Roger Williams University Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Harper Lee's 'To Kill a Mockingbird'

Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" is a Pulitzer Prize-winning look into racial prejudice in the American South and a modern U.S. literary classic. As the book marks its 50th anniversary this year, Roger Williams University is hosting a series of events to celebrate the acclaimed novel, culminating with a lecture next week by a leading expert on Harper Lee's body of literature.

The Tenth Annual Professor John Howard Birss, Jr. Memorial Lecture will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 24. The keynote lecture by Dr. Alice Hall Petry, "Still Flying After All These Years: The Enduring Presence of 'To Kill a Mockingbird,'" will take place at 4 p.m. in the Feinstein College of Arts and Sciences Building, Room 162.

Dr. Hall Petry is a recognized scholar of Lee's literature and in addition to several other literary-related books, has authored "On Harper Lee: Essays and Reflections" (2007). Dr. Hall Petry chaired the English department at the Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville from 1995 to 2001 and is now a professor emeritus of English at the university.

The Birss Memorial Lecture is being held in conjunction with the Birss Memorial Lecture Library Exhibition, "Harper Lee, 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' and Racism in America." The exhibition is being shown in the Main Library from Feb. 1 to March 15 during regular library hours. The RWU Main Library is open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. – 2:00 a.m., Friday from 7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Saturday from 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m., and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

The Birss Memorial Lecture is free and open to the public as space allows and will be held on the University's Bristol campus at One Old Ferry Road. For more information on the Birss Memorial Lecture series, contact Dr. James Tackach, professor of English literature and creative writing, at (401) 254-3234. The Birss Memorial Lecture series is sponsored by the Professor John Howard Birss, Jr. Memorial Library Fund.

About RWU: Roger Williams University is a leading independent, coeducational liberal arts university at which students live and learn to be global citizens. With 40 academic programs and an array of co-curricular activities on its Bristol, R.I., campus, RWU is committed to its mantra of learning to bridge the world. Under the leadership of President Roy J. Nirschel, Ph.D., the University has achieved unprecedented academic and financial successes. In 2009, U.S. News & World Report named RWU the seventh-ranked baccalaureate college in the north.

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