Monday, August 25, 2003

Wilmington, N.C. — Memoirist and teacher Daniel Robb will present a reading and discussion of his Crossing the Water: Eighteen Months on an Island Working with Troubled Boys--A Teacher's Memoir, 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 15 at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, in Bryan Auditorium in Morton Hall, Room 100. A reception and book signing will follow in the lobby. This event is free and open to the public.

Robb has written an unsettling, funny and wise memoir, which charts his 18 months as a resident teacher working with troubled boys at the Penikese Island School. By turns harsh, desolate and starkly beautiful, the island offers its temporary residents respite from lives filled with abuse, violence and chaos. Michael Gurian, author of The Wonder Boys, calls Robb's memoir "poignant yet unsentimental, both tough-minded and deeply compassionate, this is not a book you will soon forget."

Robb will discuss his experiences on Penikese Island and with the delinquent boys he taught there—boys who challenged and surprised him with their insights and vulnerabilities. Robb will address the question: What makes it easy for most of us to obey the rules, and what makes it almost impossible for others to do so? He will talk about teaching, parenting, loss and healing.

The Buckner Lecture Series and the UNCW English and Creative Writing departments will sponsor this reading and discussion. Charles F. Green, III, established the Buckner Lecture Series, in honor of Katherine K. Buckner, to provide funding for distinguished guest presenters to visit UNCW. For further information, contact the UNCW English Department at 910/962-3320.