I'm Elizabeth Evans.
Welcome to all of you.
This is a very special event, a reading by Joan Silber.
She's the first of the five terrific writers who make up
our 2011-2012 Prose Series.
And I couldn't be happier to see her here.
I look forward to hearing what she's going to read tonight.
I know it'll be wonderful.
Timothy Shaffert will be reading in November.
In February, Daniyal Mueenuddin will be here.
John Price will read March 19, and Monica Drake, March 26.
Special thanks are in order to the English Department
for funding the Prose Series, to the Poetry Center for allowing
us not only to use their facilities for meetings
and readings but also for offering our visitors use
of the Poetry Center cottage.
Thanks also to the College of Humanities
for developing the posters and flyers for this series.
And now, Manuel Muñoz, fiction writer par excellence,
professor, will introduce Joan.
[APPLAUSE]