Award-winning Author to Speak at The University of Scranton

Oct 27, 2009

       Bestselling author William Bernhardt, a former trial lawyer known for his mastery of the courtroom drama, will receive the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library Royden B. Davis, S.J., Distinguished Author Award at a reception at The University of Scranton on Nov. 14. The award ceremony will be held in the fourth-floor McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center beginning at 5 p.m. Reservations are required to attend.

       Bernhardt will discuss his thrillers including Capitol Offense, which is the 17th novel in the Ben Kincaid series he introduced in 1991 with Primal Justice. Capitol Offense, which just published in September 2009, will be available for sale at the event. A book signing will be held from 4:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. and immediately following the reception in the fourth floor lobby of the DeNaples Center.

        Bernhardt has written 27 novels in the courtroom genre, which have sold more than ten million books worldwide. His books have been translated and published in more than two dozen countries.

        Bernhardt has received several prestigious awards, including the Southern Writers Guild's Gold Medal Award. He was a two-time winner of the Oklahoma Book Award for Best Fiction. The 2000 Booklovers Convention in Houston presented him with a career achievement award. That same year, he earned the H. Louise Cobb Distinguished Author Award.

        In addition to writing novels, Bernhardt also has written a children's book and constructs crossword puzzles for The New York Times. His successful career as an author has extended to editing an anthology and founding a publishing company, HAWK Publishing Group. HAWK's focus is to discover new writers and to sponsor writing workshops and seminars in the summer. Bernhardt also teaches writing and literature throughout the year.

        The Distinguished Author Award Series began with the Friends of the Weinberg Library's desire to recognize and honor the work of fiction and non-fiction authors. The Friends also saw it as an opportunity for authors to share their literary pursuits and impressions with residents of northeastern Pennsylvania. The annual event helps the Friends of the Library Endowment Fund, which supports special gifts for the Weinberg Library collections and services.  The Distinguished Author Award was named for the late Royden B. Davis, S.J., who served as the first president of the Friends of the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Library at Scranton.

        Past recipients of the Distinguished Author Award have included Emmy, Oscar and Golden Globe-winning author and actor Jack Palance, Malachy McCourt, Mary Higgins Clark, Carol Higgins Clark, Lisa Scottoline, Linda Fairstein, James Grippand, Philip Margolin and Mary Gordon. The award was first presented in 1997.

        For further information or to reserve a ticket for the award event, visit www.scranton.edu/authaward, or contact Kym Fetsko at The University of Scranton at (570) 941-7816 or fetskok2@scranton.edu.

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