Author of Western Reads book to speak April 10

Rebecca Skloot, author of the book “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” will speak at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10 in the Performing Arts Concert Hall at Western Washington University.

Tickets will be on sale beginning Monday, March 11. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for the public.

Henrietta Lacks was a Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, and her cells – taken without her knowledge – became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first "immortal" human cells grown in culture are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than 60 years.

Skloot will discuss her writing process, the challenges she faced in telling Henrietta Lacks’ story, the importance of science writing and more. Skloot is an award winning science writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, O: The Oprah Magazine, Discover and many other publications.

This program is supported by Western Reads, Division of Enrollment and Student Services, Fairhaven College, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Biology Department, College of Sciences and Technology, English Department and Research and Sponsored Programs.

Tickets are available through the WWU Box Office and cost $5 for students and $10 for the public. WWU Box Office hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and one hour prior to the performance. For individual tickets or disability accommodations, contact the WWU Box Office at (360) 650-6146 or visit http://www.tickets.wwu.edu.

For more information, contact Anna Carey at (360) 650-3846 or nssfo@wwu.edu.