Noted Cuban American Author Cristina García to speak at ESU

Noted Cuban American author Cristina García will present the March 1 Bonner and Bonner Diversity Series lecture.

"For 13 years the Bonner and Bonner lecture series has provided a valuable window to diversity, promoting tolerance and understanding on campus, in the community and throughout the state," said Kenneth Weaver, chair of the Bonner and Bonner Lecture Series Programming Committee.

Ms. García was born in Havana , Cuba in 1958. In the wake of Fidel Castro's Communist revolution in 1961, her family fled Cuba to New York City . Drawing on her personal experiences in an expatriate family with strong connections in Cuba, Ms. García has become one of the world's best-loved novelists.

Hailed as the most important Cuban-American voice in contemporary U.S. literature, Ms. García has been a Guggenheim Fellow and a Hodder Fellow at Princeton University .

She published "Dreaming in Cuban," which was nominated for the National Book Award, in 1992, followed by "The Aguero Sisters" in 1997 and "Monkey Hunting" in 2003. She received the Whiting Writers' Award in 1996. Her novels trace the pain and promise of national detachment, as well as the delicacy and strength of family ties across generations.

"The Bonner and Bonner Diversity Lecture Series was established to recognize the university's commitment to diversity. Through this forum we have been able to bring nationally known speakers such as NAACP chairman Julian Bond and Olympic Gold Medalist Billy Mills to Emporia State University ," said ESU President Kay Schallenkamp. "It is an honor to have one of the most important Cuban American voices in U.S. literature coming to our campus. She is a powerful speaker, who addresses diverse topics, inclusive and accessible to all who listen."

The Bonner and Bonner Lecture Series was established in 1992 by Drs. Thomas and Mary Bonner, ESU's first and second African American faculty members.

Ms. García will present the 2005 Bonner and Bonner Diversity Lecture entitled " Beyond the Hyphen: Identity in the Age of Multiculturalism " Tuesday, March 1 at 7 p.m. in Albert Taylor Hall, with a reception following in the Plumb Hall Rotunda.

Last Updated July 2, 2007>