UK Happenings

UPK, UK English Department Invite You to Bobbie Ann Mason's Birthday Party

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photo of Bobbie Ann Mason seated at end of dining table
photo of Bobbie Ann Mason birthday event with photo of "Patchwork" cover

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 1, 2019) Celebrate the birthday of one of the Commonwealth's most acclaimed authors, Bobbie Ann Mason, and her most recent book, "Patchwork: A Bobbie Ann Mason Reader," published by University Press of Kentucky (UPK) one year ago today.

The University of Kentucky Department of English and UPK invite the public to festivities honoring the UK alumna and former faculty member. The event will begin 5:30 p.m. tonight (Wednesday) with light refreshments at Lexington's 21c Museum Hotel. At 6 p.m., fellow authors and UK Professors Hannah Pittard and Gurney Norman will introduce Mason, who will read excerpts from her work.

A book signing will be presented as part of the event. Books will be available for on-site purchase via check or card.

Best known for "Shiloh and Other Stories" and the novels "In Country" and "The Girl in the Blue Beret," Mason burst onto the American literary scene during a renaissance of short fiction and was hailed as “a full-fledged master of the short story.” Her many awards include the PEN/Hemingway Award; the Arts and Letters Award for Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters; the Southern Book Critics Circle Award; and the Kentucky Book Award. Mason's memoir, "Clear Springs," was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. "Patchwork" collects outstanding examples of Mason’s award-winning work from throughout her writing career and provides a unique look at the development of one of the country’s finest writers.

The birthday celebration is free and open to the public. It is made possible with sponsorship from the Donovan Trust.