Mary Gaitskill to read from her works

American novelist and short story writer Mary Gaitskill will be visiting Concordia on November 12 as part of the Writers Read Series.

The playwright/actor and award-winning author is best known for delivering powerful stories of dislocation, longing, and desire with prose that "glides lightly over unsoundable depths" (Village Voice).

She will read from her works at 7:30 p.m. in the De Sève Cinema (McConnell Building, 1400 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W.).

Gaitskill's story “Secretary” was the basis for the feature film of the same name starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader. She is the author of the novels Two Girls, Fat and Thin, and Veronica (nominated for the 2005 National Book Award, National Critic’s Circle Award, and L.A. Times Book Award) and of the story collections Bad Behavior and Because They Wanted To (nominated for the PEN/Faulkner in 1998).

Her newest collection is Don’t Cry (2009): “Written with her distinctive, uncanny combination of bluntness and high lyricism, Don’t Cry takes its place among artworks of great moral seriousness” (Bomb Magazine).

Gaitskill’s stories and essays have appeared in The New Yorker, Harper’s, Esquire, Best American Short Stories and The O. Henry Prize Stories. She has taught at U-C Berkeley, the University of Houston, New York University, Brown University and Syracuse University.

The Writers Read Series invites renowned and emerging authors, both Canadian and international, to read from and discuss their work with students and local audiences.
 
Related link:
•    Writers Read at Concordia