Author to lecture on environmental activism and social justice

Peter Matthiessen, award-winning author, naturalist and activist, will present "The Ethics of Environmental Activism and Social Justice" at 7 p.m. on Oct. 15, in the assembly room at the Nittany Lion Inn. Earlier in the day, at 4 p.m., he will read selections from his works during "An Afternoon with Peter Matthiessen" in the Penn State room, again at the Inn. Both events, part of the Richard B. Lippin Lectureship in Ethics, are free and open to the public.

Matthiessen has written eight novels, including "At Play in the Fields of the Lord" (nominated for the National Book Award), "Far Tortuga," and also a book of short stories, "On the River Styx." His parallel career as a naturalist and environmental activist has produced numerous acclaimed works of nonfiction, most of them serialized in The New Yorker; these include "The Tree Where Man Was Born" (another National Book Award nominee) and "The Snow Leopard" (a National Book Award winner). He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1974. He recently won his second National Book Award for "Shadow Country," his new rendering of the E. J. Watson legend.

For more information, visit http://rockethics.psu.edu/bios/matthiessen.shtml or download the flyer at http://rockethics.psu.edu/events/matthiessen0910.pdf online.

Last Updated January 9, 2015