the public. The event begins at 4 p.m. when tea, coffee and baked goods are available, and the half-hour book talks begin at 4:30 p.m.

The 2009 discussions will include:

* Feb. 5. Purdue Memorial Union, South Ballroom. Shaun Hughes, professor of English, will talk about J.R.R. Tolkien's posthumously-published "The Children of Húrin." This is the first complete book by Tolkien in three decades, since the 1977 publication of "The Silmarillion."

* Feb. 12. Purdue Memorial Union, South Ballroom. Dorsey Armstrong, an associate professor of English and assistant chair of the Medieval and Renaissance Studies program, will talk about Ursula K. Le Guin's "Voices." It is a coming-of-age story about a 17-year-old girl and her mentor who are protectors of a hidden library in a town where possession of books is punishable by death.

* Feb. 19. Stewart Center, Rooms 302 and 306. Tara Star Johnson, assistant professor of English and curriculum and instruction, will talk about J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." This book is the culmination of the seven-book series based in the mythic British educational institution of Hogwarts.

* Feb. 26. Stewart Center, Rooms 302 and 306. Beth Burnett, director of undergraduate academic advising for engineering education, will discuss this year's Students' Choice, about Neil Gaiman's "American Gods." Purdue students voted on a book during the fall, and they selected this 2003 novel, which is an examination of the American spirit, through a man's mystical road-trip.

Everyone present may enter drawings for prizes, including books and sweatshirts donated by local merchants. Books and Coffee is sponsored by the Purdue Student Union Board and the Department of English.

Podcasts will be available after each talk: https://www.cla.purdue.edu/english/bookscoffee/

Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, (765) 494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu

Source: Angelica Duran, an associate professor of English and coordinator of Books and Coffee, (765) 496-3957, duran0@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

To the News Service home page