Lorene Cary to Receive Distinguished Author Award

Philadelphia native and acclaimed writer Lorene Cary will receive the 2018 Royden B. Davis, S.J., Distinguished Author Award from The University of Scranton’s Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library on Saturday, Oct. 13, in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center.

The event will begin with a reception at 5 p.m., followed by dinner and the award presentation. Tickets are $60 per person, $55 for Friends of the Library and Schemel Forum members, $25 for students and $20 for student Friends members. In addition, there will be a book signing open to the public from 4 to 5 p.m. in the DeNaples Center.

Cary’s books are well known for their thoughtful and intelligent examination of the African-American experience, beginning with her best-selling memoir, “Black Ice,” an American Library Association Book for 1991 that continues to be taught in high schools and colleges today. Her 2011 novel, “If Sons, Then Heirs,” is a contemporary love story that also explores the corrosive racial history that haunts its main characters. The book was called “an absorbing and moving tale” by Publishers Weekly and “a powerful take on family, history” by The Philadelphia Tribune.

Cary’s other books include: “The Price of a Child,” a 1995 novel chosen as the first One Book, One Philadelphia selection; “Pride,” a contemporary novel; and “FREE! Great Escapes on the Underground Railroad,” a collection of true-life stories for young readers. Meanwhile, Cary’s essays have appeared in publications like Newsweek, Time, Essence and O Magazine.

In 1998, Cary founded Art Sanctuary to create unique programs for African-American artists, performers and writers in Philadelphia. The programs have drawn up to 1,500 participants a year. In addition, she served on Philadelphia’s School Reform Commission from October 2011 to January 2013.

A longtime senior lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania, Cary received the prestigious Philadelphia Award in 2003. She is also the recipient of six honorary doctorates.

Named in honor of the late Rev. Royden B. Davis, S.J., who served in many roles at the University and as rector of the Jesuit Community, the Distinguished Author Award was established in 1997. The Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library envisioned the series as a way to honor notable fiction and non-fiction authors, and to give them the opportunity to share their literary pursuits and impressions with Northeastern Pennsylvanians. Proceeds from the event benefit the Friends of the Library Endowment Fund, which supports special gifts for the Weinberg Library collections and services.

Past recipients of the award have included best-selling author Colum McCann, Jack Palance, Malachy McCourt, Mary Higgins Clark, Carol Higgins Clark, Lisa Scottoline, Linda Fairstein, James Grippando, Phillip Margolin, Mary Gordon, William Bernhardt, Steve Berry, Jay Parini and Susan Campbell Bartoletti. The 2016 winner was Scranton native Stephen Karam, known best for his Broadway play, “The Humans,” a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

For more information or to reserve a ticket for the dinner, contact Kym Fetsko at 570-941-7816 or kym.fetsko@scranton.edu. For more on Cary, visit lorenecary.org.