The popular author, humorist, and radio-show host will lecture at Bethany College Nov. 6 at 7:30 p.m. in Presser Hall Auditorium. Doors will open at 6 p.m.

            Thanks to the generosity of patrons Lucy Johnson and the late Charles Johnson, tickets are free to the public. Patrons ordering tickets via mail or through the Bethany Web site will be charged $2 for shipping and handling.

There are three options for ordering tickets:

• Web site: A downloadable, mail-in order form will be available on the Bethany Web site at www.bethanylb.edu. A check for $2 or credit-card information must accompany the order form.
• Mail-in: To request tickets via mail, send a written request, including number of tickets requested and a return address, to Bethany College Ticket Office, 421 N. First Street, Lindsborg, KS 67456. A $2 payment per order must accompany the request.
• Walk-up: Tickets will be available at the Bethany College ticket office in the Presser Hall main lobby from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 1. After Sept. 1, tickets will be available each Monday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Telephone orders will not be accepted. Seating is general admission only. There is a six-ticket limit per order. The college requests that any unused tickets be returned to the ticket office as soon as possible. No advance sales or reservations will be accepted.

            Keillor began his radio career as a freshman at the University of Minnesota, from which he graduated in 1966. He went to work for Minnesota Public Radio in 1969, and on July 6, 1974, he hosted the first broadcast of "A Prairie Home Companion" in St. Paul. The show ended in 1987, resumed in 1989 in New York as "The American Radio Company," returned to Minnesota, and in 1993 resumed the name "A Prairie Home Companion." Each week 2.6 million listeners on more than 450 public radio stations now hear the show.

            Keillor hosts a daily five-minute radio program, "The Writer's Almanac," is a frequent contributor to Time magazine, and writes a biweekly column of advice to the lovelorn for Salon, the online magazine. He is the author of twelve books, including "Lake Wobegon Days" (1985), "The Book of Guys" (1993), "The Old Man Who Loved Cheese" (1996), "Wobegon Boy" (1997); "Me: By Jimmy 'Big Boy' Valente As Told to Garrison Keillor" (1999), "Love Me" (2003), and 2004’s "HomeGrown Democrat."

            Keillor has received numerous awards including, a Grammy Award for his recording of Lake Wobegon Days. He also has received two ACE Awards for cable television and a George Foster Peabody Award. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and recently was presented with a National Humanities Medal by the National Endowment for the Humanities. In 1994, he was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame at Chicago's Museum of Broadcast Communications.

            With Philip Brunelle, he has performed with many orchestras, including the Chicago, Milwaukee, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Dallas, and National symphonies. He has appeared at Wolf Trap, Carnegie Hall, and other major concert halls as a member of The Hopeful Gospel Quartet.  On his own he has performed in one-man shows across the country and on tour broadcasts of "A Prairie Home Companion."

The Johnson Lecture Series is made possible by Lucy Johnson and the late Charles Johnson, Bethany College class of 1944. The lecture series allows the college and surrounding community to hear from world leaders in business, the arts, politics and diplomacy. Previous lecturers include journalist Juan Williams, astronaut James Lovell, filmmaker Ken Burns and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel.

Bethany College, established by Swedish Lutheran immigrants in 1881, is a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The mission of Bethany College is to nurture and challenge individuals in their search for truth and meaning as they lead lives of faith, learning and service.

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