Penn State Laureate

Penn State Laureate to visit campus for Sept. 11 program

Kenneth Womack, the 2013-14 Penn State laureate, will visit Penn State DuBois on Wednesday, Sept. 11. Between noon and 1:25 p.m. in the Hiller Auditorium, Womack will deliver a presentation titled "Tales of the Forgotten: Selections from 'The Restaurant at the End of the World.'" All members of the public and campus community are welcome to attend.

Laureate to explore Ernest Hemingway's art during first campus visits

Penn State Laureate Linda Patterson Miller, professor of English at Penn State Abington, will begin her journeys into western Pennsylvania, serving as a "laureate-in-residence" as she interacts with the campus communities at Penn State DuBois (Sept. 13); Penn State Erie, The Behrend College (Sept. 14); Penn State Shenango (Sept. 15); and Penn State Beaver (Sept. 16). Miller will be participating in individual classes and symposiums along with engaging larger audiences in public forums at these locations. "I invite anyone in these geographical areas to join with us for these public presentation as we variously explore the art of American diary-keeping, the lives and art of the 1920s Lost Generation, and the art of Ernest Hemingway as discovered in his letters and early prose," said Miller. Check in with Miller's travels and follow her literary dialogue, "Literary Landings," at http://laureate.psu.edu/Linda_Miller online. Today, Miller discusses how encounters with art can change lives, as it did for Miller when she first read Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms" (1929). To watch a short video of Miller as she provides some background for understanding the transformative power of Hemingway's art, go to http://bit.ly/nVOzuO online.

Did You Know? Musical Notes from the Penn State Laureate

Q: What is the best age to begin learning to play an instrument? A: Although I am not an expert in child development, my opinion is based on my experience and that of friends in the profession. I think the best time to start a child with music lessons is when a child shows interest in learning to play an instrument.