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NPR correspondent Anne Garrels to speak at Lehigh Valley

NPR foreign correspondent and author Anne Garrels will speak at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 28, as part of Penn State Lehigh Valley's first community arts and culture series. The event will be held at Allentown Symphony Hall, Sixth Street in Allentown. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $5 for students. (College ID must be presented for student price admission).

"We have been providing lectures and special events to the community for years on a smaller scale at our facility in Fogelsville," said Ann Williams, campus executive officer of Penn State Lehigh Valley. "Now, we're branching out on a larger scale, with a Penn State at Symphony Hall Series. The series will present two events this academic year -- ­a prominent, known speaker in the fall and an entertainment event in the spring. We're very pleased to be able bring Anne Garrels to the Lehigh Valley for our premier event."

Garrels earned international recognition in 2003 by being one of 16 American journalists to remain in Baghdad during the initial invasion of Iraq. Her vivid, around-the-clock reports from the city under siege gave listeners insight into the impact of the war on Baghdad and those left in the city. Her reports can be heard on "All Things Considered," "Morning Edition," "Weekend Edition Saturday" and "Weekend Edition Sunday."

Garrels continued her reports, describing the scene on the streets and reactions from Iraqis, as U.S. and British forces advanced on the city. Her experiences in Baghdad are chronicled in her book, Naked in Baghdad (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, September 2003). Garrels was awarded a 2003 Courage in Journalism Award from the International Women's Media Foundation for her work.

Before joining NPR in 1988, Garrels was the State Department correspondent for NBC News. Prior to that Garrels worked at ABC News in a variety of positions over the course of 10 years. She served three years as Moscow bureau chief and correspondent until she was expelled in 1982. She also covered the Eastern Bloc, particularly the rise of Solidarity in Poland and the crackdown of martial law. From 1984-85 Garrels was the network's Central American correspondent. In 1996 she spent a year as an Edward R. Murrow Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. She is a member of the board of the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, Garrels has reported from Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Middle East. Over her career with NPR, Garrels has reported on a wide range of international issues with an emphasis on the former Soviet Union. From Tiananmen Square to the battlegrounds of Chechnya, from Bosnia to Kosovo and Israel, Garrels combines experience in the field with a sharp understanding of the policy debates in Washington, D.C. In 1990, Garrels reported from Saudi Arabia, filing stories on the events leading up to the Gulf War. She was part of the NPR team that won an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award in 1992 for coverage of the war. In 1996, she won the duPont-Columbia Award for her coverage of the former Soviet Union. In 1999, the Overseas Press Club honored Garrels with the Whitman Bassow Award for a series she did on water issues around the globe.

Garrels graduated from Harvard University in 1972. When not on assignment, she lives with her husband, Vint Lawrence, in Connecticut.

Penn State Lehigh Valley is collaborating with many local businesses in this endeavor. Major sponsors include Allentown Symphony Hall, Barnes and Noble and the local NPR affiliate station, WDIY.

For ticket information, contact Eric Willcox at (610) 285-5039 or elw10@psu.edu.

Last Updated March 19, 2009

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