ASU to present noted author E. Lynn
Harris on campus for Lecture~Concert

Sept. 13, 2005 -- Arkansas State University in Jonesboro will present noted author E. Lynn Harris on Tuesday, Sept. 27.

The second event for the 2005-06 Lecture~Concert Series, Harris’ topic will be “Writing and Achieving Your Dreams.” The presentation will be at 7 p.m. in the Student Union Auditorium. As always, all Lecture~Concert programs are free and open to the public.

Harris is the author of five bestselling novels: “Invisible Life,” “Just As I Am,” and New York Times bestsellers “And This Too Shall Pass,” “If This World Were Mine,” and “Abide With Me,” an NAACP Image Award finalist. These novels also appeared on the bestseller list of the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, and the Los Angeles Times.

He is a former computer sales executive for IBM, living in Dallas, Washington, D.C. and Atlanta. After leaving his computer sales career to write his first novel, “Invisible Life,” and failing to find a publisher, he published the book himself and mostly sold it to African-American owned bookstores, beauty salons, and book clubs. Ultimately, Harris was discovered by Anchor Books who published “Invisible Life” as a trade paperback in 1994. His other four best sellers were published by Doubleday.

His novel, “If This World Were Mine,” won the James Baldwin Award for Literary Excellence. Harris’ sixth and seventh novels “Not a Day Goes By,” and “Any Way the Wind Blows,” both debuted at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list. His most recent novel, “A Love of My Own,” was a national best seller as well. Currently, there are more than three million copies of Harris’ novels in print.

His writings have appeared in American Visions, Essence, Sports Illustrated, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, New York Times Book Review, the Washington Post Sunday Magazine, Savoy, and The Advocate.

Harris graduated with honors from the University of Arkansas with a degree in journalism. In 1999, he was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award from his alma mater. During college, he was the school’s first black yearbook editor, the first black male Razorback cheerleader, and served as the president of his fraternity.

In 2000, Harris was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame. He has received numerous other awards and accolades.

In addition to his publishing pursuits, Harris made his Broadway debut in the fall of 2001 and has completed a screenplay. He is also a popular college lecturer, having spoken throughout the United States. He currently divides his time between Chicago, New York and Fayetteville where he is teaching a class at the University of Arkansas.
Harris’ presentation is a joint presentation of The Honors College, the ASU Office of Diversity and the Division of Student Affairs.

The Lecture~Concert Series presents diverse programs to enrich the cultural life of the campus, community, and region.


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