Author Jane Smiley to speak at library fundraiser in SLO

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jane Smiley will speak later this month in San Luis Obispo.

Smiley will talk about “The Education of a Writer” on May 27 at the Performing Arts Center as part of the nonprofit Foundation for San Luis Obispo County Public Libraries’ Book & Author Series.

Smiley won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for her novel “A Thousand Acres,” a modern-day retelling of William Shakespeare’s “King Lear.” It was adapted as the 1997 film of the same name starring Michelle Pfeiffer.

Her other books include the historical biography “The Man Who Invented the Computer” and the novels “Some Luck” and “Early Warning.”

An English professor at Iowa State University for 15 years, Smiley is a former Fulbright Scholar and a recipient of the PEN USA Lifetime Achievement Award.

Tickets for Smiley’s May 27 talk cost $25 to $35, or $10 for students. Proceeds benefit local public libraries.

For more information, 756-4849 or visit www.pacslo.org or http://slolibraryfoundation.org/.

This story was originally published May 5, 2015 at 1:09 PM with the headline "Author Jane Smiley to speak at library fundraiser in SLO."