Writer and activist Margaret Atwood will visit campus 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Whittenberger Auditorium for a 90-minute, student-only lecture and Q&A.
An award-winning novelist who is known for works such as “The Handmaid’s Tale,” the MaddAddam trilogy and “The Blind Assassin,” Atwood will speak as a Ruth N. Halls Distinguished Lecturer. Atwood has also written critically acclaimed short stories and books of poetry.
Ed Comentale, interim director of the College Arts and Humanities Institute and English professor, organized the Margaret Atwood visit along with fellow English professors Rebekah Sheldon and Monique Morgan.
Both Comentale and Morgan said they feel grateful for the opportunity to bring Atwood to campus. They said they believe the student-only event will provide a space for a more intimate and focused discussion with Atwood.
Atwood’s collection of work is vast and varied, Comentale and Morgan said, broaching topics such as feminism, dystopias and the interaction between humans and technology. Comentale described Atwood’s books as “urgent” and praised them for addressing “some of the most significant questions.”
Although Atwood is 75 years old, she continues to be active in the literary community. Her latest novel, “MaddAddam,” which concludes the MaddAddam trilogy, came out in August 2013. Director Darren Aronosfsky, known for acclaimed films such as “Requiem of A Dream” and “Pi,” is currently adapting the trilogy for HBO.
“There’s just a real energy to her that I think students will respond very well to,” Morgan said.
Josh Byron, IU freshman and communications and culture major, is an example of the excited student Morgan and Comentale expect to see in the audience at the Whittenberger.
He said he was just searching the Internet to check for upcoming events at IU when he stumbled upon an announcement of Atwood’s appearance. Though he was too late to nab tickets for the show at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, he said he is eager to see her at the student-only event.
Byron first read Atwood when he borrowed “The Handmaid’s Tale” from a friend. Since then, he said, he’s admired her and her work.
“She is a titan of science fiction and feminist literature,” Byron said. “She is a giant in the literary world.”
In preparation for Atwood’s visit, CAHI has worked to set up an exhibit at the Lilly Library, “The Speculative Worlds of Margaret Atwood.” The exhibit will run through Feb. 20. CAHI also hosted special events, such as a symposium in which students and faculty discussed Atwood’s work, and a showing of “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
For IU students, the Atwood visit is an opportunity to see a prolific and well-known writer.
“You need to see people who are at the top of their field,” Byron said. “I’m interested to see what she’s going to talk about.”
