For release: September 7, 2012
For press information, contact Dr. Aram Goudsouzian, 901-678-2520

Kristen Iversen

Kristen Iversen, director of the MFA Program in Creative Writing at the University of Memphis, will discuss her new book, Full Body Burden: Growing Up in the Nuclear Shadow of Rocky Flats, Sept. 13 at the IMAX Theater at Memphis Pink Palace Museum. A reception will begin at 6 p.m., followed by the lecture and book signing at 6:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Gorgeously written and impressively researched, the book blends a tragedy of public health, a backdrop of the Cold War, a grassroots movement for justice, and the author’s own poignant personal story. Part investigative journalism and part memoir, it is a story of secrets – of not only the government’s cover-up of nuclear contamination, but also her own family’s silences.

The lecture is presented by the Marcus W. Orr Center for the Humanities at the University of Memphis and the Pink Palace Museum. The Marcus Orr Center is dedicated to bringing students, graduates, faculty, and the broader Memphis community together for events that promote richer, deeper conversations about significant issues. 

More information about this event and the Marcus Orr Center is available online at www.memphis.edu/moch or from Orr Center Director Dr. Aram Goudsouzian at 901-678-2520 or agoudszn@memphis.edu.

The event is made possible by Public Service Funds at the University of Memphis.