Lewis H. Lapham to deliver Arthur Curley Memorial Lecture

Contact: Marci Merola


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ALA News Release


For Immediate Release


December 2000

Lewis H. Lapham to deliver Arthur Curley Memorial Lecture

Author and
Harper’s Magazine editor Lewis H. Lapham will present the second Arthur Curley Memorial Lecture entitled, “The Public Library as the Ark of Liberty.” The event takes place at 3 p.m. in the Washington Convention Center, Room 30, on Saturday, January 13, during the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting in Washington, D.C.

An award-winning author, Lapham has been editor of
Harper’s Magazine since 1983 and writes a monthly essay for the publication under the rubric “Notebook.” He won a 1995 National Magazine Award for three of the “Notebook” essays. He also has written for such publications as
Life, National
Review,
The Yale Literary Magazine,
Elle,
Fortune,
Forbes,
The American Spectator,
Vanity Fair,
Parade,
Maclean’s,
The Observer (London),
The New York Times and
The Wall Street Journal. Lapham has written several books of essays, and his most recent book,
Lapham’s Rules of Influence was published in June 1999.

Lapham has lectured at many of the nation’s leading universities, among them Yale, Princeton, Stanford, and the Universities of Michigan, Virginia and Oregon. He has appeared on American and British television, as well as on National Public Radio and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He was the host and author of the six-part documentary series “America’s Century,” and between 1989 and 1991 he was the host and executive editor of “Bookmark,” a weekly public television series seen nationwide.

Attendees will receive a free copy of
Harper’s latest issue, and Lapham’s latest anthology,
An American Album: 150 Years of Harper’s Magazine, will be sold following the lecture.

“Lewis Lapham is well known for his thought-provoking editorial discourses in
Harper's magazine dealing with issues facing today's society,” said Norman Horrocks, chair of the lecture subcommittee. “He has been described as brilliant, good humored, passionate - and surprising.”

The Arthur Curley Memorial Lecture series is delivered each year at the ALA Midwinter meeting and honors ALA past president Arthur Curley. Curley served as president of ALA in 1994-1995 and was director of Boston Public Library. The lecture series commemorates his lifelong dedication to the principles of intellectual freedom, public access to information and public advocacy for libraries.