Washington Times Syndicated Columnist and Author to Speak at Holy Cross About her Latest Book

WORCESTER, Mass. – Diana West, Washington Times syndicated columnist and author, will give a presentation titled “Where Have All the Adults Gone?” on Monday, April 14 at 4 p.m. in the Rehm Library at the College of the Holy Cross. The event, sponsored by the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture, is free and open to the public.

The talk is based on her recent book Death of the Grown-up: How America's Arrested Development Is Bringing Down Western Civilization (St. Martin’s Press, 2007). In the book, West claims that it is our own childishness that is our greatest weakness as we confront Islamic terrorists in a post-9/11 world. In her talk she will explain why “growing up” won’t just benefit our future, but will help us survive.

A graduate of Yale University, West started writing for the Washington Times’ editorial section in 1999. During this time she wrote about cultural and social issues and political affairs, including Hillary Clinton's Senate campaign, infamous Clinton scandals and the ongoing fight over the judiciary. She resigned in 2002 to pursue other writing projects, but remains affiliated with the paper’s op-ed page. She has written a weekly commentary column for Newspaper Enterprise Association since 2001.

A conservative, who likes to write cultural commentary, West has been published in numerous media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The Weekly Standard, The Washington Post, Commentary, The New Criterion, The Public Interest and The Women's Quarterly. She has also written fiction for The Atlantic Monthly and has been a columnist for Scripps Howard News Service.

Professional accomplishments include winning second place for editorial writing in the Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association Contest (largest daily division) in 2001 and in 1990 she was awarded first place in feature writing from the National Newspaper Association for a two-part story on the David Baltimore affair, a scientific fraud controversy involving the Nobel prizewinner. About The Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture:

Established in 2001 and housed in Smith Hall, the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture provides resources for faculty and course development, sponsors conferences and college-wide teaching events, hosts visiting fellows, and coordinates a number of campus lecture series. Rooted in the College's commitment to invite conversation about basic human questions, the Center welcomes persons of all faiths and seeks to foster dialogue that acknowledges and respects differences, providing a forum for intellectual exchange that is interreligious, interdisciplinary, intercultural, and international in scope.  The Center also brings members of the Holy Cross community into conversation with the Greater Worcester community, the academic community, and the wider world to examine the role of faith and inquiry in higher education and in the larger culture.