New York Times best-selling author Paula McLain at Fairfield University May 19 | Press Releases

P McLain

The year is 1920. The city is Chicago. Hadley Richardson was a quiet 28-year old woman who had all but given up on love and happiness. Then she met Ernest Hemingway.

Fast-forward to May 19, 2011, at Fairfield University, and Paula McLain, New York Times best-selling author, will discuss her book, Paris Wife , the unique story of this "golden couple," whose ultimate story is one of passion, love, ambition and betrayal. McLain's portrayal of what might be called one of the great romances in literary history, offers a fascinating glimpse in to the world of expatriates that includes Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound and F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald.

McLain's presentation is scheduled for 7 p.m., Thursday, May 19 in Gonzaga Auditorium on the Fairfield University campus. The event, which includes a book signing, is free and open to the public. Books will be available for sale at the event.

Paris Wife The author's appearance is one of several among Fairfield University's Inspired Writers Series, which offers the public an opportunity to meet with and discuss the work of writers of fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry in an intimate setting. This event is made possible through a co-sponsorship with the Fairfield Public Library and the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing academic program in the College of Arts and Sciences, and is a presentation of the Arts and Minds Season at Fairfield University.

McLain, who lives in Cleveland, Ohio, with her family, is the author of two collections of poetry, as well as a memoir, Like Family , and a first novel, A Ticket to Ride . She received an MFA in poetry from the University of Michigan and has been a resident of Yaddo and the MacDowell Colony.

Paris Wife , published this year, has received numerous accolades. Elle.com describes it as, "Lyrical and exhilarating ... McLain offers a raw and fresh look at the prolific Hemmingway. In this mesmerizing and helluva-good-time novel, McLain inhabits Hadley Richard's voice and guides us from Chicago to the place where their life together really begins - Paris." Town & Country calls it "a richly imagined portrait of bohemian 1920s Paris, and of American literature's original bad boy."

While tickets are not necessary, reservations are advised. For further information, please contact Laura Keller at (203) 254-4110, or by e-mail, lkeller@fairfield.edu