Marie Benedict Author Talk to be held at Converse College on September 9
August 22, 2019
The public is invited to join author Marie Benedict as she discusses her acclaimed new novel The Only Woman in the Room at Converse College on Monday, September 9. The author talk begins at 6:30 p.m. in Daniel Recital Hall (located in Blackman Music Hall), followed by a reception and book signing at 7:30 p.m. in the lobby of Blackman Music Hall. Benedict will talk about all of her books and how they center around a woman who played a pivotal role in history but who has been overlooked. A reception and book-signing will immediately follow.
Benedict’s work of historical fiction explores the remarkable life of Hedy Lamarr. The New York Times raves, “[Benedict is] a novelist who’s made a career writing about ‘the only woman in the room’… In Benedict’s telling, the story is a ready-made thriller as well as a feminist parable.”
All incoming, first-year students at Converse College were assigned The Only Woman in the Room as their common read over the summer. Converse Orientation Leaders will lead students in a conversation at mini-book clubs during the College’s Welcome Weekend, August 22-25. Those same students will explore the theme “Design Your College Experience” in their Student Success Seminar. This yearlong theme asks students to take a personal stake in their own college experience. Instructors will use literary character Hedy Lamarr from The Only Woman In The Room as an example of a person who took life by the horns and made things happen.
About Marie Benedict
Marie Benedict is a lawyer with more than ten years’ experience as a litigator at two of the country’s premier law firms. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Boston College with a focus in History and Art History, and a cum laude graduate of the Boston University School of Law. While practicing as a lawyer, Marie dreamed of a fantastical job unearthing the hidden historical stories of women — and finally found it when she tried her hand at writing. She embarked on a new, narratively connected series of historical novels with The Other Einstein, which tells the tale of Albert Einstein’s first wife, a physicist herself, and the role she might have played in his theories. The next novel in this series is the USA Today bestselling Carnegie’s Maid — which released in January of 2018 — and the book that followed is the New York Times bestseller The Only Woman In The Room, which published in January of 2019. In January of 2020, Lady Clementine will be released. Writing as Heather Terrell, Marie also published the historical novels The Chrysalis, The Map Thief, and Brigid of Kildare.
About Converse College
Converse College was founded in 1889 by citizens of Spartanburg, S.C. who aimed to create an educational experience that enables women “to see clearly, decide wisely, and act justly.” Today, Converse is a visionary doctoral university pushing beyond traditional boundaries to make a quality educational experience available to every student who seeks it. Converse College’s mission is to help students develop their unique voice, a sense of value, and a vision for the future. For more information, visit www.converse.edu.
