Loyola University Chicago Libraries was honored to have renowned writer and Loyola alum Stuart Dybek (BS ’64, MA ’68) as our inaugural Alumni Authors Series speaker. As part of our National Library Week festivities, we hosted the event on April 26 in the Loyola Information Commons and welcomed about 70 Loyola students, faculty, staff and community members. Stuart spoke in a modest style as he recalled the many wonderful memories that he experienced growing up in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood and as a student at Loyola. Stuart read excerpts from his poems and told stories about his journey as a writer. If you missed the event, here is the event recording of his talk or you can view some photos of the reception and book signing.

We hope you can join us for the next Alumni Authors Speaker Series event.

About the Speaker
Stuart Dybek received both a BS and an MA in English from Loyola University Chicago and an MFA from the University of Iowa’s Writers Workshop. He is the author of six critically acclaimed books of fiction including The Coast of Chicago, which was a One Book Chicago selection, as well as two collections of poetry. His work has been widely anthologized, translated into several languages, and published in magazines such as The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and Harpers and in both Best American Poetry and Best American Fiction. Dybek has been the recipient of numerous honorary degrees and literary recognitions. These include Guggenheim, MacArthur Foundation, and NEA fellowships, The Pen Malamud Prize, and The American Academy of Arts and The Harold Washington literary awards. Dybek grew up in Chicago’s Pilsen and Little Village neighborhoods, which served as settings for both his fiction and poetry, as has Loyola.