Novelist and screenwriter John Irving will make a rare public appearance when he visits Des Moines to receive the Des Moines Public Library Foundation’s 2017 Iowa Author Award on Oct. 31.
Billed as In Conversation with John Irving, this is an opportunity to meet and hear from one of the most popular and respected writers in the world. The event will be held at the Iowa Events Center beginning with a reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by a 6:30 dinner and program. Irving will be joined in conversation by David Chivers, President and Publisher of The Des Moines Register.
Each year, the Foundation hosts the Iowa Author Awards Dinner to recognize and celebrate the literary talent of authors with strong ties to our state. Past honorees include: Jim Autry, Bill Bryson, Frank Conroy, Dayton Duncan, Michael Gartner, Marilynne Robinson, and Jane Smiley.
John Irving’s novels have become American classics, with each one a highly anticipated publishing event. His first international bestseller, “The World According to Garp,” won a National Book Award in 1980, and was made into a movie that earned Academy Award nominations.
He received his MFA from the University of Iowa, and found a mentor in Kurt Vonnegut at the Iowa Writer’s Workshop. Irving has also won an Academy Award for the film adaptation of his novel The Cider House Rules, the O. Henry Award and awards from the Rockefeller Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Guggenheim Foundation.
The Iowa Author Awards Dinner is the Des Moines Public Library Foundation’s signature fundraising event. For sponsorships and tickets, contact the Des Moines Public Library Foundation, 515-248-6402 or dbriles@dmpl.org