For immediate release | July 9, 2013

Boyhood home of Sinclair Lewis to be designated a Literary Landmark by United for Libraries

PHILADELPHIA — United for Libraries, in partnership with the Minnesota Association of Library Friends (MALF) and the Sinclair Lewis Foundation, will designate the boyhood home of Sinclair Lewis in Sauk Centre, Minn. a Literary Landmark on Tuesday, July 16.

Harry Sinclair Lewis is perhaps best known for penning the novels “Main Street,” “Babbitt,” “Arrowsmith” and “Dodsworth” and for being the first writer from the United States to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature (1930).



MALF and the Sinclair Lewis Foundation will dedicate the author’s boyhood home at 810 Sinclair Lewis Ave., at 4 p.m. CDT on Tuesday, July 16. The ceremony will be one of the lynchpin events at Sauk Centre’s “Sinclair Lewis Days,” an annual, week-long festival celebrating the community and its most famous native son.



A short presentation will accompany the plaque dedication. Jim Umhoefer, president of the Sinclair Lewis Foundation’s board of directors, will serve as emcee. MALF president Mary Ann Bernat and Lewis author Roberta Olson will deliver short addresses, followed by a keynote from local publisher and Lewis historian Dave Simpkins. The event is free to the public, and no advanced registration is required. After the program, attendees are invited to take part in a complimentary tour of the boyhood home (normally $5 for adults).

Other local partners in the dedication include the Bryant Public Library in Sauk Centre, a member of Great River Regional Library; the Friends of the Bryant Public Library, and the Sauk Centre Chamber of Commerce.

The Literary Landmark program is administered by United for Libraries. More than 120 Literary Landmarks across the United States have been dedicated since the program began in 1986. Any library or group may apply for a Literary Landmark through United for Libraries. More information is available on the United for Libraries website.

A strong presence on the Minnesota library scene since its founding in 1979, the Minnesota Association of Library Friends (MALF) is a statewide nonprofit that aims to connect the many and diverse friends of the library organizations located in Minnesota both to one another and to a wide array of resources supporting their advocacy and fundraising efforts. For more information, visit www.mnlibraryfriends.org.

United for Libraries: The Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations, is a division of the American Library Association that supports those who govern, promote, advocate, and fundraise for libraries. United for Libraries brings together library trustees, advocates, friends and foundations into a partnership that creates a powerful force for libraries in the 21st century. For more information or to join United for Libraries, visit the United for Libraries website or contact Jillian Kalonick at (312) 280-2161 or jkalonick@ala.org.

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Contact:

Jillian Kalonick

Marketing/Public Relations Specialist

United for Libraries

jkalonick@ala.org