TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Best-selling author Gay Talese will give a public talk in 205 Gorgas Library Thursday, March 8, at 7:30 p.m., as part of the University Libraries Lecture Series.

The event is free and open to the public. Talese’s new book, “A Writer’s Life,” will be for sale after the talk.

Talese earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from UA in 1953. While at UA, Talese was sports editor for the Crimson White, UA’s student newspaper. He served as a reporter for The New York Times from 1953-1965. In 1966, he became a contributing editor for Esquire Magazine and also contributed articles to Reader’s Digest, New York Times Magazine and the Saturday Evening Post.

His awards and recognition include the 1970 Christopher Book Award for The Kingdom and the Power; the 1988 UA Society for the Fine Arts’ Alumni Award, the 1998 UA College of Communication Clarence Cason Writing Award; and he was named the first Kelly Writers House Fellow in 1999.

The University of Alabama, a student-centered research university, is in the midst of a planned, steady enrollment growth with a goal of reaching 28,000 students by 2010. This growth, which is positively impacting the campus and the state’s economy, is in keeping with UA’s vision to be the university of choice for the best and brightest students. UA, the state’s flagship university, is an academic community united in its commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all Alabamians.