Lone Star College-Montgomery’s Writers in Performance kicks off its fall series with Paul Mariani, a world-renown, award-winning author who will read selections of his poetry on Thursday, September 15, at 7 p.m., in the college’s library (Building F).
 
Then to continue his presentation, Mariani will show clips of the film, “The Broken Tower,” which is based on his written biography of the iconic poet Hart Crane, on Friday, September 16, at 6 p.m., in the Recital Hall (Building H). Mariani will discuss the biography and his collaboration to adapt a script for the film with James Franco, the film’s starring actor and producer/director.
 
Mariani is the author of more than 200 reviews and essays, four critical studies, a spiritual memoir, 10 books, six volumes of poetry, and five biographies of poets including Crane, William Carlos Williams, John Berryman, Robert Lowell, and most recently, Gerald Manley Hopkins.
 
All his written biographies have been listed as “Notable Books” by the New York Times, and his biography of Williams was short-listed for the American Book Award.
 
Mariani has been awarded two fellowships from The Guggenheim Foundation, two from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and one from the National Endowment for the Arts. In 2009, Mariani was awarded the John Ciardi Award for Lifetime Achievement in Poetry.
 
For more than 30 years, Mariani taught English at the University of Massachusetts. Since 2000, he has served as a chair in the English department at Boston College.
 
The goal of the Writers in Performance series is to bring thought-provoking literature and cultural diversity to the campus of LSC-Montgomery and the surrounding community. The series’ events are made possible by the partnership between the Montgomery County Literary Arts Council, LSC-Montgomery Library, the Conroe Commission on the Arts and Culture, Good Books in the Woods, LSC-Montgomery’s Academy for Lifelong Learning, and SWIRL, LSC-Montgomery’s magazine of student art and writing.
 
For more information, contact Dave Parsons, professor of English at LSC-Montgomery, at 936.524.6537 or David.M.Parsons@LoneStar.edu.
 
LSC-Montgomery is located at 3200 College Park Drive, one-half mile west of Interstate 45, between Conroe and The Woodlands. For more information about the college, call 936.273.7000, or visit www.LoneStar.edu/montgomery.
 
With more than 69,000 students in credit classes for fall 2010, and a total enrollment of more than 85,000, Lone Star College System is the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area, and the fastest-growing community college system in Texas. Dr. Richard Carpenter is the chancellor of LSCS, which consists of five colleges including LSC-CyFair, LSC-Kingwood, LSC-Montgomery, LSC-North Harris, and LSC-Tomball, six centers, LSC-University Park, LSC-University Center at Montgomery, LSC-University Center at University Park, Lone Star Corporate College, and LSC-Online. To learn more visit LoneStar.edu.