Writing fellowship

The 2006 Kelly Writers House Fellows are three renowned writers known for very different bodies of work. Pulitzer-prize winner Richard Ford, intellectual superstar Cynthia Ozick and humorist and non-fiction writer Ian Frazier will all come to campus next spring to take part in reading presentations followed by brunch and conversation the next day. The Fellows program, which began in 1999, allows undergraduates to interact with world-famous authors in an intimate setting.

Ford, who will be on campus from Feb. 13 to 14, may be best-known for his 1995 book, “Independence Day,” which won the Pulitzer Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award. Novelist and essayist Ozick (“The Shawl”) will be at Penn March 20 to 21, and Frazier—a former staff writer at the New Yorker and Harvard Lampoon and author of “On the Rez”—will round out the trio from April 17 to 18. To find out more, go to www.writing.upenn.edu/~wh/.

Free football

Penn football is now free for Penn faculty and staff.

The Department of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics this summer introduced a new policy that allows Penn faculty and staff—and up to four guests—to attend Penn football games at historic Franklin Field free of charge.

Just present your PennCard at Gate SM (on the home side of the stadium) to receive your free tickets. All free tickets are general admission seats. If you’re interested in other sections, you can still buy those tickets from the Penn Athletics ticket office. The team drew more than 13,000 fans per game at Franklin Field last season, placing Penn 15th in Division I-AA.
The Quakers have enjoyed plenty of success at Franklin Field over the past half-decade, running up a 23-2 record at the old stadium in that time. This year should be no different, Penn returns 40 letterwinners and was recently picked by Ivy League football writers as the favorite to win the league in 2005.

For more on the new ticket policy, and the 2005 football schedule, go to www.pannathletics.com.

On the edge

The Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe moves westward from its Old City base this year, taking up residence in University City through Sept. 17. Venues such as The Rotunda (4014 Walnut St.), International House (3701 Chestnut St.), the Community Education Center (3500 Lancaster) and The Cathedral (4201 Spruce St.) will all host performances.

Standouts in this year’s festival include Britain’s Siobhan Davies Dance Company, performing its acclaimed new work, “Bird Song,” Sept. 14 through 17 at The Rotunda and New Paradise Laboratories’ ode to Philadelphia in the 1960s, “Planetary Enzyme Blues” at The Cathedral from Sept. 9 through Sept. 17 at 8 p.m.

The now-defunct Cinemagic theater at 3925 Walnut St. will also serve as a hub during the festival, with refreshments and perfomance information available.

For a complete schedule of events and tickets, go to www.livearts-fringe.org.