Seton Hill Hosts Public Lecture by Author, Journalist Hank Phillippi Ryan on June 24

Award winning novelist and investigative reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan will present a public lecture on Saturday, June 24 during Seton Hill University’s Writing Popular Fiction residency. The lecture, which will be followed by a reception and book signing, will be held at 7 p.m. in the Seton Hill University Performing Arts Center, 100 Harrison Ave., Greensburg. The event is sponsored by Seton Hill University’s Master of Fine Arts in Writing Popular Fiction program and the Westmoreland Library Network.  Tickets are free through the Seton Hill University Box office at 724-552-2929 or www.setonhill.edu/tickets.

Hank Phillippi RyanHank Phillippi Ryan is the on-air investigative reporter for Boston's WHDH-TV. She's won 33 EMMYs, 14 Murrows, and dozens more honors for her ground-breaking journalism.

The bestselling author of nine mysteries, Ryan is also an award-winner in her second profession—with five Agathas, two Anthonys, two Macavitys, the Daphne, and for “The Other Woman,” the coveted Mary Higgins Clark Award. Critics call her "a superb and gifted storyteller" and "a master of suspense."

She is the only author to have won the Agatha in four different categories: Best First, Best Novel, Best Short Story and Best Non-Fiction. Her novels have been named Library Journal's Best of 2014 and 2015—and Ryan's newest novel, “Say No More,” is a Library Journal Best of 2016. It is now also honored as a Mary Higgins Clark and Agatha Award nominee.

Ryan is a founder of MWA University and 2013 president of National Sisters in Crime.

Seton Hill’s unique Master of Fine Arts in Writing Popular Fiction program teaches students to write marketable novels in popular genres like mystery, romance, science fiction, horror, and fantasy. Additional specialties include literature for children and adolescents, and cross-genre blends like romantic suspense or young adult mysteries. Students attend two weeklong, on-campus residencies each year to master the core elements of fiction writing and effective marketing and to gain inspiration from faculty mentors and special guests, all published authors in genre fiction. Established authors mentor students one-on-one as they work toward completing a market-ready manuscript from home. Readings, classes, and on-line discussion about the history, trends, and techniques of genre fiction add depth to the student's experience.   For more information about the Master of Arts in Writing Popular Fiction program at Seton Hill, visit http://fiction.setonhill.edu or contact Seton Hill’s Office of Graduate and Adult Studies at 724-838-4209.

If you are a member of the media and would like more information, contact Director of Media Relations Jennifer Reeger at jreeger@setonhill.edu, (724) 830-1069 (office) or (724) 433-9613 (cell). If you are not a member of the media, contact us here.