???Become bestselling novelist.
???Check.
???Win Pulitzer Prize for Commentary.
???Check.
???Lecture as a UB Distinguished Speaker.
???Check.
???With an assortment of accolades under her belt, and writing expertise that ranges from producing novels to award-winning columns, Anna Quindlen will share her wealth of knowledge Wednesday at 8 p.m. in the Center for the Arts as a part of the Distinguished Speakers Series.
???From reading any one of her many columns as a contributing editor of Newsweek or those published at an earlier point in her career in the New York Times, readers can compile bits and pieces of her personality and find evidence of her intellect and humor.
???In her latest column "The Other Lincoln," she recalls her love for tales of heroines as a schoolgirl. This anecdote leads into her main purpose of the piece, exposing Mary Todd, the wife of Abraham Lincoln, for what she was - a catalyst in the 16th president's greatness.
???Quindlen explains that societal limitations suffocated the magnitude of what Todd could have been. With carefully researched details of Todd's life and losses, Quindlen tells a very convincing story that conveys remorse for an educated woman who quickly became an inconvenience for the former president.
???Moral of the story: It happened to Anne Boleyn and Marie Antoinette, too.
???Quindlen's prose is strong and supported. The topics she tackles, if not personal and relatable, are relevant and controversial.
???The Newsweek writer has offered her opinion about the heavy cost of the undisclosed cases of sexual abuse of female cadets in the U.S. Armed Forces, and has attempted to sway people to be more open about the state of birth control and abortion methods available, specifically detailing how the "French abortion pill" RU-486 works.
???Quindlen became rooted in news writing at 18 years old. She then began working at the New York Times as a general assignment reporter in 1977 at the age of 25. Six years later she became the deputy metropolitan editor before winning the Pulitzer for her nationally syndicated column "Public and Private."
???Besides writing bi-weekly columns for Newsweek, Quindlen writes novels, five of which have made bestseller lists. She writes nonfiction and fiction, and has written children's books. She is also a seasoned rhetorician, having spoken at Mount Holyoke College, Colby College and Kenyon College before her scheduled spot at UB.
???On Wednesday night, she will make use of another forum to introduce herself and speak about matters important to her.
