Richard Russo Returns to SIU

Richard Russo, one of America’s leading novelists and screenwriters, will discuss his teaching and literary career and his new book, “Somebody’s Fool,” on Tuesday, November 7, at an event hosted by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University.

Russo was a professor at SIU in the 1980s and was teaching in SIU’s English department when his first novel, “Mohawk,” was published in 1986. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 2002 for “Empire Falls.”

“Somebody’s Fool” is the third book in the North Bath Trilogy that began with “Nobody’s Fool,” in 1993 and “Everybody’s Fool” in 2016.

Russo’s book “Straight Man” had been adapted by HBO for the series “Lucky Hank.”

Fun fact: SIU Alumnus Bob Odenkirk’s AMC series “Lucky Hank” is based on Russo’s novel “Straight Man.”

Reception: 5:00 p.m. - SIU Student Center Corker Lounge
Program: 6:00 p.m. - SIU Student Center Ballroom B
Book Signing: 7:00 p.m. - SIU Student Center Corker Lounge

For more information on the speaker, please visit www.prhspeakers.com.