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News Release

 
CONTACT:
Mary Beth Zeman, 973-720-2444
zemanm@wpunj.edu


January 31, 2005

Trio of Mystery Writers to Speak at William Paterson University’s Distinguished Lecturer Series

 
   

Harlan Coben, Brad Meltzer, and Sara Paretsky, three award-winning mystery novelists, are scheduled to speak about their genre on February 18 as part of William Paterson University’s Distinguished Lecturer Series.

Tickets are available at the Shea Center Box Office on February 14. For ticket availability, and to purchase single tickets, please call the box office at 973-720-2371 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.; prices are $32 standard; $30 for senior citizens, William Paterson faculty, staff and alumni; $10 for William Paterson students; and $14 for students from other schools. All lectures begin at 8 p.m. in Shea Center on campus; parking is free.

“An Evening of Murder, Mayhem, and Great Literature” features Coben, Meltzer and Paretsky discussing their creative processes and revealing the secrets of their craft.

Coben, the winner of the Edgar Allan Poe Award given by the Mystery Writers of America, the Shamus Award of the Private Eye Writers of America and the Anthony Award presented at the World Mystery Conference, is the first author to win all three. His most recent book, No Second Chance, is the first book to be selected as an International Book of the Month Club pick, the main selection for book clubs in 13 countries, and is an international best-seller. Coben is the first writer in more than a decade to be invited to write fiction for the New York Times Op-Ed page. Before he became a writer, he worked in the travel industry.

Meltzer, the author of the best-selling books The Tenth Justice, Dead Even, and The First Counsel, started his career with a degree from Columbia Law School. In fact, his first book, The Tenth Justice grew out of his time at law school. With the publication of that book, his writing career took off with his second book, Dead Even following just a year later. The First Counsel, about a White House lawyer dating the president’s daughter, was published last year. His most recent book, The Millionaires, is about two brothers who steal money and go on the run. He’s been featured on the Today Show, and in major publications including Time, USA Today, Vanity Fair, and Entertainment Weekly.

A fictional heroine created by Paretsky, the private detective V. I. Warshawski, created a stir in the genre of mystery writing because she was a strong female investigator who used not only her wits to solve crimes but her fists as well, smashing a stereotype in which women were traditionally depicted as either vamps or victims. Paretsky is also known for her deep sense of social justice. She is a frequent contributor to the New York Times Op-Ed page, and has spoken at the Library of Congress. She has set up several scholarships and a foundation to assist women and girls in the arts, letters and sciences. In addition to writing novels, she has been a visiting scholar at Oxford University and a visiting professor at Northwestern University. Her most recent book Blacklist, is the eleventh installment of the V. I. Warshawski series.

William Paterson’s Distinguished Lecturer Series is presented by the William Paterson University Foundation, the Student Government Association and the Student Activities Programming Board. Distinguished Partners include: Automatic Data Processing Inc.; Mercedes-Benz USA LLC; and The Record/Herald News. Benefactors include: BAE Systems-CNI; Castrol Consumer North America; CIT; Interchange Bank; Nicholas Martini Foundation; Pfizer; PSE&G; Roche; and the William Paterson University Alumni Association. Patrons include: Aventis Pharmaceuticals; Becton Dickinson and Co.; ITT Avionics; and Strykler Orthopedics. Sponsors include: AAA-NJ Automobile Club; Bograds; Bristol-Myers Squibb; CNA; Commerce Bank; Commerce and Industry Association; Melvin and Carole Cohen; Conocophillips Bayway Refinery; Barbara and Robert Evans; Gerber & Samson, Attorneys; Hunziker, Jones, Caserta, Romer & Champion, P.A.; Bruce Leeb & Company; McBride Enterprises, Inc.; Edward and Paulette Meier; North Fork Bank; The Opper Group; Passaic County Educational Council; Leon and Paula Rosenblum; Daryl and Stephen Roth; State Farm Insurance Companies; Toshiba America Consumer Products, Inc.; United Water New Jersey; United Yarn Products Company, Inc.; Valley National Bank; Verizon; Wakefern; Washington Mutual; Willowbrook Management; and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.

Note to reporters and editors: Downloadable photographs are available at: http://ww2.wpunj.edu/publicityphotos/DistinguishedLecturers04/