The Hughes Lecture Series at West Liberty University welcomes author Michael Griffith at 8
p.m. on April 3 in the Boyle Conference Room. The program is free and open to the public.
Griffith’s latest novel is “Trophy,” a novel published by Triquarterly Books. Its protagonist is Vada Prickett, a
29-year-old “hose associate” at a car wash who finds himself in the predicament of being crushed to death under
a gigantic stuffed grizzly bear. In his final fleeting moments on earth, Vada tries to unravel the mysteries of his
life, bargaining with God and raging against the dying of the light.
“With word play sparkling and crackling across the pages, Griffith cuts and polishes his story with esoteric Bob
Dylan–like references and Stephen Wright’s sometimes piquant and sardonic observations. … Griffith’s word
wizardry, his facile puns, his insight into the human heart and his topsy-turvy sardonic approach make for a
one-of-a-kind reading experience,” the book review website Kirkus Reviews said of the novel.
The site also named “Trophy” one of 2011’s best 25 works of fiction. Copies of the book will be available for
purchase in the WLU campus bookstore.
Griffith’s previous books include “Bibliophilia” and “Spikes,” among many other published works of fiction
and non-fiction. He is an associate professor of English at the University of Cincinnati and fiction editor
at “Cincinnati Review,” and has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the
Louisiana Division of the Arts.