Author Michael Martone's "Double Wide tour" makes stop at Goshen College

GOSHEN, Ind. – Michael Martone, an author and humorist who writes satirical fiction and creative nonfiction about places in Indiana, will be at Goshen College promoting his new book "Double-Wide: Collected Fiction of Michael Martone." The event is free and open to the public on Tuesday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. in Newcomer Center, Room 19.

A native of Fort Wayne, Ind., Martone is professor of English and the director of the creative writing program at the University of Alabama. He studied at Butler University in Indianapolis, graduated from Indiana University and completed a master's degree at Johns Hopkins University.

Martone is known for both fiction and creative nonfiction, creating false biographies and made-up travel guides. Much of his work focuses on the Midwest and Indiana, including his 2001 book "The Blue Guide to Indiana" (University of Alabama Press), a comedic "travel guide" to Indiana, and his most recent book "Double Wide: Collected Fiction of Michael Martone" (Indiana University Press, 2007). The book is a collection of short stories of Indiana mythology created in the past two decades by Martone.

The Indianapolis Star said: "Martone's Indiana is both wholly familiar and mysterious. He seamlessly blends fact with fiction as he acquaints readers with gangsters, educators, farmers, students, Alfred Kinsey, even Colonel Sanders, and discovers the unearthed depths of Indiana ... all of the tales in the book are worth lingering over. 'Double-Wide' is a must not only for Hoosier readers, but also anyone interested in exploring Indiana's cultural landscape."

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

### 

Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college's Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron's Best Buys in Education, "Colleges of Distinction," "Making a Difference College Guide" and U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" edition, which named Goshen a "least debt college." Visit www.goshen.edu.