September 15, 2014
La Roche College Literary Society to Present Stories of Western Pennsylvania
PITTSBURGH, Sept. 15, 2014 –The Literary Society at La Roche University invites the public to attend a free series featuring acclaimed authors and their stories of Western Pennsylvania. All of the presentations will take place at 7 p.m. at La Roche’s main campus. The first two presentations will be held in the Ryan Room of the Zappala College Center, and the last will be held in the Zappala College Center Square.
- Oct. 17 – Marian Szczepanski will discuss her first, widely acclaimed novel, “Playing St. Barbara.” Ms. Szczepanski was born near Uniontown, Pa. and now lives in Texas. She graduated from Greensburg Central Catholic High School and received her degree in journalism from Notre Dame University.
- Feb. 20 – Speaker Mary Frailey Calland will talk about her novel, “Consecrated Dust,” the fictionalized story of a terrible day in Pittsburgh history. Ms. Calland was inspired by a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article on the 1862 explosion at the Allegheny Arsenal, in what is now Lawrenceville, where young workers were killed and remain unnamed in a marker near the cemetery on Butler Street.
- March 27 – New York Times bestselling author Tawni O’Dell will close the season with a reading and discussion of her latest novel, “One of Us.” Author of five novels, published in over 40 countries, Ms. O’Dell was born in the same coal country as the series’ first speaker, Ms. Szczepanski. Both women chose this environment as the background for their fiction. Ms. O’Dell’s first novel, “Back Roads,” became an Oprah Book Club selection, and is currently being made into a movie, for which she wrote the script.
Initiated in the early 1980s, La Roche University’s Literary Society provides a forum for scholarship and discussion on literature and other issues. For more information about the event, contact Sister Rita Yeasted, SFCC, Ph.D., at 412-536-1216 or rita.yeasted@laroche.edu.
About La Roche University: A private, Catholic, co-educational college north of Pittsburgh founded by the Sisters of Divine Providence in 1963, La Roche welcomes students of all religions, ethnic origins and talents. Undergraduates may choose from more than 50 majors, including the top 10 majors most in demand among today’s college students. La Roche combines a quality educational experience with clubs, athletics, social and community volunteer activities, spiritual well-being and more to prepare students for life in a constantly changing global society.
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