Barbara Taylor Bradford to speak at Mount

Mount Saint Mary College invites the public to the 2012 Samuel D. Affron Memorial Lecture, featuring best-selling author Barbara Taylor Bradford, OBE.

The free special event will be Wednesday, April 18 at 7 pm in Aquinas Hall Theatre on campus, 330 Powell Avenue, Newburgh, NY. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

Immediately following the lecture, a limited number of Bradford’s latest novel, “Letter from a Stranger,” will be on sale in the lobby for a book signing. The author will also sign previously purchased copies of her novels.

Bradford is one of the world's best loved storytellers. Her 1979 debut novel, “A Woman of Substance,” ranks as one of the top 10 bestselling books of all time, with more than 31 million copies in print. All 26 of her earlier novels have been major worldwide bestsellers.

Born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK, she worked in the typing pool at the Yorkshire Evening Post before going into journalism. By age 20, she was the fashion editor of Woman’s Own Magazine, and an editor and columnist for the London Evening News.

Bradford's books have sold more than 83 million copies worldwide in more than 90 countries and 40 languages. Ten of her books have been made into miniseries and television movies, making her one of the best-selling authors of women's fiction over the last 30 years.

She was inducted into the Writers Hall of Fame of America, and was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Her original manuscripts are archived at the Brotherton Library at Leeds University, alongside the works of the Bronte sisters.

Mount Saint Mary College presented Bradford with an honorary doctor of letters degree in 2011.

Mrs. Bradford lives in New York City with her husband of 44 years, television producer Robert Bradford. Her official website is www.barbarataylorbradford.com

This lecture is made possible through the generosity of the Affron family. Jerome S. Affron, a former Mount Saint Mary College trustee, established the Samuel D. Affron Memorial Lecture Series in honor of his father in 1982.