Journalists headline writing forum

NEW PALTZ — A symposium on critical writing will be held at SUNY New Paltz on Tuesday, April 3, at 7:30 p.m. The event will take place in the auditorium of the Coykendall Science Building.

The panelists for the forum will be Sydney Schanberg, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and visiting fellow at the university, art critic Ken Johnson and science writer Sheryl Gay Stolberg. Johnson and Stolberg write for the New York Times.

The Writing Board, a cross-disciplinary committee at New Paltz, is sponsoring the symposium.

The forum will give students and faculty the opportunity to hear from three distinguished professionals willing to share their insights about the role of critical writing in varied areas of interest.

“For the students this will be of particular value. It will afford them the opportunity to see how the theoretical aspects of their studies work in a real world context,” said Patricia Sullivan, co-chair of the Writing Board.

The symposium will also give the students the opportunity to meet the panelists and question them on a more personal level.

“Information they might take away from these meetings could include general opportunities in their chosen fields or more specific career advice,” explained Sullivan.

As a companion event to the symposium, the Writing Board is also sponsoring a screening of the film “The Nasty Girl” on April 2 at 7:30 p.m. in Lecture Center 112.

The movie documents a young woman’s attempts to research the history of her small town’s involvement in the holocaust. The film explores issues of critical writing, analyzing and critiquing the past, and the development of conscience and personal identity.

Both events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact: Sheldon Bender at (845) 342-4599.

-30-