Between 1988 and 1998, Michigan State University's College of Arts and Letters established the Celebrity Lecture Series, a series in which famous writers (and the occasional artist) were invited by Dean John W. Eadie to speak at the university. In commemoration of this popular series, the staff at MSU's MATRIX created this online archive where students, faculty, and community members may browse and listen to over 30 lectures. These lectures, which range from one to two hours in length, feature Susan Sontag speaking on illness as metaphor; Arthur Miller reading a wide variety of selections of his own work; and Maya Angelou discussing the art of poetry. Visitors may also listen to talks by Amy Tan, Kurt Vonnegut, E.L. Doctorow, and presidential biographer David McCullough. Each lecture is accompanied by a photograph of the speaker, taken by Douglas Elbinger. Site visitors may also conduct a keyword search or sort through Lecture Topics to find a specific lecture of interest.
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