NEWPORT NEWS — The Main Street library will host a lecture about Pulitzer Prize-winning author William Styron on Saturday.
This free lecture is a part of the Historic Hilton Village 100 Lecture Series, and one of the many community events that celebrates the 100th anniversary of Hilton Village.
“It seems like a perfect time for us to host the event,” said Breeanne Harris, marketing manager for Newport News Public Library.
“There is a very strong sense of community”, she said in regards to Hilton village.
Speakers include James L. West III, the official biographer of William Styron; William A. Fox, naval architect and author; M. Huntley Galleher, assistant director for development for Christchurch School; and Lewis Peyton Lawson, former educator at Christchurch School, Collegiate School, and the University of Virginia.
The lecture is scheduled until 4:30 p.m. will be followed with a half-mile walking tour of sites associated with Styron in Hilton Village.
Styron spent his early years growing up in the neighborhood of Hilton Village and the speakers will share insights about Styron’s youth in Hilton Village and the region, which defined the man and subsequently served as literary settings for some of his books, such as “A Tidewater Morning,” according to a news release from the city.
In 1968, Styron’s novel, “The Confessions of Nat Turner,” was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. He won the National Book Award in 1980 for “Sophie’s Choice.”
Styron died on Nov. 1, 2006, at the age of 81.
Historic Hilton Village 100 Lecture Series: Remembering One of Hilton’s Own, author William Styron lecture is on Sept. 8 – 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. – at the Main Street Library conference room, 110 Main St.
Light refreshments will be served. Registration for lecture portion is not necessary, but RSVP for the tour is required.
For information, visit the Newport News Public Library website or call 757-591-4858.
