Pulitzer Prize winning author William Kennedy expertly draws on the sights, personalities and nuances of his hometown, Albany, N.Y., to create imaginative and intellectual works of fiction. He will visit DePaul University to read from some of his most recent works, including a novel he is currently writing titled "Roscoe," which will be the latest installment in his open-ended series of books called the Albany Cycle. The reading will take place at 2:20 p.m. April 17 in the art gallery of the John T. Richardson Library, 2350 N. Kenmore Ave. The event is free and open to the public.

     The Pegasus Players also will perform Kennedy's play, "Grand View," at 8 p.m. April 18 at Truman College's Pegasus Theatre, 1145 W. Wilson Ave. "Grand View" tells the story of a political war between a New York state governor and Albany's political boss. Tickets for the play are $15 and the performance will be followed by a question and answer session.

     The School for New Learning (SNL) at DePaul, which exclusively caters to the needs of adult students, is the sponsor of both events.

     Born in 1928 in Albany's North End, Kennedy began his career as a writer at the Post Star newspaper in Glens Falls, N.Y. After being drafted in 1956, he wrote for an Army newspaper in Europe. When his military stint was complete, he continued to pursue writing as a profession at the Albany Times-Union, and later moved to Puerto Rico where he became managing editor of the fledgling San Juan Star.

     Kennedy hoped Puerto Rico would spark his imagination for fiction writing but soon discovered that Albany had an even stronger grip on his thoughts. In 1983 he returned to Albany and penned "O Albany," (Viking Press) which was edited by SNL dean Susanne Dumbleton. This series of articles about Albany earned him a Pulitzer Prize nomination.

     Kennedy wrote his first novel in 1969. "The Ink Truck" (Viking Press) told the story of a newspaper strike in a city based on Albany. He followed that work in 1975 with "Billy Phelan's Greatest Game," (Viking Press) which introduced the Phelan family whose subsequent generations appeared in five more Kennedy novels.

     His 1983 novel "Ironweed," (Viking Press) the story of Billy Phelan's brother, Francis, a derelict on the run from his own demons and past mistakes, earned Kennedy a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critic's Circle Award for fiction. Kennedy's other novels include "Legs," (Viking Press, 1975), "Quinn's Book," (Viking Press, 1988) and "The Flaming Corsage (Viking Press, 1996).

     Kennedy's literary talents also extend to the worlds of cinema and stage. He co-scripted "The Cotton Club" with Francis Ford Coppola in 1986 and in 1987 wrote the screenplay for "Ironweed," which starred Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep. His first play, "Grand View," was written in 1996. He also has written numerous essays, memoirs and reviews, and is the co-author of two children's books, which he wrote with his son Brendan.

     For more information about the reading, call SNL at 312/362-8001. For information and tickets to the performance of "Grand View," call the Pegasus Theatre at 773/878-9761.