Calvin Trillin headlines author series' fall season

This fall's season of Talk of the Stacks will bring New Yorker writer Calvin Trillin to Minneapolis to discuss his new collection, "Quite Enough of Calvin Trillin: Forty Years of His Funny Stuff."

Trillin, who has been writing for the New Yorker for nearly 50 years, is the author of more than 20 books and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Other writers in the free lecture series include: Somali novelist Nuruddin Farah, who teaches at the University of Minnesota; Lisa Randall, author of "Knocking on Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate the Universe and the Modern World"; Leslie Marmon Silko, author of "The Turquoise Ledge," and Will Hermes, author of "Love Goes to Buildings on Fire."

All events will begin at 7 p.m. and will be held at Minneapolis Central Library on Nicollet Mall.

Here's the schedule:

Nuruddin Farah

Sept. 20: Farah is the author of 11 novels in English, one book of nonfiction and many plays. Under self-imposed exile from Somalia, he now lives in South Africa. He is the 2010-2012 Winton Chair in the Liberal Arts at the U. "Crossbones" is the final book in his third trilogy.

Sept. 28: Trillin is a journalist, food writer, poet and novelist. His newest book is a collection of work from the New Yorker, the Nation, the New York Times and elsewhere.

Lisa Randall

Sept. 29: Randall, a Harvard professor, is an expert in particle physics and cosmology. Her earlier book, "Warped Passages," was a New York Times notable book.

Leslie Marmon Silko

Oct. 20: Silko is the author of three novels and a recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship.

Nov. 10: Hermes is a senior critic for Rolling Stone magazine and a contributor to National Public Radio's "All Things Considered." (And a former arts and music editor at City Pages in the Twin Cities.) His new book explores the music scene of New York City during the 1970s.