CHICAGO – September 14, 2018 – Chicago Theological Seminary will welcome Pulitzer Prize-winning author Marilynne Robinson on Wednesday, November 7, 2018. Robinson is the inaugural speaker for the seminary’s Public Square Lecture Series. The public is welcome to attend; tickets are available at ctschicago.edu/robinson.

Robinson’s career as a novelist and essayist has spanned more than four decades. In addition to her Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2005, she’s also won the 2012 National Humanities Media and the 2016 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction. That same year, Robinson was included in Time Magazine’s list of 100 most influential people.

Robinson is best known for her novels Housekeeping (1980) and Gilead (2004). Her novels have been noted for their thematic depiction of both rural life and faith, as Robinson herself was raised in Sandpoint, Idaho.

“Marilynne Robinson is one of the most remarkable and distinctive voices in contemporary American literature, and we are very honored to have her launch our Public Square Lecture Series with us,” Chad R. Schwickerath, manager of alumni and church relations said. “Few authors have probed their own thinking and those of others like Robinson, and we’re excited that she’ll share her experiences and expertise with us.”

To prepare for the lecture, the entire CTS community will read Robinson’s Gilead, which was listed as President Barack Obama’s favorite books, a part of his honored bookshelf texts that influenced his worldview and his quest for understanding the human condition.

The event is free and open to the public, but RSVP is required. To register, and for more information, please visit ctschicago.edu/robinson.

Members of the media who plan to cover the Marilynne Robinson lecture should contact Susan M. Cusick, director of communications at [email protected] to secure credentials.