For Immediate Release

Date:  September 22, 2006

BLOOMSBURG— The Academy Award-winning screenwriter of “Dances with Wolves” will present two programs at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania on Thursday, Sept. 28. Both are open to the public free of charge.

Michael Blake, author and playwright, will talk about censorship issues with students in Mass Communications and Popular Cultures class, taught by professor Walter Brasch, at 9:30 a.m. in Centennial Hall, room 218.

At 7 p.m. in the Kehr Union Ballroom, he will read from his works and discuss the “Plight of Native Americans in American Culture.” The presentation is co-sponsored by Spectrum and the Big Dog Reading Series.

Best known for his 1988 novel, “Dances with Wolves,” Blake spent 10 years researching the frontier history before writing the novel that was turned into a film, starring Kevin Costner. The idea for the story came from Blake’s longstanding interest with Indians and, according to Contemporary Authors Online, expresses Blake’s despair that a way of life is gone.  

For his screenplay, Blake won the Academy Award, as well as Golden Globe and American Movie awards. He also received public service awards, including the Eleanor Roosevelt Award for work with minorities and the Animal Protection Institute’s Humanitarian of the Year.

Bloomsburg University is one of 14 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The university serves approximately 8,000 students, offering comprehensive programs of study in the colleges of Professional Studies, Business, Liberal Arts and Science and Technology.

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