In a special speech, English professor Bahrati Mukherjee, of the University of California-Berkeley, will discuss “Writing Across Cultural Boundaries” this evening.

The lecture will be held in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union at 8 p.m., and it is free and open to the public.

Pat Miller, director of the Lectures Program, said Mukherjee is an appropriate person to address these issues, since Mukherjee has long commuted to Iowa from California.

“She truly does have a background across Iowa,” Miller said. “It’s a wonderful topic, and she’s the perfect person to talk about it.”

Susan Carlson, coordinator of the event and professor of English, said students should take advantage of Mukherjee’s visit.

“She has always seen Iowa as her cultural connection, and she will be able to speak to students on how Iowa fits into the global setting,” Carlson said.

Mukherjee was born in Calcutta, India and first came to America in the 1960s for a writing workshop at the University of Iowa, according to a press release.

She later earned her M.S.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Iowa and has taught at several colleges in Canada and the United States.

Mukherjee also has written several books of short stories, non-fiction and novels on multi-cultural education and women’s experiences in making cultural transitions.

Her work has been well-received, winning the National Book Critics Circle Award and receiving fellowships from the Guggenheim Institute and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Miller said she has heard Mukherjee speak before, and that she is a powerful speaker.

“Everyone is looking forward to her coming; the topic itself is so engrossing,” Miller said. “She’s just a marvelous writer.”