Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Nell Hanley on UW's Speaking of Writing

Paul Bergstraesser’s guest Thursday on Speaking of Writing will be UW’s own, Nell Hanley. To hear the program, tune in Thursday from 4 to 5 p.m. on KOCA LP FM 93.5. If the gods of technology smile upon us, we’ll podcast the program later on uwyo.edu/itunesu. In the meantime, we’ve got lots of past programs available for free download on that site. Also check us out at www.speakingofwriting.com.

Thanks to the Creative Writing MFA in the UW English department for underwriting the show.

Nell Hanley was born in New York City on November 10, 1965, the morning after the night all the lights of the city went suddenly out. The doctor, fearing a Russian invasion, had gone missing, but was eventually found asleep in a remote lounge, and was roused and called to duty, which he performed without finesse. Nell claims to have a memory of this event. Those who know her indulge her in this fancy because she remembers so little else. She turned one, ten, twenty, and thirty, then shortly the century turned, uneventfully, and the next thing she knew she was in Texas, where it was too hot. Now she lives in Wyoming, with under her belt a fair bit of schooling and twenty-odd years worth of stints at a significant number of varied, low-paying jobs, a few of which were, despite their unlivable wages, in certain ways marvelous. She has an M.F.A from the James A. Michener Center for Writers at UT Austin. She is an assistant lecturer in the English Department at the University of Wyoming.