Acclaimed writer Margaret Atwood will deliver the 58th Annual Hanify-Howland Memorial Lecture on Tuesday, April 21 at 5:30 p.m. in the Hogan Campus Center Ballroom at Holy Cross. The discussion will be free and open to the public, and moderated by Holy Cross alumna and Emmy Award-winning actress Ann Dowd ’78.
Margaret Atwood is one of the most influential literary voices of our time. A poet, novelist, essayist, and environmental activist, she has published more than 50 works spanning fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. She has received numerous literary awards, including the Booker Prize, the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and the Governor General’s Award, twice. Atwood’s critical acclaim is matched by her popularity with readers; her books are regularly bestsellers and her novels have been adapted into popular movies and television series.
Atwood and Dowd share a notable creative connection through “The Handmaid’s Tale,” with Dowd’s portrayal of Aunt Lydia influencing Atwood’s development of the character in her sequel, “The Testaments,” adding a unique dimension to their onstage conversation.
Atwood’s work explores themes of gender, power, identity, climate change, and the role of storytelling in shaping society, challenging audiences to reflect on contemporary issues and imagine possible futures. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Victoria College at the University of Toronto and her master’s degree from Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Mass.
In keeping with the traditional practice of the Hanify-Howland lecture series, Atwood and Dowd will also conduct student seminars on campus prior to the moderated discussion, which will allow students to interact with them directly.
The Hanify-Howland Memorial Lecture, which recognizes individuals who have distinguished themselves in the realm of public service, is named for the Hon. Edward F. Hanify, class of 1904, a prominent Massachusetts jurist who was an active Holy Cross alumnus, and Weston Howland, who endowed the lecture in Judge Hanify’s memory. Howland's admiration and respect for Judge Hanify, his warm affection for the Hanify family and his faith in the purposes and objectives of the College of the Holy Cross led him to establish the annual Hanify Memorial Lecture.
Since 1965, the Hanify-Howland lecture series has brought a host of distinguished speakers to Holy Cross, including: former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry; Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones; astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson; Clarence Thomas ’71, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States; investigative journalist Bob Woodward; Steven D. Levitt, co-author of the bestselling books “Freakonomics” (Harper, 2009) and “Superfreakonomics” (Harper, 2011); award-winning journalist Soledad O’Brien; and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power.
The speaker is nominated annually by a committee of Holy Cross students.
