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"'The Secrets of a Fire King' gives eloquence to their astonishing range of discoveries and leaves the reader entranced." - Nina Sonenberg, The New York Times Book Review

The Author's Forum of University College presents the international best-selling author of The Memory Keeper's Daughter , Kim Edwards, who is promoting her new book, The Secrets of a Fire King at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ÊÓƵÎÞÏÞÖƹۿ´'s Barone Campus Center Oak Room on Friday, Nov. 9 at 11 a.m. Admission is $10 at the door.

A collection of short stories, The Secrets of a Fire King examines the complexities of the bonds of love and family and secrets kept from those loved ones. The collection was originally published almost ten years ago to great acclaim. This recently re-published edition contains three new stories that were not included in the first edition. Edwards will read from several of the stories in The Secrets of a Fire King at the Nov. 9 reading and book signing.

The critical acclaim, awards and the honor of being short-listed for the 1998 PEN/Hemingway Award for Secrets paved the way for the author's future success with The Memory Keeper's Daughter. The stories were originally published in such prestigious publications as The Paris Review , American Short Fiction , Story , The Threepenny Review and the Chicago Tribune . The themes that Edwards explored for the short stories are identical to those that appear on the larger canvas of her novel, The Memory Keeper's Daughter .

Publishers Weekly raved that Secrets is "Beautifully focused ... tales read like the work of a wise traveler who returns home with uncommon souvenirs from other lands."

In an interview with BookBrowse, Edwards remarked that she ardently believes in revision when writing, "I think of revision as a kind of archaeology, a deep exploration of the text to discover what's still hidden and bring it to the surface." Her attention to the need to discover these hidden treasures provides a rich texture that lends definition to the staunch character of her work and uncovers the "uncommon souvenirs from other lands."

Edwards grew up in the Finger Lakes region of New York. She is a graduate of Colgate University and the University of Iowa where she received an MFA in Fiction and an MA in Linguistics. After completing her graduate studies, she and her husband lived in Asia where they spent several years teaching and where she began to publish short fiction. In 1990 her story Sky Juice won the Nelson Algren Award, the first in a long list of awards and notable recognition.

For reservations or further information, please contact Laura Keller at (203) 254-4307 or by e-mail at lkeller@mail.fairfield.edu .

Posted On: 10-23-2007 10:10 AM

Volume: 40 Number: 90