The Indiana State University Speaker Series: Lawrence Wright

Who is an author, screenwriter, playwright, and staff writer for The New Yorker magazine? That person is Lawrence Wright, and he will be coming to ISU as part of the University Speaker Series on March 22nd, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. in Tilson Auditorium.

He is a graduate of Tulane University, in New Orleans, and the American University in Cairo. He began his writing career at The Race Relations Reporter in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1971. In 1980, Wright became a staff writer for Texas Monthly. He also became a contributing editor to Rolling Stone. In 1992, he joined the staff of The New Yorker, where he has published several prize-winning articles, including three National Magazine Awards.

He is the author of eleven nonfiction books. His book about the rise of al-Qaeda, “The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11,” was published to immediate and widespread acclaim. It has been translated into 25 languages and won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. It was made into a series for Hulu in 2018, starring Jeff Daniels, Alec Baldwin, and Tahar Rahim.

“Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief” was a New York Times bestseller. Wright and director Alex Gibney turned it into an HBO documentary, which won three Emmys, including best documentary. Wright and Gibney also teamed up to produce another Emmy-winning documentary, for Showtime, about the murder of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi.

Wright has published two novels, “God’s Favorite” which was made into a Showtime movie starring Bob Hoskins; and “The End of October,” a bestseller that has been optioned for Ridley Scott to direct.

In 2006, Wright premiered his first one-man play, My Trip to Al-Qaeda, at The New Yorker Festival, which led to a sold-out six-week run off-Broadway before traveling to Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles. It was made into a documentary film of the same name, directed by Alex Gibney, for HBO.

Wright is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Society of American Historians, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He also serves as the keyboard player in the Austin-based blues band, WhoDo.

Please contact isu-hulmancenter@mail.indstate.edu or (812) 237-3770 for more information.

This event is free to the public!