By Terry Gallagher
News and Information Services
Poet and novelist Marge Piercy will be the Helen L. DeRoy Visiting Professor in Honors at the University this month and next. She will conduct a writing seminar for students who have been studying her works, and will make several public presentations.
Her visit is sponsored by the Honors Program and the Women’s Studies Program.
Piercy, who received a bachelor’s degree from the U-M in 1957, is the author of 11 novels and numerous volumes of poetry. Her novels, which have often focused on social and political themes including feminism, the anti-war movement, poverty and ecological concerns, include Braided Lives, Gone to Soldiers and Going Down Fast.
Public events on campus during her visit include a poetry reading at 4 p.m. Nov. 9 in Rackham Amphitheater, and a lecture on “Women and Utopian Fiction” at 4 p.m. Nov. 11 in the Founders Room at the Alumni Center. She also will attend a book signing and reception in the Rare Books Room in the Graduate Library at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 4.
In addition, Piercy will read from her works on Jewish themes at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday (Oct. 28) at the Hillel Foundation, 1429 Hill St. And at 4 p.m. Nov. 2, she’s expected to attend a book signing at the Shaman Drum Bookstore.
The DeRoy Visiting Professorship in Honors was established in 1981 to allow U-M students to study with accomplished individuals from many fields. Previous DeRoy Professors include former British Prime Minister Edward Heath; poet Galway Kinnell; Frances Moore Lappe, author of Diet for a Small Planet; and Doug Fraser, former president of the United Auto Workers.
