April 23 is an important day in literature: in 1616, both William Shakespeare and Miguel Cervantes died on that date. In 1995 the United Nations named April 23 as World Book Day, and throughout the world the day is set aside to promote reading, publishing and the protection of intellectual property through copyright.

To celebrate World Book Day, Writers in the Library will host author and UT emeritus professor of English Jon Manchip White. The reading will begin at 7 p.m. in the Lindsay Young Auditorium of Hodges Library and is free and open to the public.

Jon Manchip White is a distinguished Welsh-American author who has published over 30 books of fiction and non-fiction. His most recent work is Solo Goya: Goya and the Duchess of Alba at Sanlucar, an historical novel based on the life of the great Spanish painter Francisco Goya. Solo Goya was published in 2007 by Iris Press.

The Writers in the Library series is sponsored by the University of Tennessee Libraries and the Creative Writing Program of the UT English Department. For further information, please contact Jo Anne Deeken, head of technical services, UT Libraries, at 974-6905 or jdeeken@utk.edu, or R.B. Morris, Jack E. Reese writer in residence, UT Libraries, at 974-3004 or rbmorris@utk.edu.