Distinguished Alumni Writers

A Tony-nominated lyricist and playwright, the author of “The Boy Scout Handbook” and the senior farm issues editor for Successful Farming magazine are all Morningside College alumni who will return to their alma mater to discuss their professional careers as writers on Friday, Oct. 12, in Klinger-Neal Theatre, 3700 Peters Ave.

Playwright Bill Russell will speak between 11:45 a.m. and 12:25 p.m., “The Boy Scout Handbook” author Robert Birkby will speak between 12:25 and 1:05 p.m., and farm editor Cheryl Tevis will speak between 1:05 and 1:45 p.m.

Russell lives in New York and has written musicals such as “Side Show,” “Pageant,” “The Last Smoker in America” and “Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens.” His works have been performed in locations around the world, from Los Angeles to Paris.

Birkby is a writer, adventure guide, photographer and trail designer based in Seattle, Wash. More than 5 million copies of his books are in print. In addition to books for the Boy Scouts of America, he has written “Mountain Madness: Scott Fischer, Mount Everest, and a Life Lived on High” and “Lightly on the Land,” a guide for trail construction and maintenance.

Tevis lives in Pilot Mound, Iowa, and has worked as a farm issues writer and editor for over 35 years. She has received the Voice of Agriculture Award from the American Corn Growers Association, the Milt Hakel Award for Agricultural Communications from the National Farmers Union, and writing awards from the North American Agricultural Editors Association.

Friday is Writing Day (FIWD) meets most Fridays throughout the fall semester from noon to 12:50 p.m. The program, which has been in existence for nearly 25 years, is designed to feature writers and their works, from journals to published pieces.

Writers of all types from the campus and community read their work, followed by informal discussions of the writings. All of the sessions are free and open to the public. Participants are invited to bring a brown bag lunch or purchase lunch in the college cafeteria.

Sept. 28: International Business in Film. Students apply principles from an international business class to the movies they watch. Noon, Hickman Dining Room, Olsen Student Center, 3609 Peters Ave.

Oct. 26: Speaking Writing. Students in a public speaking course give speeches focusing on rhetorical style. Noon, Hickman Dining Room.

Nov. 2: I’m still ME. Kay Goldsmith of the Morningside College Writing Center shares memoir writing about her transition from her own two feet to a wheelchair. Noon, second floor, Hickman Johnson Furrow Learning Center, 1601 Morningside Ave.

Nov. 9: Disabilities in Film. Students from a special education class share papers they wrote on what they observed in films. Noon, first floor, Hickman Johnson Furrow Learning Center.

Nov. 16: Latin American History. Spanish majors discuss researching and writing about the history of Latin America. Noon, Maud Adams, Olsen Student Center.

Nov. 30: Writing on the Election. Students reflect on the recent election. Noon, Maud Adams.

Dec. 7: Beatniks of the 1950s. Students studying writers of the Beat Generation share from their final research projects. Noon, Hickman Dining Room.