Noted Gay Talese scholar Barbara Lounsberry will give a public lecture at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 13, in Leach Theater of Castleman Hall, 10th and Main streets on the University of Missouri-Rolla campus. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Lounsberry, professor of English at the University of Northern Iowa, is a scholar of creative non-fiction and a frequently published author and expert on the writings of noted journalist and non-fiction author Gay Talese. She will discuss Talese’s book The Bridge, which details the lives of the bridge builders responsible for the construction of the two-and-a-half mile Verrazano Narrows Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the United States, which connects Brooklyn and Staten Island, New York.

For UMR freshmen taking English 20, the lecture is the culmination of their studies. This year, faculty teaching all sections of the introductory course required of most freshmen have assigned The Bridge to their students. The program is designed to encourage interaction among students during their first year at UMR by giving them something in common to talk about.

“This program gives incoming freshmen a common experience that can provide a sense of community,” says Dr. Kristine Swenson, associate professor of English and technical communication.

The UMR English 20 students are writing about The Bridge, too. The English and technical communication department is sponsoring a contest to recognize the finest essays written about Talese’s book. Lounsberry will award prizes to the winning student writers following her presentation.

For more information about the lecture, contact the UMR English and technical communication department at (573) 341-4681.