ALLIANCE, Ohio – The University of Mount Union is proud to announce that Margaret Atwood, award-winning author of The Handmaid’s Tale and other literary works, will present the annual Schooler Lecture Wednesday, April 10, 2019 at 8 p.m. in the Timken Gymnasium of the McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex on Mount Union’s campus.

Atwood has long been a literary titan, but “current events have polished the oracular sheen of her reputation,” says The New Yorker. With her 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale back on the bestsellers lists and its television adaptation nominated for 33 Primetime Emmy Awards and won 11, it seems Atwood’s sharp eye is more necessary—and prescient—than ever.

A winner of many international literary awards, including the prestigious Booker Prize, Arthur C. Clarke Award, Governor General’s Award, the PEN Pinter Prize, the Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Book Critics Circle, and a Guggenheim Fellowship, she is the author of more than 50 volumes of poetry, children’s literature, fiction, and non-fiction. She is perhaps best known for her novels, which include The Edible Woman, The Robber Bride, The Blind Assassin, Oryx and Crake, and The Year of the Flood. Her non-fiction book Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth, part of the Massey Lecture series, was made into a documentary. Her novel, MadAddam (the third novel in the Oryx and Craketrilogy), has received rave reviews: “An extraordinary achievement” (The Independent); “A fitting and joyous conclusion” (The New York Times). The trilogy is being adapted into an HBO TV series by celebrated filmmaker Darren Aronofsky. Atwood’s most recent collection of short stories is Stone Mattress. Her most recent novel is Hag-Seed, a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

The Schooler Lecture Series was established in 1988 with grant funding from the Schooler Family Foundation. The Foundation's philanthropy has enabled the University to provide a dramatically enhanced opportunity for young men and women studying at Mount Union and for the residents in the greater Alliance area to experience the breadth and depth of American culture.

For more information, and to receive complimentary tickets, please visit www.mountunion.edu/schooler-lecture-2019.