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Next week: Eastern's 'Big Read' program closes with talk by Madeline Miller, bestselling author of 'Circe'

Willimantic, CT (04/11/2024) — Eastern Connecticut State University will welcome #1 New York Times bestselling author Madeline Miller for a virtual presentation on April 17 at 5 p.m. in the Student Center Theatre. The talk will focus on Miller's award-winning novel "Circe" and is the culminating event of this year's National Endowment for the Arts-sponsored "Big Read" program at Eastern.

Miller will present live and virtually with audience members able to ask questions during a Q&A session. Those in attendance will receive a bookplate signed by Miller and have the chance to win copies of Miller's other works.

English professor Allison Speicher said of the event, "It promises to be an exciting conversation with a brilliant author whose erudition is matched only by her empathy. Miller has shown us again and again the continuing relevance and resonance of Greek mythology in the modern world, so the event promises to be a night to remember."

Written in 2018, "Circe" is an adaptation of various Greek myths, most notably the Odyssey, as told from the perspective of the witch Circe.

Eastern's "Big Read" program has been ongoing since fall 2023 with a variety of events connecting Eastern students with community members from the Willimantic area and readers at Central and Southern Connecticut State universities, as well as UConn's Center for Learning and Retirement.

A related exhibition in Eastern's Art Gallery, located in the Fine Arts Instructional Center, will remain open until April 18.

For more information, contact Beth Leslie via email at leslieb@easternct.edu or by phone at 860-465-5371.

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Eastern Connecticut State University is the state of Connecticut's public liberal arts university, serving upwards of 4,000 students annually on its Willimantic campus. In addition to attracting students from 160 of Connecticut's 169 towns, Eastern also draws students from 30 states and eight countries. A residential campus offering 41 majors and 68 minors, Eastern offers students a strong liberal arts foundation grounded in a variety of applied learning opportunities. Ranked among the top 20 public institutions in the North by U.S. News & World Report in its 2022-23 Best Colleges ratings, Eastern has also been awarded 'Green Campus' status by the Princeton Review 14 years in a row. For more information, visit www.easternct.edu.

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