DATE: March 6-7, 2008.

EVENT: The University of Michigan will host a conference, “Writing in Public,” honoring Karl Pohrt, founder and owner of Shaman Drum Bookshop in Ann Arbor. The public is invited to the panel discussion and author reading.

Pulitzer Prize poet Gary Snyder and fiction writer Andrea Barrett, who won the National Book Award, will read together at 7:30 p.m. March 6 at Rackham Auditorium, 915 Washington St. Three panels featuring national and local experts are scheduled March 7 on subjects near to Pohrt’s heart—literary publishing, writing in the schools and transforming books into films. These panels are scheduled 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Michigan Union, 530 S. State St.

“For 27 years, Karl Pohrt has provided an unparalleled center for literary and community life in Ann Arbor,” said Linda Gregerson, conference co-organizer and English professor. “It is time for an expression of our gratitude.”

Pohrt’s contributions include hosting hundreds of readings and book signings—free and open to the public—by well-known and soon-to-be well-known authors, editors and illustrators. The shop also offers a wide selection of literary, scholarly and academic books.

CAMPUS MAP: http://www.umich.edu/news/Maps/ccamp.html

CONTACTS: Kenneth Garner, (734) 764-6305, [email protected], or Meagan Kucaj, (734) 662-7407, [email protected]

Related Links:

• Conference