James Bradley is first L-R Visiting Writer, second writer cancels appearance

Lenoir-Rhyne College’s Visiting Writers Series will begin this year with an appearance by James Bradley, author of “Flags of Our Fathers,” a book about the men who were photographed raising the flag on Iwo Jima during World War II.

Bradley will discuss his work on Thursday, Sept. 21 at 8 p.m. in the P.E. Monroe Auditorium. Mike Collins of the radio program “Charlotte Talks” will interview Bradley. The interview will be taped for later broadcast on WFAE 90.7, Your NPR News Source. This event is free and open to the public. No tickets are required.

A book club discussion led by L-R Professor Mike Dugan will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 14 in the Quiet Room of the Rudisill Library on campus. Those attending the book club should have read “Flags of Our Fathers” and should bring it with them. This group is free and open to the public. No pre-registration is required.

The second author in the Visiting Writers Series, Don Paterson, a Scottish poet, has cancelled his appearance for personal reasons. His visit will not be rescheduled.

Bradley’s father, John Bradley, is one of the men in the famous flag-raising photo, which became one of the most reproduced in history. It also served as the model for the Marine monument in Washington, D.C. Although John Bradley’s family knew he had participated in the flag raising, he almost never discussed it. Shortly after his death, his son discovered three boxes of materials that his father had saved from that period.

Determined to know the full story, James Bradley spent several years researching the lives of all six men shown in the photo. The resulting book became a New York Times best seller. It has been made into a major motion picture by Steven Spielberg, directed by Clint Eastwood. The movie is expected to be released this year.

Bradley's second book, “Flyboys,” was also a New York Times best seller, and recounts another story of American courage during World War II — the previously classified story of a group of American aviators who were shot down, and then beheaded, on the island of Chichi Jima. One Flyboy got away. His name is George Bush. The film rights to this book were acquired by Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and HBO.

Bradley was raised in Wisconsin, studied at the University of Notre Dame, Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan and graduated with a degree in East Asian History from the University of Wisconsin. He has experience writing and producing corporate films and corporate meetings; he has traveled the world, living and working in more than 40 countries for nearly a decade. He has run companies in the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy.

The readings in the Visiting Writers Series are free and open to the public thanks to the generous support of our donors. This project received support from the North Carolina Arts Council, an agency funded by the state of North Carolina and the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art. Other supporters of this year’s Visiting Writers Series include Barnes & Noble Booksellers; Ron and Sandra Deal; the Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina; Holiday Inn Select; the Thomas W. Reese Institute for Conservation of Natural Resources; the Trust for Public Land; People’s Bank; Resource Partners LLC Portfolio and Wealth Management; United Arts Council of Catawba County; and WFAE 90.7, Your NPR News Source.
 

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