RICHARDSON, Texas (Oct. 16, 2003) - The University of Texas at Dallas professor and novelist R. Clay Reynolds will give this year’s fall presentation in the McDermott Library-UTD Mercury Writers Series at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 29.

Dr. Reynolds’ presentation will be titled, “A Reading and Conversation About Writing.” The free lecture will be held in the McDermott Library Auditorium (MC 2.410) located on the ground floor of the library on the UTD campus. Visitors are welcome and should obtain a parking pass at the security house in the middle of University Parkway about one-eighth of a mile north of Campbell Rd.

“This is the third year we have joined our campus newspaper, the UTD Mercury, in presenting writers, but this is the first time the speaker has been a member of our faculty,” said Dr. Larry Sall, director of UTD Libraries. “Through these events we hope more people on campus and from the community will learn about the extraordinary level of talented faculty we have here at UTD.”

Larry McMurtry has called Reynolds’ work “ambitious and absorbing.” Dee Brown acclaimed it as “superb.”

Reynolds, associate dean of Undergraduate Studies in UTD’s School of Arts and Humanities, has published eight novels and four non-fiction books. His most recent novels are Threading the Needle (May 2003), Ars Poetica: A Postmodern Parable (January 2003) and The Tentmaker (December, 2002).

Reynolds’ third novel, Franklin’s Crossing, received the Violet Crown Award for fiction as well as other awards and honors. He also won the Violet Crown Award in 2000 for Monuments. Both novels were finalists for the Western Writers of America Spur Award, which has also recognized Reynolds’ short fiction. Reynolds has been runner-up for both essay and fiction prizes from PEN Texas and received grants from the Texas Commission for the Arts. He is a National Endowment for the Arts fellow.

“While our newspaper staff is focused on journalism, having a writer and editor of Dr. Reynolds’ caliber will provide a better understanding of writing, publishing and editing for our students,” said Jay Miller, student media adviser at UTD.

Reynolds currently serves as a member of the Mercury’s operating board. A veteran editor of both fiction and non-fiction, Reynolds serves as a consultant for individual manuscripts and the publishing business. He holds academic degrees from the University of Texas at Austin (B.A.), Trinity University (M.A.) and the University of Tulsa (Ph.D.)

Reynolds’ presentation on Oct. 29 will include a book signing.

About UTD
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor, enrolls about 13,700 students. The school's freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university's web site at www.utdallas.edu.