Attwood Lecture at New Canaan Library Presents Journalist, Editor and Author Terry McDonell Speaking on The Accidental Life: An Editor’s Notes on Writing and Writers

New Canaan Library is pleased to announce that renowned publishing figure Terry McDonell will be guest speaker for the Library’s 2016 William Attwood Memorial Lecture. The golden age of new journalism and the extraordinary career of publishing icon Terry McDonell dovetail compellingly in his recently released memoir, The Accidental Life: An Editor’s Notes on Writing and Writers.

The lecture will be held Tuesday, November 1 at 6:30 p.m. in the Adrian Lamb Room. A light reception will precede the lecture at 6 p.m. Copies of The Accidental Life will be available for purchase, provided by Elm Street Books. Please register for this program online at newcanaanlibrary.org.
Terry McDonell’s long and storied career comes to life in this riveting, first-hand look at the high-stakes, frenetically paced world of journalism and publishing. For over forty years McDonell has been involved in, and often taking the helm at, some of the most influential publications in America, including Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Esquire, and Sports Illustrated, among others, and most recently, co-founder of LitHub.

Terry McDonell has won numerous awards for his editorial work at various magazines and websites. He is also a novelist and poet, and has written and produced for film and television. In 2012 he was inducted into the American Society of Magazine Editors’ Hall of Fame. He is the president of the board of the Paris Review Foundation and serves on the Board of Overseers of the Columbia Journalism Review. He lives in New York City.

The William Attwood Memorial Lecture honors a longtime New Canaanite, William Attwood. Throughout the course of his career he helped define the times as well as shape the causes in which he believed. By enabling the Library to present distinguished speakers the annual lecture honors Bill’s memory and his lifetime interests in journalism, government, literature and politics.