Noted Authors Phil Klay and Azar Nafisi Highlight Fall 2015 Events Schedule

August 28, 2015

Authors Phil Klay and Azar Nafisi, both recipients of numerous writing awards, are featured speakers in Hudson Valley Community College's Cultural Affairs program series this fall.

Klay, a US Marine Corps veteran, visits the college on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 3 p.m. to read and discuss "Redeployment," his short story collection that takes readers to the front lines of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. An Iranian native, Nafisi talks about her newest book, "The Republic of Imagination: A Life in Books," as the schedule draws to a close on Friday, Oct. 23 at 11 a.m. Both readings take place in the Bulmer Telecommunications Center Auditorium.

Based on his experiences from January 2007 to February 2008 as a public affairs officer in Iraq's Anbar Province, Klay writes to help readers understand what happened there and what happened to the soldiers who returned. Nafisi looks at the democratic society that gave birth to great English and American novels and explores the vital role of fiction and humanities in a society that is marked by many economic and political crises.

Cultural Affairs presentations at the college include lectures on topics of timely interest, musical, theatrical and other performances, and various exhibitions. All programs are open to the public, and are free of charge unless otherwise noted. View details of the full schedule.

The Cultural Affairs program schedule opens on Thursday, Sept. 17 with the paintings and drawings of Columbia County artist Tom Nicol in an exhibition titled, "With Which." On Friday, Sept. 18, Elizabeth Woodbury Kasius and Heard bring the sounds of world music to the Hudson Valley stage.